Fine Gael's Cllr Philip Jenkinson (49) was selected last night to stand as the party's candidate in the Dublin North by-election. The election of Cllr Jenkinson, who stood in the general election, took place at the Grand Hotel, Malahide.
In a speech at the convention, the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, criticised the effect of last week's Budget as "cosmetic, not real".
"By reducing the tax burden on the better-off, rather on the low paid, the Government is engaging in an artificially inflationary tax policy because the better-off will spend on assets which will contribute to inflation, whereas the less well-off would spend on goods and services that would both create other jobs and would not fuel inflation," said Mr Bruton.
Meanwhile, Cllr Jan O'Sullivan, a candidate in previous elections, was selected unopposed by the Labour Party in Limerick yesterday to fight the pending by-election in East Limerick for the seat of the late Labour TD, Mr Jim Kemmy.
