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Down to the wire: This Labour TD might still have a chance at a seat

Penrose had conceded on Saturday evening but this morning he said there is “an outside chance” he’ll get back in.

Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

A FULL RECOUNT is due to resume for the Longford-Westmeath constituency at 3pm today, with three seats still up for grabs.

Fianna Fáil candidate Connie Gerety-Quinn called for the recount after the 12th count left just 38 votes between her and Fine Gael’s James Bannon. She was due to become the 12th candidate to be eliminated.

Here’s how the count stands right now:

It looks like Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran will take the second seat and the third will go to Peter Burke. With 283 votes now separating Sinn Féin’s Paul Horgan and Labour TD Willie Penrose, transfers from James Bannon and Connie Gerety-Quinn will likely determine who takes that final seat.

Penrose, who returned to the parliamentary party in 2013, having resigned as a junior minister of the closure of a military barracks, had conceded on Saturday night. Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, he said it still looks unlikely he was get his seat back – but only time will tell now.

To be honest, I didn’t think I was in the hunt at all, and I think I conceded on Saturday night and I think it’s an outside chance that I might survive – but you never know. The vagaries of PR are certainly on display, I think somebody could do a dissertation on PR. When you look down through some of the counts it just shows you its a wonderful system.

He said he is “fully resigned to not surviving” and that he would accept that if it is the result.

I’ve had 23 and a half great years and it’s a great privilege and honour to be elected by your peers across Westmeath initially, and then Longford and Westmeath, and I’ve certainly enjoyed the honour. It’s something that I’ve never taken for granted.

Though he conceded it had been a disastrous result for his party, he said it would have been “cowardly” for them to sit on the sidelines instead of joining Fine Gael to form a government in 2011.

“No matter what we did, no one gave you an ounce of credit for it. You won’t get any credit for stopping things that would have happened if Labour didn’t participate.”

LIVEBLOG: 148 down, 10 to go as recount gets underway today>

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36 Comments
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    Mute Emmet O'Donnell
    Favourite Emmet O'Donnell
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:22 AM

    Hope he gets elected not a labour supporter but this mans work on bankruptcy has helped a huge amount of people.

    112
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    Mute John R
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:35 PM

    Agree Emmet. Pentode is a man who came from a very humble background and has never forgotten what that is like. A very decent human being.

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    Mute TheBull
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    Feb 29th 2016, 2:20 PM

    And he voted for a lot of moves which hurt the people a lot. Fcuk him and Labour.

    9
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    Mute Willy
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:23 AM

    Hope not. If in Labour 7 will support FG led government with a swath of Independents. Totally against the will of the electorate..

    90
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    Mute Éamonn Mac Eochaidh
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:53 AM

    They’d still be 10 or so below the number needed to govern. There are only 16 Independents.

    22
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    Mute Gerard McAuliffe
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:54 AM

    How so? The electorate didn’t give any party a majority but FG are the biggest party and if they can agree a government with others to form a majority then that’s democracy.

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    Mute Ignoreland
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:58 PM

    Not a chance this will happen. they’d need 20 or so independences which would be far too unstable. Also, Labour need a spell in opposition if they have any chance of rebuilding. They’d be crazy to go back in to government.

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    Mute eastsmer
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:14 AM

    23 and a half great years ?
    Never heard of him

    85
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    Mute james
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:21 AM

    He used to be the window cleaner Sinbad in Brookside.

    69
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    Mute G-Star Bareback
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:41 AM

    You haven’t heard of him because he attends less than half the votes in the Dáil. He’s fairly useless

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    Mute Thomas Skelly
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    Feb 29th 2016, 11:02 AM

    Like Kenny hiding in the dial and keeping very quite. Kenny is in since he was 24 years old.

    35
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    Mute Derek McCarthy
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    Feb 29th 2016, 11:05 AM

    People with double barrel surnames should be automatically cast aside

    44
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    Mute Mer Curial
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    Feb 29th 2016, 11:11 AM

    not a sailor?

    5
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    Mute TheBull
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:08 PM

    How many chins does one man need?

    8
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    Mute Eddie Nugent
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:19 PM

    He,s a qualified barrister but has done nothing for the Midlands especially Mullingar,, he made a song and dance about the Army barracks being closed, but he is a spent force having being ambulanced out of the Dail a few times last year, He,s old school politburo type, has his gold pension in his back pocket, and is happy to go.He wont be missed.

    23
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    Mute Karl
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:21 PM

    Lol James :)

    4
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    Mute John R
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:41 PM

    Eddie, “he has done nothing for the Midlands”. That comment typifies all that is wrong with Irish politics. The local interest always predominates over the national interest.

    The sad thing is expecting real change from anything the current electoral and government system could possibly throw up. All Irish politics is build around populism and caution. Some politicians and some parties are merely more populist than others. They become more cautious the closer they get to power and responsibility which imposes a sort of realism.

