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WITH THE VACUUM of information around what direction Fianna Fáil is going in terms of the presidential election, it is no surprise that Bertie Ahern’s name has risen to the surface again.
A poll conducted by Virgin Media News found that 64% of the party’s TDs would support the former Taoiseach entering the Áras race.
Ahern was one of the first names being talked about a possible candidate for the election, as far back as well over a year ago. He has always remained coy about his intentions, even now.
When his name was first spoken about there was lots of chats about whether he might run as an independent, but he has since been welcomed back into the fold of the party.
The truth is, there is still much love for Ahern in the party, both among the top tier in the parliamentary party (as seen in the recent poll results) and also the grassroots members.
At one the more recent Fianna Fáil ard fheis events in Dublin, the first he attended since rejoining as a party member, Ahern was surrounded by well-wishers, with grassroots members fan-boying around him, posing for selfies.
That day, one would almost think he was still the leader of the party, such was the attention he received, and it was clear he enjoyed it.
So, what is preventing him from being the Fianna Fáil pick if he has such a groundswell of support. Well, a few things.
First of all, his candidacy would be strongly opposed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who will be making the final call on who the party might pick as a candidate.
There’s also the matter of the Mahon Tribunal and the 2008 recession.
Ahern resigned from Fianna Fáil in 2012 after the Mahon Tribunal published its final report. He stepped down as Taoiseach in 2008 and as a TD in 2011. He made the move before Martin sought to expel him from the party.
The tribunal (officially called the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments) found that Ahern did not truthfully account for payments of IR£165,000 made to accounts connected to him.
The report did not make findings of corruption against Ahern, but proved hugely damaging to his reputation. He rejected its findings and always denied doing anything illegal.
The above reasons are why the majority state that a Bertie Ahern run won’t happen, under any circumstances.
Were it to happen, all the controversy surrounding Ahern in the past would surface, be re-hashed and put under the spotlight.
Hardly something the party wants to remind people of after years of slowly building back their support and making it back into government.
There’s also the scars of the 2008 recession.
They run deep, as evidenced by CMAT’S new single, with its recession-era inspired lyrics has shone a light on the experience of children who were born into the boom, but grew up during the bust.
Commenting on the reports of support for an Ahern presidency, Independent TD Seamus Healy said said anyone related to the economic crash of 2008 shouldn’t have the audacity to put their hat into the ring. This might be a point many others might make.
Regardless of the reasons cited for why it would not be a good idea for Fianna Fáil, some still believe he would do well, describing how the work he did with the Good Friday Agreement resonates with people, regardless of the other slights.
They also think that if the competition is Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, Independent Catherine Connolly, and perhaps Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald, that he would be a good match for three formidable women.
Aside from whether Bertie might get the nod, those in the party The Journal spoke to said a few things are becoming very clear.
Firstly, there is a general desire in the party that it should offer its voters an option. Not just any candidate, but a Fianna Fáil candidate.
This is somewhat at odds with the hints that Martin has been giving off, that the presidential candidate he would like to see would be above party politics, someone who would be well-received by everyone.
It was understood that Martin was keen to pick an academic or a person steeped in charity work rather than a bruiser of a politician.
“We would like to see an option for our voters, an option that would differ from Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and the hard Left,” said one TD.
Secondly, party councillors will need a direction from party HQ, from the 1 September or the first Monday in September as council meetings might be hearing from other potential presidential candidates looking to shore up nominations.
It’s likely at that point the party will have to make it clear whether it is running a candidate or not. Martin has said he will set out his game plan at the end of August.
Most in the party believe Martin will probably say that the party has a candidate, but may not reveal who it is at that point.
Any suggestion that Fianna Fáilers could be asked to support Fine Gael’s candidate was shot down by those The Journal spoke to.
They said it would be a terrible move and would feed into the narrative that the two parties are just one of the same.
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