Taoiseach hits back in MacSharry party row
Parliamentary party split over block on SligoLeitrim TD’s re-admittance
MICHEAL Martin last night hit back at Marc MacSharry’s claims that he was not being afforded ‘due process’ after a party leadership decision to exclude Sligo-Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry from a meeting next week.
TDs and senators who spoke to the Mail on Sunday yesterday said that a controversial decision to block Mr MacSharry’s proposed readmittance to the parliamentary party illustrated the ‘weakness’ of the Taoiseach’s position.
However, there is a second group, principally made up of ministers, who believe Mr MacSharry’s reintroduction would cause, in the words of one, ‘too much turmoil’ in the lead-up to the finely balanced rotation of the office of Taoiseach from Mr Martin to Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar.
Mr MacSharry, who had the whip removed earlier this year, was expected to be readmitted to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party last week.
However, Wednesday’s meeting of TDs and senators was told that the readmittance could not go ahead as ‘matters had arisen’.
It is understood that when Chief Whip Jack Chambers attempted to explain what these matters were, he was cut off abruptly by Mr Martin.
The following day, MacSharry wrote a letter to the Taoiseach and senior party figures in which he said he was being denied ‘due process’ and feared that his reputation was being damaged.
When the MOS put the issue of due process to Mr Martin last night, he replied: ‘Due process is happening in this case, that’s the point. ‘Both parties have been contacted to engage in an informal process which would resolve it expeditiously.,’ he said. ‘When complaints come into the party there are two ways to approach it. ‘One is on an informal basis, the other is a more formal approach, and both parties have been contacted with a view to resolving it on an informal basis as quickly as possible.’
The MoS understands that a complaint has been lodged with Fianna Fáil by a male public representative who was upset after an exchange with Mr MacSharry.
However, TDs and senators do not believe that the matter has reached a bar sufficient to exclude Mr MacSharry. And they have claimed that the circumstances are being used to exclude a high-profile critic of the Martin regime.
‘This is a Haugheyesque move by Micheál Martin in by opinion,’ said one TD who supports Mr MacSharry’s readmittance.
‘If there is a complaint it should be investigated quickly and dealt with quickly. This is quite transparently an attempt to keep Marc out of meetings by any means necessary.
‘Micheál is always praising Fianna Fáil for being an open, democratic party which accommodates dissent, in stark contrast to Sinn Fein. This doesn’t illustrate it.
‘I wouldn’t be close to Marc personally, and he is a controversial figure in the party as he is outspoken. But I believe this is utterly unfair on him. He now becomes a cause celebre, not only among the dissidents in the parliamentary party, but among all,’ the TD said.
‘We will ask Micheál how he would have felt if, when he criticised Brian Cowen in the final days of that Government, he had been suspended from Fianna Fáil and then refused readmission.
‘His reintroduction would cause too much turmoil’
‘Due process is happening in this case’
‘The whole thing illustrated weakness. To expect us to get to 15 December [handover of offices] without this issue dominating party proceedings is not feasible.’
However, one minister said that people in senior roles within the party believe that Mr MacSharry’s readmittance would be ‘counterproductive’.
‘Marc’s presence at meetings changes the dynamic significantly. The simple fact is that the so-called dissidents do not have the numbers to mount a challenge to Micheál, at the moment,’ they added.
‘So what we don’t need is a whole lot of heat and light running into this handover of power, which will be tricky in the
first place. I think we feel it best if this was put on the backburner until after Christmas.
‘Yes, it’s a bit Machiavellian, but we’re all adults here and I don’t see the rush to
readmit Marc.’