FG accused of rigging Donegal selection convention
A former head of election strategy for Fine Gael in Donegal has accused the party of rigging a selection convention in the county.
Senator Joe McHugh was selected as the party's sole candidate for Donegal North East earlier this year, prompting Letterkenny councillor Jimmy Harte to leave the party.
Mr Harte, the son of long-standing TD Paddy Harte, announced later that he would run as an independent and the next election.
Former Fine Gael election strategist Willie McClafferty is blaming the party's general secretary, Tom Curran, for the situation.
"The convention was totally rigged," he said last night. "The general secretary of the party was right behind it, from what he told me when I went to Dublin to meet him about it.
"So, on his shoulders lies the fact that we now have an independent candidate on the field. Fine Gael have themselves to blame for the way they've handled this whole affair."
