Mayo TD Michael Ring explains why he rejected promotion offer

Long serving Fine Gael TD and former government minister Michael Ring has revealed that he had been given a choice of two junior ministries by the new Taoiseach Simon Harris - but turned them down as “neither involved any spending power."

The Westport-based TD explained a further reason he had turned down the offer of promotion was a stipulation by the Taoiseach that he must commit, if promoted, to standing in the next general election.

In an interview with Midwest Radio, Deputy Ring said he still hasn’t made up his mind whether he will be a candidate for the 34th Dáil but would make that decision in the coming weeks.

Deputy Ring has been a consistent poll-topper since he was first elected to Dáil Eireann in a by-election in 1994.

Asked about the Taoiseach’s offer to promote him, the veteran representative said: “I have been a junior minister, a senior minister. I have been there, done that, worn the jersey."

He pointed out this government has only nine months to run.

“If I became a junior minister now I don’t think I could deliver anything in nine months. I have given it a lot of thought. At this stage of my life it wasn’t for me.

“The ministries offered to me were not ministries where I would be able to deliver for the people of Mayo," he stated.

Deputy Ring said the time he should have been offered a promotion was after the 2020 general election when he topped the poll in Mayo with almost 15,000 votes.

Of the 2020 ministerial appointments he commented: “It was too much Dublin on the last occasion."

He repeated earlier criticisms he had made of the fact that Fine Gael had entered Coalition with Fianna Fail after the last election, stating he had voted at the time against such an alliance.

“We should have built up the Fine Gael organisation like Enda Kenny did after 2002. We would be ready for the election now.

“A lot more people were more in a hurry for a car (State) than they were about the party,” he added.