Ivan Yates has said he is “delighted” by the defeat of the Monk at the hands of the Labour Party yesterday.
Gerry Hutch, who is currently on bail amid an international investigation into money laundering, won 9% of the first preference vote in the Dublin Central constituency on Friday.
Over the weekend, it looked like he might win the fourth and final seat in the constituency - until transfers from Fine Gael helped push Labour’s Marie Sherlock over the line.
On The Pat Kenny Show, broadcaster and former Fine Gael Cabinet Minister Ivan Yates said he never expected to see Hutch in the Dáil.
“I didn’t take his candidacy seriously,” he said.
“I didn’t highlight him, I never rated him and I’m delighted he was defeated.
“I rarely take an opinion on the candidate but, in my view, he’s a criminal and there’s no place for him in the Dáil.
“I get the dislocation of people who are anti-establishment but, put it like this, I interviewed Marie Sherlock last night on our election special - I’m delighted for her.”
Gerard Hutch speaks with newly elected candidate Marie Sherlock at the RDS Count Centre in Dublin. Photograph: Leon Farrell / © RollingNews.ieNor was Ivan surprised to see Stephen Donnelly defeated in Wicklow.
The Health Minister was Fianna Fáil’s only candidate in the constituency but still polled just 6% of the vote.
“Put it like this, I was speaking to a very senior Fianna Fáiler in the Wicklow constituency,” Ivan said.
“He said to me, ‘Stephen just didn’t get it, he didn’t hold any clinics - he thought he was a national parliamentarian.’
“He started off in the Soc Dems and when he left the Soc Dems to join Fianna Fáil, he really wasn’t merged into the DNA of the Cumann membership, in my opinion.
“Then Jennifer Whitmore came along and took his old vote - the Soc Dem vote. So, he was left in a difficult spot.”
Wicklow Fianna Fáil also endured a poor set of results in June’s local elections and Ivan feels the local party “saw this coming”.
“Bray East and Bray West, Fianna Fáil ended up with no councillor,” he said.
“They need to completely reorganise and they need a really good ground game because they are up against, what is now, a phenomenal Harris machine.”
Stephen Donnelly at Government Buildings. Photo: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ieA handful of seats are yet to be filled but Ivan believes it is clear that Micheál Martin will become Taoiseach again in the New Year - with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael within touching distance of a majority.
“They will agree to a rotating Taoiseach on the basis of pro-rata,” he said.
“55% of the fixed time of the Government for Fianna Fáil and 45% for Fine Gael with Micheál [Martin] going first and being elected Taoiseach early in the New Year.
“I think they’ll cook the programme for Government over Christmas; the Dáil will reconvene in mid-December.
“On the formation of the Government; they have, effectively, 20 independents to pick from.”
I will always be grateful to the people of Cork South Central for enabling me to represent them in Dáil Éireann.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. pic.twitter.com/USSUx2DuwQ
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 30, 2024
Ivan added that one of the big winners of the election had been Newstalk’s Calling It podcast - which he co-hosts with Political Correspondent Seán Defoe.
“We got 90% of it right,” he said.
“The only two I didn’t see at all… was Eoin Hayes in Dublin Bay South - didn’t see that.
“I didn’t see Paul Lawless for Aontú in Mayo.”
Aontú has doubled its representation in Dáil Éireann, having won two seats in this election.
Main image: Hutch at the count. Picture by: Leon Farrell / © RollingNews.ie
