Bill Tormey is pleased to announce the rebirth of Gerry Breen as a running mate in Dublin Northwest

Having thought long and hard about election tactics, I looked at the advantages of seeking a running mate of intelligence and integrity for Dublin Northwest. At the Fine Gael Selection Convention in a packed room in Buswells, Phil Hogan TD, National Director of Elections read out the result of the vote which selected Bill Tormey and Lord Mayor Gerry Breen to contest the General Election in Dublin Northwest. There were four candidates including Councillor Declan Flanagan from Artane and Teresa Keegan from Mulhuddart.

This should envigorate the Fine Gael campaign and provide a wide spectrum of political choice for all the voters in the constituency.

Bill Tormey said at the convention, that the country needs competent, talented, reflective, well informed, decisive and experienced people to lead us out of the sovereign black hole of national insolvency. Bill is NOT a conservative. I am an economically numerate social democrat and definitely not a supporter of Mr Gilmore. Team Fine Gael is outstanding in charting a way forward for the country. Michael Noonan, Richard Bruton, Brian Hayes, Leo Varadkar, Limerick O’Donnell and Damian English makes me proud to be associated on the same economic team. There is an element of chance in the position that Fine Gael finds itself in. But Enda Kenny must be applauded for his team selection. I told you all before that Kenny has that ability. He might not win the Nobel Prize for Rhetoric and Bombast (unlike Cowen) but he is right up there in team management.

On a personal note, I think that on the grounds of (1) Clarity (2) Analytical Ability (3) Problem Resolution (4) Determination (5) Moral Courage and Honesty (6) Experience (7) Ability to pursue the truth even if that is rejected by hysteria (8) Human decency (9) Public record here and in my life’s work much of which is on the public record, I ask the electorate to now vote Bill Tormey 1 in the forthcoming general election and give Gerry Breen your Number 2.