Celebrity economists rule out running for Fine Gael
RTE's economics correspondent George Lee and top economist Jim Power were considered by Fine Gael as candidates to run for the party in a by-election in June.
However, neither has any interest in the job, so it is back to the drawing board for the party to find a candidate to run for the Dublin South seat.
A spokeswoman for RTE said Mr Lee would not be a Fine Gael candidate, while Mr Lee would not comment on whether he was asked to run in Dublin South.
Mr Power said: "I am not running and if I do run for Fine Gael on June 5, you can have my house." He confirmed he had been approached about becoming a candidate and been asked to meet a senior party official.
The Irish Independent has learned that Mr Power is due to meet a senior party official this morning to discuss "the economy and the political situation".
Fine Gael sources have dismissed speculation that Newstalk presenter George Hook will run for them in Dublin South.
Candidate
Other party sources insist that Mark FitzGerald, the son of former Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald, would be the Fine Gael dream candidate.
Although Fine Gael won two seats with Olivia Mitchell and Alan Shatter in the general election, successive opinion polls make it clear that they can take a third in the five-seat constituency. Senator Alex White will be leading Labour's challenge and their recent poll boost means he will be the candidate Fine Gael most fear.
It is a generation since Fianna Fail won a by-election while in office and even party lifers don't expect they will win the race to replace the late Seamus Brennan in June. Shay Brennan, a son of the late minister, has yet to declare if he will run, but Senator Maria Corrigan believes she is best-placed to carry the Fianna Fail flag.
Minister Eamon Ryan holds a seat in Dublin South for the Green Party, but like Sinn Fein's Shaun Tracey, the Green candidate does not have a realistic chance of winning.
- Sam Smyth