    If we want radical change then we will need to make radical alterations to the current electoral system and the to nature of Government in this country. We won’t of course do that so as a people we blame the politicians, whom we elected. It would be mad if it wasn’t so sad.

    12
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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Feb 29th 2016, 1:56 PM

    I am hearing this alot. National interests over local interests. Mainly coming from people in Dublin. National interests include rural Ireland. The only National interests we have seen last 8 years has been what is good for Dublin. We need more Politicians delivering at a local level. We move forward together as a nation. The FG slogan ‘lets keep the recovery going’ was an insult to rural Ireland. A complete 2 fingers in the face.

    5
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    Mute Slim Browne
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    Feb 29th 2016, 2:27 PM

    Well a politician elected by his own people from his own county has to represent them otherwise why elect them : I live in Mullingar : totally forgotten about : why? No sitting TD Athlone 40mins down the road thriving: why ? Mary O Rourke : although she’s gone her legacy is there to be seen : 40mins the other way: Longford : forgotten about : how long was Albert Reynolds a TD he was even Taoiseach and he did nothing for Longford : so there’s the difference between a TD who knows what she’s there for and one who didn’t care to much as long as he looked after the right people.

    7
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    Mute Eddie Nugent
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    Feb 29th 2016, 3:24 PM

    John R

    what coffee house are you enjoying your free WiFi and skinny latte, this is way above local interest, when a town in the Midlands is struggling to stay alive, with local shops closing left right and centre the Army barracks gone our history as a garrison town erased, no Anchor industries or 3rd level education , and those of us lucky to have a job forced to commute 2/3 hours a day, Massive poverty and Law and order issues, ( including a long standing traveller feud) so who give 2 hoots for us, who stands up for our town as it slowly decays, do you really think central government give a toss about us, so before you judge, why we hoped for a TD with the interest of Mullingar at heart, think about how much of the pie you can enjoy where you are. You are quick to judge

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    Mute Juan Franc
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:41 AM

    Bannon,the Minister for Funerals,FG keep him well hidden.

    72
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    Mute John Campbell
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:27 AM

    Regardless of the final fall out of seats in these last ten counts we are left with a pretty confused combination of wannabes, has beens, civil war enemies, only want to be on the sideliners, cute Kerry hoors, parish pump single agenda people etc etc.
    I despair when I hear commentators and just elected TDs discussing mercs and percs!
    What’s good for the Party seems to be the main motivation for most of them.
    A plague on all their houses!!

    49
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    Mute mr magoo
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:49 AM

    Did Fionan not manage to get Aevril elected or what ? Any update

    49
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    Mute Ross McDermott
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:10 PM

    She’s demanded a recount after being eliminated by about 60/70 votes. Hope she stays eliminated.

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    Mute martobaby
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:15 PM

    Averil Power.. The Irish Independent candidate !

    38
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    Mute Slim Browne
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:32 AM

    Banning; the most useless man that ever descended from a Uterus

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    Mute Gary Keegan
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    Feb 29th 2016, 11:09 AM

    Slim I heard he fell out the back door.

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    Mute Dan Waters
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:14 AM
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    Mute Chewy
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:27 AM

    Thanks Dan. Read this a while ago and wondered how long it would be before it/if appeared in Irish MSM. It’s good that more people are seeing beyond the usual flopaganda news outlets in Ireland

    17
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    Mute Ross Stewart
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    Feb 29th 2016, 10:45 AM

    So a crazy woman from Uzbekistan kills and beheads a child to get back at her husband.. Oh yeah definitely some agenda as why it’s not headlines on the journal. Some pro Uzbekistan mental health conspiracy

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    Mute Chewy
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    Feb 29th 2016, 11:07 AM

    Ross, can you point out please where I say there is an agenda with not running this story? You can’t can you? Wakey wakey, hand off snakey :)

    12
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    Mute Ross Stewart
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:09 PM

    The word flopaganda implies lots. I definitely think the Irish media is biased and twists news to suit certain agendas and favours some stories over others, don’t get me wrong. But I can’t see this story being on their radar at all.

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    Mute Ross Stewart
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:12 PM

    My mistake, it’s now headline news on the journal..

    3
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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:37 PM

    Labour might go back to its founding principles now,Kelly and Burton threw them in the bin for their egos.message sent,lies,corruption, cronyism, water charges out.honesty,transparency, fairness,in,that’s all people want.

    7
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    Mute Joe Byrne
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    Feb 29th 2016, 12:17 PM

    When are ye going to take down the posters. I’m sick of having a AK47 pointed at me everywhere I look.

    4
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    Mute Éanna McClean
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    Mar 1st 2016, 12:31 AM

    Penrose has kept fighting long after Nash packed it in

    1
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