The Progressive Democrats were dealt another blow yesterday when Mr Peter Kelly, a member of Cork County Council and a party stalwart for 15 years, defected to Fine Gael.
The announcement was made in Cork by the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, who could scarcely hide his delight at the latest coup, which will help bolster his flagging popularity in the polls. "I welcome the application of Peter Kelly to join the party. I was impressed with him as a PD candidate and I know him to be a radical and a person who thinks deeply about issues. He will be able to make a very good contribution to the party and I see a major role for him in political life," Mr Bruton said.
After last week's decision by Senator Helen Keogh to quit the PDs for Fine Gael, Mr Kelly was highly critical of the manner in which her departure was handled by the PDs. In particular, he described as "over the top" remarks by the party chairman, Mr John Minihan, who said Ms Keogh's departure was "opportunistic" and "dishonourable". Mr Kelly also signalled his dissatisfaction with the lack of policies in the party which he described as having become stagnant since the 1980s.
Mr Kelly said the PD agenda had "petered out" and added: "It was not easy for me to face the fact that the PDs had become redundant but I had to do so. The harsh reality is that the ideals which attracted people like me to the party in the first place have long since been forgotten. I want to get back to active politics and when I looked at the Fine Gael party and structure I realised what I had been missing. I no longer wish to be a member of a party which is just a watchdog for Fianna Fail. The radicalism that marked the PDs in the early years and desire to take on the world and change it is definitely dead."
Mr Kelly said he discussed his concerns last week with several PD members but no senior officials of the party contacted him to say they understood his concerns. "All I hear is criticism of my stance on the vitriolic attacks against Helen Keogh and the rantings that have been going on since. Uno duce, una voce is what I hear," he added.
On his electoral prospects, Mr Kelly said he did not foresee himself standing for Fine Gael in Cork in the immediate future. "I feel there is a lot ahead for me in Fine Gael and I am looking forward to participating in real politics again," he said.
Mr Kelly has campaigned in Cork County Council for gay couples to be added to the housing list and has said he has no difficulty in acknowledging his sexuality. At yesterday's news conference, Mr Bruton said Fine Gael had no problem with the concept of gay couples and added that there was a clear need to recognise relationships that were mutually supportive.
Mr Bruton also said rumours of a push against his leadership were a matter for newspapers. The reality was that the Fine Gael leadership in opposition was confirmed by secret ballot after each election. "To the best of my knowledge, after the last election, there was a unanimous vote in favour of me serving out my term as leader," he said.