The Minister for Agriculture has today said that while it may be unusual for the CEO of an organisation like the FAI to canvass for a politician, it is his personal choice. However, Simon Coveney noted that Ireland is a democracy and John Delaney is entitled to canvass if he so chooses.
Minister Coveney was responding to comments made by Mr. Delaney in a recent interview with Tipperary Mid West Radio during a visit he and the Environment Minister Alan Kelly paid to Cooke Park in Tipperary town on Friday.
During the interview, Mr. Delaney spoke warmly of Alan Kelly and his track record in government.
He also spoke of the importance of having a minister in Tipperary, adding that he hoped voters would remember Mr. Kelly’s contributions.
However, Mr. Delaney’s comments have been seized upon by politicians elsewhere in the county, with Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald describing them as ‘inappropriate’
Some supporters of Mr. Delaney however, have denied the FAI chief was engaged in a canvassing campaign for Minister Kelly.
