One of Fine Gael’s most high profile candidates in recent times, George Lee has announced his resignation from Fine Gael and Dáil Éireann with immediate effect.
The former RTÉ economics editor was only elected to the Dáil in the Dublin South by-election last June.
In a brief statement on Monday morning, Mr Lee said that, despite his best efforts, he has had “virtually no influence or input” in shaping Fine Gael’s economic policies during a period of enormous economic upheaval.
The news comes as a devastating blow for Fine Gael and party leader Enda Kenny. When he entered politics last May, Mr Lee said that he made it clear that he was doing so because he wanted to try to play a new role contributing to economic policy formulation. He has now claimed that after nine months of trying within the political system, it was now clear to him that the role available to him within Fine Gael was not a role he was happy to play.
Mr Lee said he had tried his best to have an influence on shaping the party’s economic policies. “But I have to confess I’ve had virtually no influence, no input whatsoever, and I feel I be completely dishonest if I allowed myself to carry on like that, so I’m not going to carry on like that. It’s over.”
Sources within Fine Gael have now claimed that Mr Lee was impatient. However, being that Fine Gael went looking for him they should have used his talents.
Obviously there were those in the Party who believed that he shouldn’t have the high profile position. Mr Lee claims that “it wasn’t about being on the front bench, it’s about having influence. I could have been asked, I could have been involved,” he said.
Whatever we think of the decision or the real reasons behind it, we have to admire his honesty. In announcing the decision he said that he did not believe he would be serving the electorate honestly if he were to continue allowing his efforts and mandate to be used to promote and market economic policies into which he had no input.
Facebook
Twitter
