Nobody in FF told me I should step down
TAOISEACH Micheál Martin has insisted that ‘nobody’ in his party has told him that he should not lead them into the next election.
His defiant stance comes after 30 Fianna Fáil backbench TDs and Senators held a meeting last week, while their leader was visiting Ukraine, to vent their discontent at the party’s direction.
Ministers were not invited, but the group included almost all of those who do not hold ministerial office. The leadership was not informed of the meeting.
A large group of despondent backbenchers want Mr Martin to step aside in the autumn or face being forced out. October is their preferred date for his exit, after the Budget, which is set be presented to the Dáil on 27 September.
Speaking in Ballymun, north Dublin yesterday, Mr Martin was asked why he should be ‘allowed’ to lead the party into the next general election, as he said last week that he intends to do so.
He responded: ‘It’s not a question of anyone should allow me to do anything. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been elected as leader of the parliamentary party. There’s nobody coming to me saying otherwise, to be quite frank. And in fact, for the last while it’s been very positive, as I’ve gone around with TDs around the country.’
Asked if the party was in ‘fatal decline’, the Taoiseach responded: ‘I’ve read about that for 14 years… predictions that we’d be finished and all the rest of it, which is nonsense.’ Mr Martin said he is in contact with his TDs ‘all of the time’ and the mood is positive.
The backbenchers pointed to disastrous poll results, which place Fianna Fáil at around 14%. But the Taoiseach said the party was at ‘22%-23% on average’ with inperson polling.
He added that he was assured by ‘many TDs’ who attended the meeting that it centred around ‘their need to articulate and develop some policies’.
However, Mr Martin seemed to dismiss the need for further meetings of the breakaway group by saying: ‘We’ve created policy forums within the party.’
Long-tipped leadership contender Jim O’Callaghan and his ally John Lahart have both said publicly that the group would meet again.