Michael Collins, the Independent Ireland leader, has said more than ten councillors from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are in talks to join his party after the national fuel blockades.
At the party’s convention at the Galmont hotel in Galway on Saturday, Collins said Independent Ireland tapped into public sentiment during the protests by engaging directly with demonstrators — something he said the government had failed to do.
While about 360 members attended the convention, Collins claimed 500 people had joined the party in the past two weeks, and its website temporarily crashed last week because of high levels of traffic. A party official later said the number of new sign-ups had reached 647 by last Friday.
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The next step was to encourage politicians in establishment parties to join Independent Ireland.
“Just this morning, I had a Fianna Fail councillor on the phone to me, he wanted to meet and have a sit down,” Collins said. “Obviously this is confidential, but there’s a growing number of politicians who see us as a place where they can grow their political beliefs.
“They are people that want to deliver and have been stifled from delivering over the last number years, and have had enough. They’ve been very frustrated … whether it was [over] the Mercosur deal or whether it was fuel. For Fianna Fail, there was the presidential campaign. There’s a lot of issues that have really frustrated grassroots Fianna Fail, and some of them are very decent people — and Fine Gael have very decent people — and they need a home, they need a voice.”
Collins said he was in discussions with “a little more than ten” councillors. A party administrator later said 12 Fianna Fail and Fine Gael councillors were talking about joining the party.
Coalition backbenchers are privately concerned that their voters are shifting towards Independent Ireland. There was particular frustration at the controversy involving Larry Murrin, the chair of Bord Bia, whose company Dawn Foods was found to be importing a small amount of Brazilian beef. Some farmers argued this trade amounted to a conflict of interest. The government’s decision to back Murrin was seen within both parties as inflammatory.
Collins said more Fianna Fail than Fine Gael representatives had made contact with him. Many conference attendees said they were former Fianna Fail members who had grown disillusioned.
Collins speaking to the media at the convention on SaturdayEamon Ward
“I was a card-carrying member of Fianna Fail all my life,” said Tony Lee, a friend and supporter of Noel Thomas, the Independent Ireland candidate for Galway West. “My father was as well, but I left. I didn’t feel they represented me any more.”
Brendan Walsh and Adrian Faherty, also from Galway West, said they used to be Fianna Fail members but had joined Independent Ireland and would support Thomas in the by-election on May 22.
In response to a complaint by Jennifer Whitmore of the Social Democrats, regarding remarks by Independent Ireland TDs about female ministers, Collins rejected claims that members of his party were misogynistic. Linda de Courcy, an Independent Ireland councillor for South Dublin, argued that accusations of sexism were a distraction.
“Name-calling is just the lowest form of argument,” de Courcy added. “And if that’s all you can do, if you can’t take the heat in the Dail, you shouldn’t be in the Dail.”
Meanwhile, Richard O’Donoghue, a TD for Limerick, gestured towards the party’s female supporters and said: “Look who’s behind us.” At a press conference on Saturday, female party members were positioned prominently behind speakers.
After last week’s confidence motion in Leinster House, Independent Ireland TDs were greeted warmly by protesters on Kildare Street, many carrying tricolour flags and chanting “get them out”, in reference to the coalition.
Asked whether he believed far-right elements had infiltrated the protests, Collins described such involvement as a “small part” of the overall movement.
“In fairness to the protesters in Whitegate [oil refinery], they dealt with it themselves. They told those individuals to go home and made it clear they had no place in the protest. They were very careful about that.
“The people I saw there were farmers, hauliers, builders and fishermen — ordinary working people.”