Last month Bertie Ahern rejoined the Fianna Fáil party and it made headline news. There’s been talk that the former taoiseach and leader of the party will take a tilt at the presidency. But the result of the latest Irish Times/Ipsos poll reveals that whatever about his appetite for the job – he hasn’t said either way – voters aren’t so keen.
His legacy as a peacemaker is secure, given his role in the Belfast Agreement, and the former master negotiator has said his immediate plans are to help the Government get Stormont up and running again.
Neither can the other side of his legacy be ignored. The Mahon Tribunal, the long-running public inquiry into corruption in the planning system, stopped short of accusing Mr Ahern of corruption. But its judges did not believe his explanation of the source of lodgements to his bank accounts.
On today’s In the News podcast, Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy tells how voters see Bertie Ahern now, while Colm Keena, whose reporting on the Mahon tribunal ended up before the Supreme Court, explains the findings of the inquiry as they relate to Ahern.
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In the News is presented by Bernice Harrison and produced by Declan Conlon.
