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FIANNA FÁIL HAS declined to comment on the future of its former deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív who has said that he is to make a decision about his future in the party later today.
The former government minister has said that he has been asked to refrain from commenting on the EU Fiscal Compact referendum in the media after it emerged that he intends to vote No, against the intentions of his party.
Ó Cuív resigned as the party’s communications spokesperson and deputy leader in February after it emerged that he would not support the party’s position on the referendum.
He has said, according to the Irish Times this morning, that a letter from party whip Seán Ó Fearghail, whom he met last week, has presented him with a “monumental decision” over whether or not to remain in the party that was founded by his grandfather Éamon de Valera.
The letter reportedly states that it is not feasible for a party member to campaign as they wish against the parliamentary party’s adopted position. Fianna Fáil has indicated that the letter does not warn of expulsion from the party.
Neither Ó Cuív nor Ó Fearghail could be reached for comment this morning.
Nonetheless it is likely that Ó Cuív will issue a statement later today in which he will make his intentions clear. Fianna Fáil declined to comment when contacted this morning.
A grandson of De Valera, the former environment minister was first elected to the Dáil for Galway West in 1992.
It is not the first time he has voted no in a European referendum having done so in the Nice treaty referendum in 2001 which was defeated despite support from the government parties.
The TD has said that rejection of the current Fiscal Compact would allow for a renegotiation of the treaty and the treaties governing the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism in order to make them more favourable to smaller countries such as Ireland.
He told Today FM in February: “What I am saying is, and my policy on this issue was that before we vote at all, that the government should be told quite clearly to go back to Europe and not come back with any referendum until we sort out the regulation of the financial sector from Brussels.”
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Great to see FF finally self-destructing, after destroying our country… Good riddance to really bad rubbish.
FG are no different, worse even
I know … FF … O’Cuiv … FG …. Lowry … Its just history repeating itself … but you can expect nothing less from continuity FF…
SF won’t spit on this guy … So i am guessing, either he resigns from teh Dail, or he will sell his seat and to FFg, the same way Lowry does.
This is the greatest manufactured exit since Saipan
After all that Fianna Fail has done, he leaves over THIS!?
And What Will IT take for KENNY and Co., to take a walk too traitors the whole lot if them
Sold us all out and Kenny is selling us out even worse
Great so Kenny walks, and who takes his place. Gerry Adams???
No thanks.
David with all the other party leaders out there you pick on Adams. Is FG realy that scared of SF?
David, your party members are exactly the same … They are supporting policies that are dead in the water… even someone with the most basic maths can see that FFg’s policies make no economic sense what so ever. Its time to give up the ghost on the Austerity treaty and admit you guys have made a monumental haimes of the whole thing. Start again, and approach the current problems with a new approach … Start by forcing Europe to cancel the 70 billion bank debt, which will allow us to start back into the markets again on our own terms and not Germany’s. France has abandoned your approach (the French voters have spoken)… Norway has no failth in your approach, as was evidenced by the way they abandoned all the toilet paper bands last week…
But i fear that there are none so blind as those that don’t want to see :(
Like a good rat, knowing when to desert a sinking ship
Yes but with any luck he will split the FF yes vote.
It does not matter to the people who’s lives he helped destroy whether he goes or stays. The damage is done and he will be well rewarded for it.He is too toxic to join another party so his only choice is to join the other insignificant backbenchers or resign from Dail.
What is anyone no matterr how deluded able to say yes to fiscal treaty. No matter how much you lie and muddy th waters 2 and 2 will never be 5!! FF is a disaster the fiscal treaty is treason.
Yes I feel that the Fiscal Treaty is TREASON and KENNY and GILMORE are trying to sell it to the People of Ireland
O’Cuiv is irrelevant. And he is just about to find out just how irrelevant he is. Throw back. Would fit in well with the shinners.
Fianna Fáil in general are irrelevant!
Looks like Fianna Fail is doing its own censoring of people just like their mates, the Roman Catholic church.
Some things don’t change with time, do they!
Still the same antics and still the same unwillingness to let people voice objection to various internal and external aspects!
If either of the two EVER speak that they allow free speech and stand for personal freedoms, remember this day!
Looks like simple self preservation by O’Cuiv, he was a key part of that Bertie Brian Government that lost our independence he is not not facing up to the facts and is now trying to distance himself from the consequences of their failure.
Thanks be to God! O’Cuiv can go away now and start The Irish Holy Roman and Apostolic Party who’s main policy will be to reopen the Vatican embassy.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. A political opportunist, not to be trusted. Having said that if his actions help to bring about the obliteration of FF then maybe he will have done his country some service.
Just as with Brady I couldn’t give a rats arse whether O Cuiv resigns or not. Fianna Fail and the Roman Church have succeeded in little more than bringing disgrace and destruction onto this country and I’m glad to say I’m a member of neither of these rotten to the core organizations.
God save Ireland and NOTHING can save Fianna Fail.
While probably the only TD of FF that is viewed as honest and with some principals at this stage, he still played his part in destroying this country over the last decade. He played his part, stayed silent, while FF betrayed and robbed our country.
At this stage, it is just patently obvious that he can see that FF are a finished party, yeah they managed to have a big Ard Fheis, but getting people to go on the beer in the RDS all weekend is not the same as spending 3 nights a week canvassing for the next 10 years, trying to overcome the most toxic political brand in Europe and trying to overcome a massive dearth of talent in the parliamentary party.
He has to leave know, either he stays and is a silenced back bencher in a party that is barely holding it together or he walks, has publicity, a chance at a national platform.
sickening that he leaves with a big pension thou
One of our biggest failings as voters has been the loyalty vote to dynastic family’s. Think of it! More or less the same families have been in power since 1922 in this country. Old order has kept the country devided out of a failed past attempt to govern with any sense of morality, or understandings of what is ethical! This runt will knit be missed, let him slither off into oblivion where he belongs. And instead of petty bickering, for once and for all vote for change! It’s not about scoring points with glib asides, that is what the governments do. They argue for the sake of the argument. They forgot to leave the college podium when they left school, and still posture for point scoring, do you really want these gombbeens representing their own greedy interests under the guise of representing yours? Kick em out!!
O’Cuiv will start his own party, they will be the new PD’s, Right wing Über Catholic back to basics. Michael McDowell as party Gauleiter, they’ll appeal to the cranks in FF/FG and Paul Gogarty !
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