There is little apparent appetite among Fianna Fáil TDs for an immediate heave against party leader Micheál Martin, a survey of the party’s Dáil deputies suggests.
But Fianna Fáil’s disastrous presidential election campaign may still threaten Mr Martin, with many TDs declining to say if they back the Taoiseach as he prepares to enter his 15th year as party leader.
Mr Martin will continue to meet backbench TDs this week, as he attempts to heal relations with his party in the wake of the embarrassing exit of Jim Gavin from the presidential race.
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Loyal Ministers yesterday appealed for calm from their colleagues, after Mr Martin was publicly criticised over the weekend for his stewardship of the party’s failed presidential campaign.
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Wicklow–Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne, who will be meeting Mr Martin on Tuesday, said that the Taoiseach had “led Fianna Fáil through some very difficult periods ... the presidential election campaign, though, was a disaster and has left many members and supporters angered and disappointed.”
On Saturday, Dublin South-West TD John Lahart had said that while Mr Martin enjoyed “significant respect” and “great affection” within the party, the Taoiseach had made “significant errors in judgment in the run-up to and during the presidential election campaign”.
In response to Mr Lahart’s remarks, Minister of State Thomas Byrne appealed for unity.
“The one thing I would say is ... we really need to come together as a party,” said Mr Byrne.
The Irish Times contacted each of Fianna Fáil’s 48 TDs on Monday and asked them if they would support a motion of no-confidence in Mr Martin’s leadership, if they wanted him to step down before the Republic takes on the presidency of the Council of the European Union in July, and if they believed Mr Martin should step down after the EU presidency term ends.
The majority declined to respond. All TDs and Ministers happy to be quoted on the record were supportive of Mr Martin’s leadership. This included Minister of State Timmy Dooley, who answered each question “no, no and no”. Chief Whip Mary Butler said that she “absolutely supports” the Taoiseach to lead the country and the Government through the EU presidency and after. Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said he had “full confidence in Micheál Martin. He should lead us into the next election and he will”. Junior minister for nature Christopher O’Sullivan said that he “wouldn’t support a motion of no-confidence”.
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One TD did not believe that Mr Martin should step down before the State takes on the presidency, but “what happens after the presidency will depend on how that period goes”. Other TDs said they were still consulting with local members after the party’s disastrous presidential campaign.
Louth TD Erin McGreehan said the party has to have a conversation about whether it delivers for people “with or without” Mr Martin. She told The Irish Times that ordinary members of the party are now discussing the Taoiseach’s future as leader of the party.
Politics “should be about driving real, positive change”, she said.
“For me that means we constantly have to ask ourselves if we’re achieving it in the best possible way,” Ms McGreehan said. “There’s no question that people are talking about Micheál’s future, I’m hearing that too obviously from the media but also here in Louth from ordinary members of the party and the public.
“My focus is on how Fianna Fáil moves to deliver for people in the best way. That conversation has to be honest, not defensive. Whether that happens with or without Micheál is something the party will have to face with clear eyes and a focus on results, not personalities.”
Meanwhile, the former Fine Gael presidential candidate hopeful Seán Kelly has claimed he was “shafted” by his party when colleagues in Leinster House declined to back his run for the Aras. Mr Kelly told RTÉ’s News at One on Monday that Heather Humphreys had been “anointed” by TDs.
“I think that from the point of view of not getting a nomination, you’d have to ask yourself, why was there such a determined effort to stop me from getting a nomination? Maybe because I would win it, and that’s the way I would have been approaching it,” said Mr Kelly.
Mr Kelly’s comments went down badly with Fine Gael on Monday, with well-placed sources noting that the MEP had not contested against Mairead McGuinness for the nomination and had said publicly in July that the presidency was a “largely ceremonial role” where “you don’t have that much power or influence”.
Mr Kelly received fewer than 10 signatures from parliamentary party members, putting him well short of the 20 required to compete against Ms Humphreys for the nomination. It is understood that Fine Gael had no polling or research to indicate that Mr Kelly would have been a stronger candidate than Ms Humphreys.
