Ring: No safe seat

While Deputy Michael Ring's entry into national politics was nothing short of spectacular, it is far from his intention to make his departure in similar circumstances. He may have stuck around Leinster House for longer than he originally expected, but he's damned if he is going to miss out on a

potential golden era for his party inrebuilding the county's confidence and economy.

That's why the looming general election means as much to him as the 1994 Mayo West by-election when he caused one of the biggest sensations in the county's political history by poaching a so-called safe Fianna Fáil seat from Castlebar, an immensely sweet triumph for such a devout Covey.
While he built on his initial success and comfortably retained his seat in the subsequent 1997, 2002 and 2007 general elections, he never forgot the salient lesson of '94: there is no such thing as a safe seat.
It was no surprise to see him purchasing advertising space in local newspapers prior to the 2007 election proclaiming that very wise political maxim.

It was an election in which the colleague with whom he had fallen out three years earlier, Deputy Enda Kenny, threatened to monopolise the Fine Gael vote on the back of a very high profile 'Mayo Taoiseach' campaign.
If Ring was perceived in the eyes of the Mayo electorate of being on the wrong side of the man in a strong position to lead the next government, it could prove damaging to him.
So he went out and canvassed harder than he had even done before and was rewarded with his highest ever first preference return of 11,412, a total of 3,305 behind poll-topper Kenny but 4,187 ahead of third placed Dara Calleary.
It may have been overshadowed by the performance of his party leader, but it was a remarkable result nonetheless.

Ring had been at loggerheads with his party over a number of issues during the previous administration.
He favoured giving Dana a nomination to contest the presidency. He outlined his support for Sinn Féin becoming future coalition allies for Fine Gael. He further defied party policy by going to the High Court to claim a constitutional right to serve both as a local and national representative after Fine Gael had supported scrapping the dual mandate.
The situation came to a head in October 2004 when Kenny told Ring he was moving him from social welfare to the marine portfolio as part of his frontbench reshuffle.
When Ring blankly refused the offer, it blew up into a major row and caused a deep divide within the party in the county. But some commentators at national level interpreted the development as Kenny attempting to dispel any impression of a Mayo tail wagging the Fine Gael dog.

Epitomised
The relationship between Kenny and Ring has improved immeasurably since then, a situation perhaps best epitomised on the morning of June 17 last when the Westport TD deputised for his party leader during Order of Business in Dáil Éireann.
Later that day, Kenny won a fierce battle to retain his leadership of the party when a motion of confidence in him was carried by the members of his parliamentary despite 11 members of the 19-member frontbench publicly declared against him.

During the tense days preceding the ballot when Ring may have been tempted to exact revenge on Kenny, he stood rigidly by him and was reliable in his forecast that Kenny would survive the heave.
While suspicions still remain in regard to how close the two of them really are, the truth will be revealed in the likely event of Kenny appointing a government cabinet following the election in March in April, and Ring having retained his seat.

The early speculation, captured vividly by the Sunday World on January 9, is that Kenny will have to share six of the senior ministries with the Labour Party and that the social protection portfolio will go to Fine Gael's Francis Fitzgerald, the current leader of the Fine Gael party in Seanad Éireann.
When asked about the speculation, Ring remarked: "You have to get elected first."
The other Fine Gael TDs tipped for ministerialships are Michael Noonan (finance), Phil Hogan (defence), Richard Bruton (education), James Reilly (health), Olivia Mitchell (tourism/sport), Leo Varadkar (transport) and Alan Shatter (justice).

The Labour Party TDs in strong contention for top jobs are Eamon Gilmore (Tanaiste), Pat Rabbitte (environment), Sean Sherlock (agriculture), Ruaíri Quinn (foreign affairs), Joan Bruton (enterprise and jobs) and Jan O'Sullivan (community/Gaeltacht).
It's a fascinating exercise in political journalism, but one that could easily backfire on those being named.
From Ring's perspective, the key priority over the coming weeks is retaining his seat in the hope of being around when his party is in a position to form a government for the first time since 1994 following the collapse of the Fianna Fáil/Labour Party administration over the Fr. Brendan Smyth scandal.
It's also a fact Fine Gael have not entered power following a general election since November 1982.
Stated Deputy Ring: "The party has been too long on the opposition benches. From my own perspective, I have been 14 years there. I believe the country will benefit hugely from a change of personnel and ideas. Fianna Fáil has gone stale in so many ways and the evidence is obvious."

Not that Ring was ever too quiet on the opposition benches. He was proud to be named by Magill magazine as Heckler of the Year in 2006 'for effectively challenging the government with his unique style of street wit and lively heckling'. Five years earlier, he was selected as the 'Best Performer in the Dáil' by the Sunday Tribune.
He was suspended from Dáil Éireann for three days in June 2007 after being involved in a verbal spat with Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue.
Ring accused O'Donoghue of making the rules up as he went along and the Kerryman took grave exception to it.
He also took Deputy Ned O'Keeffe to task earlier this year when the Fianna Fáil TD expressed words of support for AIB.
The exchange between them went as follows.
Ring: "What are ya talkin' about. We had to bail them out."
O'Keeffe: "Deputy Ring doesn't know the first thing about banking and he can shut up."
At that point, the Ceann Comhairle intervened.
O'Keeffe protested: "I am being interrupted by an ignoramus from the west of Ireland." The Ceann Comhairle appealed for decorum.
Ring replied: "I couldn't listen to that nonsense."
O'Keeffe: "I was interrupted by that man from Mayo who knows nothing about banking but a bit about leaving cakes in a van."
Ring: "I know more about banking than Ned O'Keeffe. All he cares about are his bloody shares."
O'Keeffe: "Go home and bake some buns."
Ring: "Yes, I was in the bread business. An honourable profession. You were in the pig business and ya couldn't even do that right"
There's never a dull moment in the life and times of Michael Ring.