Heather Humphreys takes large lead over Seán Kelly in race to seek Fine Gael presidential election nomination
Fine Gael
minister
Heather Humphreys
has taken a large lead over Ireland South MEP
Seán Kelly
in the battle to seek the party's nomination to contest the upcoming
presidential election
.
Both Ms Humphreys and Mr Kelly announced their intention to run for president for Fine Gael on Tuesday morning.
Each will require the backing of 20 members of the parliamentary party, as well as 25 councillors and five members of the executive council.
By Tuesday afternoon, Ms Humphreys had at least 29 nominations from TDs and senators, and was widely expected to have over 30 by the end of the day. So far, Mr Kelly has the backing of at least six parliamentary party members.
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The 29 parliamentary party declarations for for Heather Humphreys so far includes ministers Peter Burke and Patrick O'Donovan, junior ministers Neale Richmond, Hildegarde Naughton, Colm Brophy and Emer Higgins, TDs Emer Currie, John Paul O'Shea, David Maxwell, Jerry Buttimer, Paula Butterly, Grace Boland, Frank Feighan, Naoise O'Muirí, Catherine Callaghan, Alan Dillon, Keira Keogh, James Geoghegan, Colm Burke, John Clendennan and Micheal Carrigy, Barry Ward and senators Sean Kyne, Maria Byrne, Nikki Bradley, Joe O'Reilly, Mark Duffy, Cathal Byrne, Manus Boyle.
Joe Cooney, the Fine Gael TD for Clare, said as a Munster man and a 'GAA man' he would be proudly supporting Mr Kelly. So far Mr Kelly also has the support of Senators Michael Kennelly and Garrett Ahearn and TDs Noel McCarthy, Brian Brennan and Michael Murphy.
Announcing her candidacy on Tuesday, Ms Humphreys said she had been 'genuinely humbled' by the support in recent days.
'I have decided to go for it,' she told the Joe Finnegan Show on Cavan-Monaghan radio station Northern Sound.
She said it was 'fair' to ask why she had changed her mind, having ruled herself out of the contest in May and saying she would be supporting her 'friend' Ms McGuinness instead.
'But as we know, everything has changed with Mairead's news last week and I would just like to wish her well in her recovery.'
Ms Humphreys said she was a 'bit burned out' and was probably 'running on empty' when she decided to step down from politics at the end of last year, having sat at Cabinet for a decade.
'I've said to myself more than once: 'you could do a bit more Heather',' she said. 'Really, I've had a good rest, the tank is full again. And you know timing is a funny thing because I have never felt as good about taking on the challenge.'
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Áras race picks up speed as Humphreys and Kelly join Fine Gael field
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Her announcement came a little over an hour after Mr Kelly, a former GAA president, said he also intends to seek the party's nomination. He said he believes that there should be a contest between him and Ms Humphreys.
She and Mr Kelly had previously ruled themselves out of the contest, when it was believed that Ms McGuinness would be Fine Gael's candidate.
Ms Humphreys in May ruled herself out of running for the presidency, citing her decision to leave politics altogether at the last general election. 'I said at that time that I wanted to spend more time with the family and that my time in public life was over,' she said at that time.
In July, Mr Kelly also ruled himself out of the contest. He said that the presidency was largely a ceremonial role. 'You don't have that much power or influence even though you can dress it up whatever way you like and I like to be involved politically,' he said then.
The MEP appeared to walk these comments back on Tuesday, saying that his comment 'was in comparison to presidents around the world' who have executive powers. 'But I think actually there's a huge potential in the job, it is the highest honour in Ireland.'
Mr Kelly said having spent time in Ireland over the last few weeks, he understood that he had grassroots support as many people had told him they were disappointed he was not running for the Áras.
In the days following Mairead McGuinness' unfortunate withdrawal as Fine Gael's candidate for President of Ireland on health grounds, I have reflected and given serious consideration to the possibility of seeking the
After discussing it with my family and…
— Seán Kelly MEP (@SeanKellyMEP)
Mr Kelly said he believes Fine Gael's base would like to see a contest for its presidential nomination as they are good for parties and for democracies.
Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan on Tuesday said he would be supporting Ms Humphreys. He said she had 'all of the qualities and attributes' needed to be president. 'There isn't a parish or a crossroads in this country that she hasn't touched in some way,' he said.
Junior ministers Hildegarde Naughton and Emer Higgins, senator Manus Boyle and TDs John Clendennen and Micheal Carrigy have also said that the former minister will have their support, as have Minister of State Neale Richmond and Senator Maria Byrne.
Fine Gael TD Noel McCarthy on Tuesday endorsed Mr Kelly's candidacy. The Cork East deputy said Mr Kelly had done 'marvellous work' in his time as an MEP, highlighted by him polling 125,000 first-preference votes in last year's European election.
Fine Gael senator and Kerryman Michael Kennelly also said he will be supporting Mr Kelly. 'He's made a huge contribution for the people of Kerry and the people of Ireland in his role as an MEP. He's someone that has always stayed grounded, and that's a trait that the person who is going to fill the Áras will need,' Mr Kennelly said. 'He is a proud GAA man, he is a proud cultural man, he is a proud Irish speaker, he is a gem, he's been a real Kerry hero.'
Fine Gael Senator Cathal Byrne said he was backing Ms Humphreys and had already sent in nomination papers for her on Tuesday morning. 'I always found her very supportive of projects across Wexford, and she's visited so many parts of Wexford as a minister, and I always found her as somebody who, on those visits, displayed enormous empathy and a great connection to people,' Mr Byrne said.
Mark Duffy, a Fine Gael senator based in Mayo, said that he was also supporting Ms Humphreys. 'With her proven leadership as Minister for Rural and Community Development and her deep commitment to public service, she has the vision and experience to serve Ireland with distinction,' Mr Duffy said.
Senator Joe O'Reilly also told The Irish Times that he was supporting the former minister, as did Senator Sean Kyne and James Geoghegan, the Fine Gael TD for Dublin Bay South. Mr Geoghegan said she was a candidate of 'enormous integrity, and someone who understands as well as values the importance of community.'
Fine TD Alan Dillon is also backing Ms Humphreys, who he described as a 'strong, grounded leader who connects with people across all divides.'
Fine Gael senator Nikki Bradley and veteran TD Frank Feighan also confirmed they will be supporting Ms Humphreys, while Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said he is 'honoured' to nominate Ms Humphreys, adding that 'with over a decade in cabinet, she has shown real leadership, uniting communities and leaving a lasting impact nationwide.'
TDs Paula Butterly, David Maxwell and John Paul O'Shea have all indicated their support for Ms Humphreys on social media, as has Senator Jerry Buttimer.
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Our constitution rightly guarantees property rights; however, the simple fact is that most pensioners are currently receiving benefits (pension and health) far in excess of the contributions they have made to the PRSI system. Asset inflation on the other hand means their housing assets are worth far in excess of what they paid (with no Capital Gains Tax and minuscule property tax). It's instructive that social welfare means testing explicitly excludes the principal private residence, but modest savings of a renter are included. Pity the younger 'generation rent' working and paying high rates of income tax to fund the pensions of the propertied generation. It is also a pathetic reflection on Ireland's banking and legal establishment that bridging finance is absent; my suspicion is that since being stung during the boom, banks are focused on simple lending where they will not be required to bring drawn-out court cases against obstinate 'hard luck cases' when things go awry. – Yours, etc, MATTHEW GLOVER, Lucan, Co Dublin. You, me and my lovely bike Sir, I am writing in response to Sean Mooney (You, me and my lovely SUV, Letters , August 18th)) and to declare my undying and unconditional love for my bicycle. I am unapologetic about its practically non-existent running costs, superfluous health benefits and ability to park almost anywhere. I sit, pedalling past queues of traffic in smug satisfaction that I am not harming the health of the local population with toxic fumes or accelerating climate change with CO2 emissions. I arrive at my destination at a time not dictated by traffic and muse on my most recent journey in an SUV. Sitting sedentary in traffic, watching my bank balance drain as the fuel empties, inhaling toxic chemicals and listening to inane rubbish and endless