'Only three people told me to ‘f**k off!’ - Fleming

ONLY three people told junior minister Seán Fleming to ‘f**k off’ on the campaign trail, a positive statistic for any government member seeking re-election.

The 66-year-old comfortably regained a seat for Fianna Fáil on his seventh general election outing, taking the second seat on the eighth count.

Speaking to the Laois Nationalist following his victory speech in the count centre on Sunday, he said: “In the thousands of houses I knocked on, only three people told me to f**k off and that was aimed at the party rather than me personally.

“Everyone on the team found the campaign very easy this time. Laois people are very mild and they were not aggressive on the doorsteps. My only worry was that they were so nice and whether I would see it translate into votes.” 

While his first preferences have plunged since his poll-topping performance in 2016, when he romped home on the first count with 13,626 (35.1%) when Laois was also a standalone constituency, his personal vote was up this time compared to 2020, when he had to settle for the fifth and last seat in Laois-Offaly without reaching the quota.

This time round, he scooped 8123 number ones (21.2%) compared with 7,636 (11%) four years ago, when he had to wait until the 11th and final count to book his place in the Dáil.

The seasoned TD was just 188 votes away from re-election when the seventh count began on Sunday morning, as staff returned to the count centre at 9am for a second day at the Nagle Rice Sports Complex on the Borris Road, Portlaoise.

After picking up 510 transfers from Portarlington Independent candidate Elaine Mullally, he went into his final round with a total of 9382 on a quota of 9570.

A big transfer of 1311 votes from former FG-turned Independent councillor Aisling Moran swept him well over the line to finish with 10693 votes, 1123 above the quota.

A safe pair of hands at the ballot box for Fianna Fáil since 1997, Fleming is now one of the longest-serving TDs in Dáil Éireann and has been Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs since July 2020, having previously been a junior minister in the Department of Finance.

While housing, health care and immigration were among the main issues during the 2024 campaign, Fleming said that special education needs was a bigger issue in Laois than in other areas during the campaign and was constantly raised with him on the doorsteps.

While defending the outgoing government’s record, he accepted that more must be done to provide school places for children with special educational needs, particularly at second level.

He said: “We increased the number of special needs places in Laois from 34 to 81 during the last government’s term but that was mainly at primary level. We have a new building for St Francis Special School and construction of Kolbe Special School is underway but people want more.

“There were 2500 more houses built in Laois in the past four years, mainly in Portlaoise and that brings a bigger population to the town and a shortage of school places. The need for more school places, especially at second level is something I want to deliver on.” 

With FF/FG on track to be the core of the next government, the veteran TD commented: “We will need a number of others and we will talk to everybody. We will enter serious discussions with people who are serious about being in government.”