Fine Gael has ratified the controversial Mayo councillor, Mr John Flannery, to stand for the party in the forthcoming local elections, writes Lorna Siggins. The ratification to run in the Swinford electoral area was confirmed at executive council level late last month, according to a party spokesman.
Cllr Flannery was acquitted at Galway District Court last month of inciting hatred towards Travellers under Section 2 of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, 1989.
As the court found that Cllr Flannery had no case to answer, Fine Gael's executive council took the view that it could not press the matter further, the party spokesman said.
Last year, following the controversy over Cllr Flannery's reported comments at a Western Health Board meeting, the Fine Gael parliamentary party issued a condemnation and called on him to both withdraw his comments and apologise for them "immediately". The party said that it was also initiating disclipinary proceedings over the matter.
However, after his acquittal on March 1st, Cllr Flannery refused to apologise to the Travelling community. The Galway Travellers' Support Group demanded that Fine Gael withdraw its support for him in the local elections.
The case has caused embarrassment to Fine Gael, as it was taken on foot of a complaint to the Garda by a Waterford Fine Gael councillor, Mr Garry O'Halloran, PRO of the Southern Travellers' Justice Group.