PD leader endorses Dardis's 'strong chance' for seat
The Tanaiste and Leader of the Progressive Democrats, Mary Harney TD, pictured in An Tearmann, Kilcullen, with Misha Fekete of the Camphill Community and Senator John Dardis, the Kildare South PD candidate in the forthcoming Dail elections.
KILCULLEN, 28 January 2002: by Brian Byrne. Senator John Dardis is in ‘pole position’ to take a seat for the Progressive Democrats in Kildare South, notwithstanding the difficulties of doing so in a 3-seater constituency where there are entrenched TDs from the three major parties.
That was the view expressed today by PD leader Mary Harney TD when she visited a number of places in the constituency, beginning at An Tearmann in Kilcullen. And though both she wouldn’t predict whose seat might be taken, she was adamant that Senator Dardis has improved his position since the last election, where he actually got the highest percentage vote of any PD candidate in the country.
“I got 13.5%, which on percentage terms is moving close to getting a seat,” Senator Dardis recalled. “I know we have three strong sitting TDs, but I’ve always said if you get the percentage, you get the seat. Fianna Fail have to get one, going on their percentages, and you might say that FG should get one too, but in their present position they’re not certain.”
He agreed that Senator Jack Wall is doing well in the polls, but noted that as a PD Senator and local councillor he himself has a very strong base in Newbridge and Kilcullen and had votes ‘in every box’ in the constituency.
Key issues in the area this time around include concerns that Kildare has become ‘Dublin’s overflow’ and also the increase in crime in the county - figures for 2000 show robberies and aggravated burglaries in the county are up 25%, larcenies from shops increased by 52% and larcenies from cars increased by 20%.
“The Chief Superintendent made reference on Friday to a need for more manpower, and I agree with him,” Senator Dardis said. “There should be a greater garda presence on the ground. The man on the beat is the best deterrent, and visibility of the gardai is a very important factor.”
Deputy Harney said the party’s national strategy is going to ‘boost’ the perception of the PDs throughout the country, and to support her party’s independent policies programme she wants to double the party’s representation in the coming election.
“In Kildare, we will work to maximise John’s first preferences in the area, where he has worked extremely hard and is highly respected. It won’t be easy, but we’re going to put up a very strong fight.”
The PD leader also said that she was in favour of decentralising a Government department or service to Athy, where it had proved quite difficult to attract industry in recent years. “It is close to Dublin, but far enough away to make it feasible,” she said.
Senator Dardis said the ‘Dublin overflow’ situation was now a ‘fact of life’, and probably ‘irresistible’ because of increases in population in the greater Dublin area. But he added that there were still places around Kildare where populations were in decline, and it was important to set up infrastructures which would attract people and industry to such places.
©2002knn