Supporters rally round expelled TD
Supporters of disgraced TD Beverly Flynn today vowed to fight for her survival ahead of a move to expel her from the Fianna Fáil party.
Ms Flynn had the party whip removed from her last night and faces expulsion at a meeting of the party’s national executive on Friday night.
A spokeswoman for Ms Flynn revealed that councillors and activists across Mayo had come out in support of the disgraced TD.
Only one out of 14 Fianna Fáil councillors across Mayo had so far failed to show their support for Ms Flynn.
Fianna Fáil councillor Margaret Adams said: “The organisation in Mayo are of the view that it is a step too far, her expulsion from the party.
“I will be contacting the representatives going to that meeting on Friday night and there will be other representatives going to that meeting to speak on her behalf.”
Ms Adams, who is a councillor in Westport, added that party members and supporters were angry at Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s actions.
She added that almost 400 party members from around the county attended a meeting last Friday in Castlebar to voice their support of Ms Flynn.
Ms Flynn lost the party whip less than a week after the Supreme Court upheld a High Court finding that she had advised National Irish Bank customers on tax evasion.
Deputy Michael Collins, who resigned the Fianna Fáil whip after being exposed as a tax defaulter but remains a party member, may also face action.
Mr Collins is still subject to two inquiries into his conduct.
Castlebar councillor Pat King, who has canvassed for Ms Flynn since she entered politics in 1994, believes an example has been made of the Mayo TD.
He said: “There’s anger among the grassroots. There’s a lot of talk on the doorsteps and the reaction is that she was treated very unfairly and that she was paying for the bank’s role.
“She is paying for the sins of the bank.”
The Taoiseach yesterday received full backing from Dáil colleagues after he proposed the party whip be removed from the Mayo TD.
After the announcement by the Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil issued a statement confirming the decision.
“The Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party this evening unanimously adopted the following motion: ‘That the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party, in light of the outcome of the Supreme Court case, considers that it is in the best interest of the Party and the work of the Government that the Fianna Fáil whip be withdrawn from Deputy Beverly Flynn.”
