A long-serving Kerry Fine Gael councillor has heavily criticised the party’s general election strategy in this county.
Fine Gael lost a seat it’s held in the county since 1948; it’s the first general election no Fine Gael TD has been returned from any part of Kerry since the party was founded.
Castleisland councillor Bobby O’Connell says the strategy pursued by Fine Gael headquarters, only running first-time candidate Billy O’Shea to replace outgoing TD Brendan Griffin, was a disaster.
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Cllr O’Connell says there were councillors who wanted to be added to the ticket, and he feels local representatives were disrespected by party HQ.
