Taoiseach Micheál Martin has sought to defend himself and fight to survive as Fianna Fáil leader, saying that “no one gets it right all the time.”
Mr Martin said MEP Billy Kelleher did not tell him soon enough that he wanted to run for president, while he wasn’t sure why former taoiseach Bertie Ahern would want to “bring [a presidential election] on himself.”
In an at times difficult interview on RTÉ Radio 1’s Today with Claire Byrne, Mr Martin criticised “unacceptable” and “hurtful” comments about him from Fianna Fáil rebels like fellow Cork TD James O’Connor.
He flatly rejected claims from colleagues that he can be a “top down” leader, arguing “it’s just not my style.”
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“I’m only a phone call away,” Mr Martin told Byrne.
The Taoiseach has faced mounting criticism from TDs in the wake of Fianna Fáil’s disastrous presidential campaign, which saw its candidate Jim Gavin leave the race. It was the first time the party had tried to contest the presidential election in 28 years. Some TDs are now considering a motion of no confidence in Mr Martin’s leadership.
Mr Martin, who has led the party for 14 years, appealed to colleagues to have “perspective” and denied that he had put “extensive pressure” on people to support Mr Gavin.
“Remember, no one had come forward prior to about late August from within the parliamentary party,” Mr Martin said, adding “we didn’t have a candidate” within the parliamentary party. He declined to confirm if it was his deputy leader Jack Chambers who had first proposed Mr Gavin as a potential presidential candidate.
“No one gets it right all the time, I’ve accepted responsibility for this,” Mr Martin said.
The Taoiseach said he felt it would be wrong to “extrapolate from the presidential election and apply it to a general election in four years’ time.” Asked if he was pitching to keep his job, Mr Martin said “I’m not pitching to keep anything, I’m just telling the reality as it is. We’ve got to keep focus and perspective here.”
Responding to claims that he has a “top down” management style, Mr Martin said “I would reject that.”
Mr O’Connor, a Cork East TD, has publicly criticised Mr Martin and compared him to absolute monarch Louis XIV.
“I don’t think James should have made that comment, I don’t think it reflects Micheál Martin, I don’t think it reflects me as a person. Those kind of hurtful comments are unacceptable in my view. I’m not that kind of person.”
Mr Martin said that when Fianna Fáil had been “on its knees,” he had done things that others wouldn’t including visiting every parish in the country. “So the idea that I’m some top down person is just repugnant to me as a person, it’s not my style.”
Asked about where the proposed motion of no confidence in his leadership stands now, Mr Martin said “I don’t know.”
This week, some critics of Mr Martin have suggested to journalists that sources close to the Taoiseach had leaked a list of rebels who might back such a motion.
“Absolutely not, absolutely not. No one on my team or anyone working with me has anything to do with this,” Mr Martin said. “I’m not into that.”
On Fianna Fáil’s presidential election Mr Martin said he would have “much preferred” if Mr Kelleher, an MEP for Ireland South, had approached him much earlier about possibly running.
“In hindsight he could have been a stronger candidate … but I didn’t know until about the 26th of August.”
He added: “I would have preferred if he’d rung me to say ‘I’m interested,’ that didn’t happen. And I think that was a surprise to me.”
On the prospect of former leader Bertie Ahern running, Mr Martin said he felt the former taoiseach’s candidacy would have brought up the issues raised in the Mahon tribunal.
Mr Martin said he has “great respect” for Mr Ahern’s “outstanding legacy” on the Belfast Agreement.
“But I think, we know the nature of presidential campaigns and I don’t know why he would have brought that upon himself,” Mr Martin said. “And I didn’t, and I have to be honest, detect any groundswell within the parliamentary party for Bertie to be a candidate.”
Asked about the political survival of Fianna Fáil and the fact that the party was down five points to 17 per cent in the latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll, Mr Martin said: “Don’t mind this poll, for God’s sake.”
Last weekend, journalists had been briefed that Mr Martin was not planning to attend the declaration of the result of the presidential election in Dublin Castle. Mr Martin said he was always going to attend.
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