Micheál is FF's best chance for President
Micheál Martin would not be a shoo-in for the Áras but he would stand a good chance. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie
I ran out of space last week before getting to the main point of the discourse on Fianna Fáil in disarray (this could turn into a work of friction, there’s lots left to talk about!), which is that the largest political party in the country seems reluctant or unable to nominate anyone to stand for the highest office in the land, that as President of our fair but troubled, divided and increasingly disturbed (toxic, is hardly the correct word... yet) nation.
Fair play to Mary Hanafin. She has offered herself for the nomination. The former Minister for Education, and not a bad one in fairness, seems to be the only one in Fianna Fáil who has any interest. She offered herself for election to the European Parliament some time ago but was overlooked. She also offered herself for the Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown constituency in the general election but was deserted by the electorate. God loves a trier and perhaps Mary qualifies as one.
However, I suspect that her interest in the nomination has more to do with a desire to get Fianna Fáil to do something, anything, even back an Independent. Or perhaps it is just that she, too, has become fed up with bland Micheál’s leadership and is opening the first salvo of a leadership heave. She is going to have trouble finding someone in the current Fianna Fáil collection of TDs with the initiative, willingness or courage to take a stand.
The speculative media is doing its bit to try and generate some reaction, any reaction, within the soldiers of destiny. As one would expect Bertie Ahern has been mentioned but Bertie and Micheál would not exactly see eye to eye. Despite his role as peacemaker, Bertie carries some baggage that whiter than white Micheál could not contemplate.
You look through the FF front bench and indeed the back benches and as far as presidential possibilities is concerned you are looking at a bunch of mediocrities. At times like this, the FFers would generally look north to see if they could not pick up another Mary McAleese but with Sinn Féin now dominating politics in the North the pickings are slim.
Pat the Cope has been mentioned. He is popular and exudes gravitas but he is isolated in Donegal and would not have any great appeal outside the province. Packie Bonner, the former Irish goalkeeper, would have supporters but his exploits in the past would hardly amount to a winning ticket. The same applies to Niall Quinn. He has much more of a public profile and has his hurling background to supplement his appeal but again, hardly winning material. I suppose you could say it is an indication of how much Fianna Fáil has slipped, in terms of its sporting background, that the party can’t even come up with a single GAA player/administrator who might enter the reckoning.
And as for that great myth (well that’s what it looks like in this day and age) of Fianna Fáil being the Republican Party, there just isn’t much traction there. Micheál has spent a considerable amount of time knocking Sinn Féin’s claim to be the true Republican Party and in doing so has undermined any claims in that direction that Fianna Fáil might have. He has fallen out with Eamon O’Cuív (Dev Óg) who might at least bring a republican genealogy to the party and banished him to the wilds of Conamara.
It would be ironic if the Fianna Fáilers, first of all came together, decided that there has to be a Fianna Fáil candidate and then decided that a return to their republican roots might be an appropriate re-positioning in the political landscape for the party to pursue. And what better man than Dev Óg to lead the despairing soldiers of destiny out of the wilderness. (I would consider withdrawing my nomination in his favour!)
Now, that would be a prospect to behold but, unfortunately, it is a prospect entering on the realms of fantasy. There is a more realistic prospect for the party and that is to nominate Micheál for the Presidency. Because he does not say anything that might upset anyone and God forbid that he would put his foot in it and say something outrageous. It is easy to forget that Micheál has been leader of Fianna Fáil for the past 14 years. And can you think of anything worthwhile he has achieved in that period of time?
He has surpassed the famous Bertie in terms of the duration of his leadership and is second only to Dev who spent most of his early years in the wilderness, despised, unrecognised and mostly unheard of as he struggled for relevance. When he finally get his hands on the levers of power he could be said to have achieved, mainly through his Ministers and in particular Lemass, many fine achievements, given the circumstances of the time. He took decisions. He took initiatives for good or ill. He was controversial but he got things done. Why, he even brought back dancing at the crossroads.
You could say the same for Bertie. He was controversial but he got things done. And what of bland Micheál. In his 14 years he has been at or close to the levers of power. He has led Fianna Fáil from being the biggest party in the country to being the smallest and, in fairness, from being the least in the new era of a three party state to being the greatest... if you want to think of 48 seats (God be with the days when the FF ambition was 80-plus seats!) as a great achievement.
It’s fair to say that Ireland has received considerable kudos for its stance on Gaza. But it is Uachtaráin Michael D who has led the way in clear and unambiguous terms pointing out the genocide in Gaza. He has taken the flak. Not our Taoiseach. Our Taoiseach has been supportive but he has not led the way.
The same is true in legislative terms of the Occupied Territories Bill. It was not the Government who led the way on this minor piece of legislation. It was Independent Senator Francis Black. True, the Government has rowed in behind the legislation but has been hesitant, if not reluctant, to proceed with the Bill which is now awaiting validation when the Dáil resumes in September or October or whenever. There certainly is no rush on the Government as it fends off charges of anti-Semitism from the Jewish community and trembles in the face of a move by a group of MAGA hard right supporters in the US Congress who threaten ruin on the Irish economy if it goes ahead with the Bill.
Even honest Jack Lynch said he would not stand idly by. Can we expect Micheál to throw off the gloves and say enough is enough! Maybe Micheál is simply tired. He has been around a long time, toiling at the coalface. Perhaps he needs a rest and what better road for him to travel than on to the Áras. That would leave a vacancy in Fianna Fáil and a scramble for the leadership. It might be what Fianna Fáil needs to arouse them from their current lethargy. A bit of infighting and blood-letting could do the party a world of good.
Micheál would not be a shoo-in for the Áras but he would stand a good chance. There are quite a few people in the centre and to the right of Irish politics who were aghast that Michael D brought what they termed politics into the Áras. The fact that Michael D simply showed his humanity and called out the crime on genocide for what it is was lost on these middle-of-the-road people. However they could rely on Micheál to observe all the proprieties of the position of President without causing upset to anyone.
It is a long shot and I don’t suppose there are too many in the current Fianna Fáil who could be bothered to take an initiative, any initiative. I’m just trying to be helpful... in the national interest.
(there’s no use crying over spilt milk).
- Tomás P. O Móráin
