At the Fine Gael convention prior to the selection announcement, Fitzgerald thanked Fine Gael branches and constituents for their support “I am here at this convention to ask you, the members, to give me the honour of standing to represent this great city and county of Dublin, which I dearly love, as your MEP. I want to thank the branches and the constituencies across Dublin, who have welcomed me in recent weeks – and who have nominated me. This is a time of huge uncertainty and extraordinary challenge. I want to continue the work, in the setting of the European Parliament, so ably done to date by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister McEntee in representing Ireland’s interests and the challenges that we face in a new post-Brexit scenario. We must work now to create new opportunities to ensure that the voices and views of smaller countries are heard in the reshaped post-Brexit EU. We must continue to proactively influence the EU agenda.”
The Lucan and Clondalkin T.D. stated “The past challenges we faced required skill and influence in the European institutions and the European Parliament. We rose and overcame those – and I have no doubt we will also rise and overcome the challenges and realise the opportunities presented by Brexit. We need experienced people to represent us in Europe where vital decisions occur every day, decisions that will profoundly influence the future of our country. I have a record of delivering change and progress in Dublin; driven by my love for the city and county where I grew up, went to school and college and raised my family; rooted in my social work in St. Ultan’s Children’s’ Hospital; the Mater Hospital and St. James’ Hospital – and for 10 years as a social worker in Ballymun; and honed during my political experience representing two Dublin constituencies over 18 years and driving reform as Tánaiste and as a Government Minister…where I established the Department for Children & Youth Affairs, and as, Minister for Justice and Equality, enacted 27 pieces of legislation.”
Fitzgerald with many years experience in politics concluded “I have the energy, the experience and the direction to make this happen. If I do receive the honour of representing Dublin in the European Parliament, I will carry forward the principle of inclusivity and a rights-based approach that has always guided me – and fight for it at every level and on every issue. I stand for social progress that advances the rights of women and minorities. The European Union has always stood behind that cause – and I can ensure that this continues.”