advertisements on the radio. Sean's claim about tax being applied to whatever is popular is patently wrong – nobody in Amsterdam pays a tax to cycle. His claims of improved safety and lowest ever emissions are conspicuous for their lack of evidence. This answer as to why is simple – there is none. Marginally improved emissions may be applauded, only for the fact the number of cars on Irish roads has almost doubled in the past 25 years, obliterating any benefit in this regard. The sad reality is that the world is burning. We need urgent affirmative action, unity and meaningful discourse. Instead, we get outlandish opinions published in an effort to drive engagement through outrage. I cannot tell who is most at fault in this sorry exchange – Mr Mooney for his views, The Irish Times for promoting them, or me for rising to the bait. – Yours, in hope of a world where we are all better than this. EANNA MULVIHILL, Ashtown, Dublin. Carbon credits and promises Sir, – If last week's opinion article in The Irish Times is to be believed ('A wolf in sheep's clothing, the false promise of carbon credits', Science & Climate, August 14th), carbon markets 'almost always fail' and offer nothing but false promises. That makes for a strong headline, but it's far from the truth. The article's author, Karol Balfe of ActionAid Ireland, calls carbon markets a 'moral failure'. But I've seen them keep forests standing, fund schools, and put food on the table, especially in local communities in the Global South. We can't both be right, so let's look at the evidence. Balfe claims that carbon markets 'almost always fail to provide any real climate benefit,' citing the Guardian newspaper article that claimed 90 per cent of rainforest offsets certified by Verra were 'phantom credits.' However, Nature Climate Change found these projects have a solid scientific basis. Cambridge researchers say REDD+ slows deforestation in high-threat regions. And independent rating agencies call the Guardian's figures 'hugely overstated.' Balfe's most troubling claim is that projects 'have a history of failing to deliver for communities' in the Global South, particularly in Africa. As someone from Africa, and the CEO of the world's leading carbon standards body, I can tell you this is simply not true. Yes, like in any market, there have been missteps in some carbon projects. Yes, like in any market, there have been bad actors and even lawbreakers. That's true of every sector in the world. But to dismiss the entire mechanism as something that 'simply does not work' is an oversimplification that does more harm than good. I can't help but wonder if critics of this 'failed' system have visited carbon projects. Like the TIST programme in Kenya, where farmers have planted 26 million trees and funded food, schools, and resilience. Or Pakistan's Delta Blue Carbon project, restoring 600,000 hectares of mangroves, creating 15,000 jobs, and sequestering 142 million tonnes of CO2? These aren't failures. They are real projects, delivering measurable climate benefits and life-changing community impacts every day. Here's where we can agree with Balfe though: carbon markets must keep improving. They must be transparent, deliver tangible benefits, and have mechanisms in place that weed out bad actors. On that, there's no disagreement. But her proposed 'alternatives' (rapid decarbonisation, progressive taxation, vast increases in public climate finance, and fully funded just transitions) read more like a wish list than a workable plan. Of course we need all of those things. The question is when and how? These measures are politically stalled, chronically underfunded, and often decades away from they ever arrive. Meanwhile, communities facing climate impacts today cannot eat promises of future taxation reform. They cannot replace lost livelihoods with unfulfilled finance pledges. And they cannot wait for the 'perfect' system while their forests are being cut down right now. The hard truth is this: we don't have the luxury of pitting one solution against another. We need rapid decarbonisation and high-integrity carbon markets. We need public finance and private capital flowing through proven mechanisms that already deliver results on the ground. Balfe wants to throw away one of the few functioning tools we have . Well-run carbon projects deliver every single day. The alternative isn't just worse. It's unthinkable. Yours, etc. MANDY RAMBHAROS, CEO, Verra, Washington. Not a record Sir, – Mairéad Cashman spotted an open ham sandwich on a menu in a restaurant in Co Clare last week, priced at €22.50 and wonders if this is a record ? ( Letters, August 19th ). No, this is a rip off. €7.50 would be a record. – Yours, etc, PATRICK O'BYRNE, Dublin 7.
