Dempsey departure leaves big void in Meath Fianna Fail

The surprise departure from the political stage of Minister for Transport and Meath TD Noel Dempsey has thrown the race for Dail seats in the forthcoming general election in Meath West wide open, with the Fianna Fail party currently holding four of the six seats across both Meath constituencies. Having taken a combined 52 per cent of the vote in 2007 and returning both Mr Dempsey and running mate Johnny Brady, Meath West has been, up to now, considered a Fianna Fail stronghold. But what the political landscape in the constituency will look like after the 2011 election is anyone's guess. The Fianna Fail organisation in the Meath West constituency, under the direction of Mr Dempsey himself, has been a highly efficient and disciplined machine that party election strategists like to hold up as an example of how to maximise the vote to ensure the front-runner helps bring in his running mate. The loss of such a senior figure from the ballot paper will be immense as FF scrambles to find a new candidate to fill his shoes. Fine Gael will certainly fancy its chances of taking a second seat here with Cllr Catherine Yore having been installed alongside sitting TD Damien English. The party is also likely to add Trim councillor Ray Butler to the ticket to mop up votes in and around Trim, a Dempsey stronghold. If the wind is with Labour on the day, then Jenny McHugh, who lives in Trim but teaches in Johnstown, could also do well. Sinn Fein, too, are bullish about their chances of taking the third seat through Cllr Peadar Toibin. It all adds up to an intriguing contest to be played out in the spring. With his party facing electoral meltdown at the polls, Mr Dempsey has become the second Cabinet heavyweight to throw in the towel after his Louth constituency colleague, Dermot Ahern. He has rejected the notion that the anticipated battering the party will receive next year was a factor in his decision to retire, though his critics will undoubtedly say that it had to be a consideration. Also a factor will have been the very generous terms under which he will retire from the Dail – an annual pension of almost €120,000, as part of a golden handshake worth over €300,000. As a former teacher, he will also be able to draw down his pension from this job when he reaches 65. As many political analysts have been quick to point out in the days since his announcement, monetarily at least, it is considerably more lucrative for him to retire on this deal than to take his chances in the next election and be a backbench TD on €98,000 for the next few years. After 33 years in public life as a councillor, TD and minister, it could be said that this is the perfect time to get out, even though Mr Dempsey has said it is never a good time to leave something that you love. However, with Fianna Fail at its lowest ever rating of 17 per cent, it is clear the party is heading for a long spell out of government and a great deal of soul-searching as to where it goes from here. For all the achievements he can point to as a minister, Noel Dempsey has been part of a government that has seen Ireland lose its economic sovereignty with the IMF and ECB bailout, presided over the spectacular implosion of the property sector, a banking catastrophe that has brought the country to the brink of ruin, and the return of double-digit unemployment and emigration as a fact of life for thousands. To give him his dues, he should also be remembered for the more successful measures he brought forward as a minister, such as the plastic bag levy when Minister for the Environment and the reduction in road deaths through several initiatives, including reducing the alcohol limit for drivers. Locally, he can point to the opening of the M3 motorway through Meath and the first phase of the rail line to Dublin from Dunboyne as successes which have brought benefits to this county. Mr Dempsey's departure will certainly herald a new era in the politics of Meath. Straight-talking and forceful, he has been an energetic and determined public representative who was always prepared to fight for what he believed in and was never afraid to take on powerful vested interests when it came to reform.