TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has denied that he is a “top-down” leader and rejected a backbencher’s comparison of his longrunning tenure at the head of the party to the reign of France’s Louis XIV.

Martin has come under pressure due to his backing of ex-Dublin football manager Jim Gavin to become the party’s Áras candidate and how the presidential process was handled. 

Gavin’s late withdrawal from the race after it emerged he owed a former tenant over €3,000, which he has since repaid, and Catherine Connolly’s subsequent victory has prompted Fianna Fáil members to openly discuss the future of the party’s leadership.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne this morning, Martin acknowledged the “disappointment” within the party about how the election panned out, but pointed to Fianna Fáil’s performance in the general, local and European elections last year. 

He said he did not put “extensive pressure” on people or “tell people” to vote for Gavin to be the party candidate, adding that no one from the parliamentary party came forward through May, June or July to express an interest in being the candidate. 

“I took soundings from the party, and I could not detect any great groundswell at that stage for other candidates,” Martin said.

Billy Kelleher sought the Fianna Fáil nomination in September, but lost out to Gavin in a secret ballot by 41 votes to 29. Martin said Kelleher is a fine parliamentarian and that “in hindsight, he could have been a stronger candidate”. 

“I would have preferred if he’d rung me to say ‘I’m interested’, and that didn’t happen, and I think that was a surprise to me. I’m a phone call away,” he said. 

‘Hurtful comments’

He said Gavin was chosen by the parliamentary party after a vote. When pressed that this was because he had recommended him to the party, Martin said: “I don’t have a top-down approach, and I would reject that.

“It’s never been my style. I engage with people. I’ve canvassed every constituency with the TDs of the parliamentary party and with senators. I’ve knocked on doors up and down the country. I go down and meet people in their constituencies. I’m not a top-down person.”

It was put to him that Fianna Fáil TD James O’Connor had likened Martin’s leadership style to King Louis XIV, the 17th century French king who had the longest reign of any monarch in history.

“I don’t think James should have made that comment,” the Taoiseach said.

“I don’t think it reflects Micheál Martin. It doesn’t reflect me as a person, and I think those kind of hurtful comments are unacceptable, in my view. I’m not that kind of person. I always engage.”

The idea that I’m some top-down person is just repugnant to me as a person. It’s not my style.

Martin said he did not consider running Bob Geldof as a candidate, saying he “came very late”. The singer had a phonecall with Martin in late August, but was told Gavin was already being lined up as an Áras candidate. 

Bertie Ahern

He also said that he is still of the view that Bertie Ahern should not have been the party’s presidential candidate.

“I think would have raised all the issues in terms of what transpired in the Mahon Tribunal and so on,” he said.

“I have great respect for Bertie Ahern in terms of what he achieved for peace in this country. I think the Good Friday Agreement will always be his outstanding legacy, and it is an outstanding legacy, along with other things.

“But I think we know the nature of presidential campaigns, and I don’t know why he would have brought that upon himself.

“I didn’t – I have to be honest – detect any groundswell within the parliamentary party for Bertie to be our candidate, and in my conversations with TDs, that was more than confirmed.”

An internal review process will now examine how party candidates are chosen going forward. 

Martin was asked about a motion of no confidence in his leadership, but said he had “no idea” whether it was going to happen.

Ten of the required twelve signatures of members of the parliamentary party that would cause a motion of no confidence in Martin have been secured.

When rumours that reporters have been given a list of TDs opposed to his leadership from within Fianna Fáil, he said: “Absolutely not. 

“No one in my team or anyone working with me have anything to do with lists… I’m not into that.

“In the early days when I became a TD, that was a thing in Fianna Fáil which was very, very negative and very debilitating, and something I would never want to see in the party.”

He also rejected the latest Business Post/Red C poll, which put support for Fianna Fáil at 17%, behind Fine Gael on 19% and Sinn Féin on 23%. 

“We are a strong party with a strong membership,” Martin said, adding that he is “full of energy” and wants to focus on housing, infrastructure and roads. 

“These are the issues that people want us to deliver on, and we’re going to deliver on, and my focus hasn’t been shifted at all in the last number of weeks for the core issues that face the Irish people.”