Stormont MLA joins Fianna Fail
A member of the Stormont Assembly has joined the Republic of Ireland’s governing party, Fianna Fail.
Gerry McHugh, 52, left Sinn Fein two years ago after 30 years in the party claiming he was disillusioned with the direction the leadership was taking.
While he has now become a signed up member of Fianna Fail, officially he will continue to sit as an Independent member at Stormont, representing Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
He told UTV he thought Fianna Fail was best positioned to achieve a united Ireland.
“The reason I joined Fianna Fail is that I have an ambition and an aim and objective in all my days of being a political representative of seeing through a united Ireland at some point”, he said.
“It seems like a difficult thing to achieve now but I would like to be part of that attempt to unite the country as one and to have one island and with all the people working together to do that.
“Quite a difficult task to do but I believe Fianna Fail is the only party on the island capable of doing that at this point in time.”
Two years ago Fianna Fail decided to organise in Northern Ireland.
The organisation also flirted with a potential link up with the SDLP, but an alliance never materialised.
Mr McHugh attended a Fianna Fail meeting in Enniskillen last week aimed at setting up a county branch of the party. Former GAA President Peter Quinn was also in attendance.
The MLA said he felt Sinn Fein and the SDLP were wedded to Northern Ireland institutions and were not capable of delivering a united Ireland.
He also said he was sick of sectarian head-count politics he claimed the main parties in Stormont indulged in and said Fianna Fail represented a new approach.
