Fianna Fáil in disarray. What’s new?

In a previous existence, many moons ago, I had some great fun poking fun at a Fianna Fáil party of its time that was going around with little more cohesion than a bunch of headless chickens. Under a general heading of “Fianna Fáil in Disarray” I filled many’s the Loftus At Large column with trivia and invented hysteria around the Main Street Cumann meetings held in phone boxes in opposition to the famed Micheál O’Móráin Cumann. The people who were in Fianna Fáil at the time were die-hard, dyed in the wool committed soldiers of destiny who would go to the ends of the earth to elect their man (in those days the women did not get a look in) and it did not matter the credentials or the qualifications of the man so long as he wore the Fianna Fáil badge and swore allegiance to de Valera.

There were characters in Fianna Fáil at the time, local and national. We’re talking post nice honest Jack Lynch. There was the occasional whiff of cordite in the air and the Haughey whiff was sufficient to send the FineGaelers into paroxysms of utter despair. Our own Padraig (with a d and a g) Flynn strolled around his Mayo patch with head held high, all full six feet four of him, like a colossus much to the annoyance of even his own supporters who felt there might be a hint of arrogance in his demeanour. They were great times. As an earlier newspaper reporter, Charles Dickens, put it: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom and the age of foolishness. That last bit, the foolishness, certainly defined the times. It was a great time to be alive.

Nowadays it is hard to see where the characters are. Under bland, never put your foot in it, Micheál Martin, Fianna Fáil is a rag taggle bunch. Where are the characters? Jim O’Callaghan has stature but he appears and comes across as just grumpy… not a man to challenge his leader into making a decision, any decision. Finance man Jack Chambers also has stature and exudes gravitas but appears to lack humour, not a man of whom it might be expected he might rock the boat… any boat. Where is the Donogh O’Malley to be found on the Fianna Fáil benches. They are a bland bunch, mirror-imaging their leader.

Micheál steers a steady ship and fair play to him he did introduce the smoking ban, probably the best bit of legislation the country has ever produced. But what has he ever done since. What initiative has he ever taken? In the Dáil, where he is opposed by a mediocre enough opposition, he is always on the defensive. He responds to the goading of Mary Lou and Ivana Bacik and shows a modicum of fire, but that’s it. Where is the leadership? Where is the initiative? Where is the new and provocative leadership? He manages to say all the right things, on Gaza, on Israel, on Ukraine, on Russia, on China and of course he would never offend his chum Donald. He accepts, as in the recent trade agreement with the US, what is laid down by the EU.

God be with the day when we had some clout in Europe, when Kenny had the ear of Angela Merkel and Ireland had a say at the top table. Even Varadkar was treated with gravitas when he represented Ireland’s cause in Europe. What has happened in recent times? France and Germany have gone off on a solo run (even the Brexited UK has more of a say in Europe than Ireland has) and Ursula von der Leyen has assumed authority that is not part of her brief. Disgruntled people here complain that Michael D sailed close to the wind in terms of his brief but nobody seems to have the guts to challenge von der Leyen who has, irrespective of what the EU thinks, gone off on a solo run in support of genocide in Gaza.

Mr Trump stood up to her and got the trade deal he wanted. He would have settled for less if the EU has shown a bit of backbone. Not alone did Trump get the trade deal he wanted but he has also received trillions of dollars for his arms industry because, again, Trump stampeded Europe and NATO into a confrontation with the Russian Bear which has yet to show any inclination to get its claws into Europe. Yes, I know, Putin is fighting a war in Ukraine which is not yet part of Europe. Putin can legitimately argue that if the EU ceases to expand eastwards, he could take his eyes off a westward march on Europe. Apart from Sinn Fein’s Kathleen Funchion, who has called out the Israeli genocide in Gaza, what are our Irish MEPs doing to highlight the greatest humanitarian crimes of today’s world.

What is the Dáil doing? OK so the currently ill Boyd Barrett and occasionally Paul Murphy might rear up but nobody takes them too seriously. They are seen as proselytisers trying to bring a reluctant nation over to the far left. What is needed to inject a bit of life into the Dáil and indeed political life is for someone in Fianna Fáil or indeed Fine Gael to jump up in the chamber and tell the government that he/she is fed up with this consensus politics and it’s time to get off the fence and take a stand on something, anything. If there is a character left, I’m afraid this witness cannot see him/her.

There is an opportunity that will arise in the near future. The President of the United States (POTUS) is determined to disrupt this country’s economy so that the US can thrive at our expense. The big bully has raised the big stick and not alone has the Irish Government not muttered so much as a murmur but the great Union of Europe has capitulated to the bully. Bad enough that POTUS has derailed the European economy but he has also bullied Europe into buying trillions of US fracked gas (which we are not supposed to use here, but it will be all right if it comes via Scotland) and we are now committed to spend further trillions purchasing arms from Mr Trump’s friends in the armaments industry.

Mr Trump has an investment here in Ireland which is working quite well for him as his MAGA friends, with their pockets loaded with the money that might, in small measure, be in Ireland’s pockets but for the bully’s tyrannical trade measures. Doonbeg is Ireland’s answer to Trump’s Turnberry in Scotland. Like any golf resort it can do with a promotional boost. Say what you like about Trump but he knows the value of publicity and he has it in mind to visit Doonbeg during his term in office. Now, if some of the government TDs was to jump up in the Dáil and propose a motion to the effect that, because of the draconian treatment visited on the Irish people by POTUS he will not be welcomed in Ireland. The people of this country, or at least sections of them, will make their views known but if a government TD was to call for a boycott it would be so much more effective. At the very least POTUS should be told that if he comes to Ireland he cannot expect the impoverished people to pay for his security. POTUS should not be allowed to have his cake and eat it.

Thought for the Day (again) A bully is always a coward