Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

In the Dublin West by-election of April 1996 the late Brian Lenihan, on the final count, secured 11,754 votes. I happened to be the nearest rival candidate, just 370 votes behind. In the context of that by-election and since we clashed sharply on political issues, and it has to be said that our differences would have grown wide as a chasm, especially on issues relating to the EU-IMF-ECB agreement. This is not the time to rehearse all that.

Cancer is an awful disease. Those of us, and we are very many throughout this country, who have had friends and family claimed by it at untimely ages of their lives know the anguish of Brian Lenihan's loved ones. To them and to his extended family I wish to extend our condolences and sympathy.

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