Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

Fianna Fáil’s election spending filings recently lodged with SIPO (Standards in Public Office Commission) confirmed what we already knew: party headquarters favoured Gráinne Seoige over John Connolly in last year’s General Election in Galway West.

And we all know how that turned out. The party’s grassroots defied the unofficial diktat from on high and voted for the long-time card-carrying member of Fianna Fáil over the newcomer celebrity candidate who was parachuted in.

Still, the Irish Independent article, highlighting the significant differences in financial support that Fianna Fáil gave to broadcaster Seoige over the then City Councillor Connolly, was a reminder of how the Mount Street bigwigs were so out of touch with membership.

In a weird way, the favouritism shown by FF HQ to Seoige worked in Connolly’s favour. The grassroots don’t like being told what to do. Especially not in Galway West.

And so, when Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Headquarters’ strategists rowed in behind Seoige, most party supporters on the ground rallied behind Connolly.

The ill-treatment of Connolly, compared with Seoige, probably also garnered him sympathy among non-Fianna Fáil voters.

But even still, it was galling for the Connolly camp to read just how much money Fianna Fáil ploughed into Seoige’s campaign compared with his.

SIPO returns showed Fianna Fáil spent €14,509 on Seoige’s unsuccessful campaign. Yet it spent just €8,814 on Connolly who won the seat held by Éamon Ó Cuív for years.

It’s not just the €5,700 additional support for Seoige that still annoys Connolly supporters. They’re also angry that Connolly — in the middle of the campaign — was asked to return to the party coffers any money he had spent during the election that was to be reimbursed by SIPO.

All General Election candidates can have up to €11,200 reimbursed to them by the State, if they secure over 25% of the quota.

Party HQ wrote to Connolly as polling day approached, demanding a written commitment that he would forward any reimbursed money to the party centrally. Several other candidates did not get that letter.

The letter’s timing was cruel. It came soon after a TG4 poll put Connolly and Seoige neck-and-neck on 7%, which sowed doubts about whether there was a seat there at all for Fianna Fáil.

Connolly — like most candidates — borrowed money to fight the campaign. And what he needed from Fianna Fáil HQ after that poll came out was more support — extra posters, more leaflets, more newspaper ads — not letters demanding any reimbursed money be redirected from his pocket to cover HQ’s costs.

It’s understood Bearna supporters — including former Galway County Council candidate Daragh Ó Tuairisg — persuaded Connolly to reject those terms.

But the fact that he was even asked, when FF HQ was pumping more cash into his running mate’s campaign, showed up the leadership’s biases, and detachment from ordinary members in Galway West.

Pictured: Gráinne Seoige and John Connolly after they were selected unopposed to contest last year’s General Election.