She said “The voters of Dublin must decide on whether they want to elect a candidate who will stay the full term of five years in Brussels and represent their interest or a candidate who will pull out and hand over to an unknown substitute the minute a general election is called. She said going on current predictions the possibility of an early general election is very likely and of the four candidates in the running for the last seat in Dublin I am the one with the most experience in Brussels who can guarantee the people of Dublin that I will not use the position as a stepping stone to Dail Eireann if a general election is called.”

McKenna said, “I have been heartened by the cross party support I have received during the past few weeks. I have received support from former Fianna Fail and Fine Gael activists and I have been particularly impressed at how many people acknowledged the sacrifice I have made by leaving the Green Party and gong independent. Many have said it was an extremely brave thing to do.”

She went on to say “It is clear that voters across the party political divide are extremely disillusioned by the broken promises of the main political parties and that they want someone to stand up and hold the political leaders to account. There is an urgent need for an independent political watchdog in this country and I believe I am best placed to provide this.”

“My experience and record in the European Parliament in the past has been one of the best. The people of Dublin want someone who will speak out on their behalf and not tow a party line remaining silent on vital issues relevant to their everyday life. Too many decisions are now being taken at EU level to continue with this culture of political cronyism and silence. Information is power and I intend to use my position to empower the people who have been kept in the dark for far too long.”

“As for this campaign, it has been quite difficult in some ways. It’s always more difficult for independents without a party machine behind them. I have had the extra problems of my posters taken down or sabotaged; I have been targeted by former party, who are terrified that I might do better than them and are therefore pulling out all the stops to try and prevent this. Independents are also grossly underrepresented in the media and my campaign has received little media attention which is clearly unfair considering I am one of the most experienced candidates in the field.”

“I am confident that I will be in the running for the last seat in Dublin and that I have a fighting chance of being the first independent MEP elected for Dublin. Three seaters can elect independents as has been proven in both the South and the North West.” She concluded.

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