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Micheál Martin at the ard fheis yesterday Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

So what exactly were Fianna Fáil apologising for?

Party leader Micheál Martin has given details – and said he didn’t meet Bertie Ahern at yesterday’s ard fheis.

FIANNA FÁIL LEADER Micheál Martin has expanded on his landmark apology at the party’s ard fheis last night, and outlined where the party went wrong in government.

Martin said the party’s main failings had been in its economic policies and its failure to ensure that financial institutions were being properly regulated.

However, he refused to condemn the 2008 bank guarantee, saying that it may have been imperfect but was the right idea in principle.

The Fianna Fáil leader also said that he had not met former leader and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who made a widely-publicised appearance at the ard fheis yesterday.

“I didn’t meet with Bertie Ahern yesterday,” Martin told RTÉ’s This Week. “I had a very busy day yesterday attending various sessions, and doing interviews with media.”

On the party’s economic policies during the boom, Martin said that they had been “pro-cyclical.” He said Fianna Fáil had been:

Spending too much in terms of public expenditure, reducing the tax base too much, and relying too much on transient taxes which made us particularly vulnerable when the major world shock came and hit us.

He also admitted failures in the financial regulatory regime. “It was an independent regulatory structure, but we didn’t police that enough,” he said.

It’s the old story of who guards the guards, and we didn’t have a sufficient provision in place. And we have to take responsibility for that – we were in government.

Asked about the controversial 2008 bank guarantee, Martin said: “The jury’s still out.” He acknowledged that the guarantee had perhaps gone too far, but said it was still the right idea in principle.

More: Martin apologises for Fianna Fáil mistakes>

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39 Comments
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    Mute Paul1st
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    Jun 25th 2024, 8:13 AM

    As soon as he settles in on his lucrative salary and extravagant expense account he’ll most likely fall into line and go with the flow

    338
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    Mute Terry Molloy
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    Jun 25th 2024, 9:41 AM

    Labour does not represent the working class and

    238
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    Mute K O
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    Jun 25th 2024, 9:37 AM

    A most unlikable individual he can fall in with any party,

    197
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    Mute donal O'brien
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    Jun 25th 2024, 10:15 AM

    @K O: he was liked enough to have had a successful political career for the past 20 years or so.

    34
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    Mute K O
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    Jun 25th 2024, 3:18 PM

    @donal O’brien: he lost his seat on a number of occasions

    41
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    Mute Patrick Treacy
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    Jun 25th 2024, 8:34 AM

    A bunch of wasters in that Labour party.

    289
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    Mute John Hally
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    Jun 25th 2024, 10:02 AM

    The minute they got a few new seats they went straight back in with FFG, Obviously they haven’t moved on, they did it last week in Dublin.

    122
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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jun 25th 2024, 8:27 AM

    Because the Journal imagines I am spreading misinformation by describing scientific method modelling and academic funding as a major problem for society, they blocked a comment on the hateful legislation where the government controls information.

    Considering that the politicians are one cog in a lucrative wheel spreading the notion that controlling human behaviour equates to controlling the weather, it is dismaying to see the electorate react to comments made to demonstrate how that misadventure (misinformation) emerged.

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    Mute Alan OConnor
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    Jun 25th 2024, 8:57 AM

    @Gerald Kelleher: set up your own website and stop whinging

    55
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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jun 25th 2024, 8:59 AM

    It is a remarkable experience, albeit in an unwanted way, to see how easy it is for misguided politicians to get around the ‘hate speech’ legislation which would not fly with the different approach in an article I can’t comment on because the Journal restricts it. The Journal does allow every meaningless reaction directed at me to remain.

    Are commenters so docile, so subservient that they can’t identify that some elements in society with influence work against the Irish community?

    I often demonstrate that there is just information, for good or for bad, and it is up to people to decide whether that information leads to a misadventure.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jun 25th 2024, 10:48 AM

    @Gerald Kelleher: The comments directed at you are not meaningless at all.
    They are other peoples opinions which count just as much as yours does.
    If you are trying to persuade people you opinion is correct, you need to communicate in a better way.
    You do have a habit of pontificating and of overcomplicating simple issues.
    Try using plain English that woud help!

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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:09 AM

    @Gary :

    The difference is that discussing ideas and sharing information only attracts few and you are unlikely to stick around for that. I could tell you that you are wasting your time, but you already know that.

    “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Roosevelt

    People should not be so gullible, after all, the legislation being brought in also brings ‘hate speech’ legislation in under the radar of electoral misinformation or disinformation. I see it for what it is and the same with scientific method modelling, so if people see this as preaching, that is nothing to do with me.

    There is no correct or incorrect, there is just information and the ability to judge what purpose that information serves for individual or politicians.

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    Mute Alan OConnor
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:52 AM

    @Gerald Kelleher: and as far as you’re concerned everyone else is wrong. And you’re right. Narcissistic personality disorder run wild.

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    Mute Gerald Kelleher
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:18 PM

    @Alan OConnor: There is no right or wrong. There is just what is best for society.

    Misusing online insults to pass hate speech legislation in full view of commenters says more about them than it does me.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Jun 25th 2024, 7:31 AM

    In the North of Ireland, shin Fein administer the council tax on behalf of their Tory government. House holders get a bill each month and Shin Fein have in the past voted to increase it. Rates are roughly twice the property tax they oppose in the ” Free State”
    Me thanks FF lite are using both sides of their mouth on this one.

    65
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    Mute sean weir
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    Jun 25th 2024, 8:22 AM

    @H Woo: you do realize that the council tax is set by govt and ALL UK councils collect it to cover local services,bin charges etc.
    I will admit it is a very unfair system for some but it is a council run system,not a party one .

    106
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jun 25th 2024, 10:50 AM

    @H Woo: The Free State ceased to exist in 1948/1949. the act was made in 1937.

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    Mute Áine G
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    Jun 25th 2024, 9:44 AM

    His a teacher, now that says a lot.

    57
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    Mute donal O'brien
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    Jun 25th 2024, 10:16 AM

    @Áine G: he was a teacher.

    28
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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:33 PM

    He doesn’t listen to people, he always wants to impose his ideas & ideology on everybody, everyone else is wrong bar him. Very lucky with the transfers he got, otherwise he wouldn’t have got elected. He won’t make any difference to Ireland in Europe & the reason Labour didn’t come up at the doors, is because working class people have long forgotten them, after what they did previously.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jun 25th 2024, 10:52 AM

    Hilarious, he makes the same noises as all the others and ignores large parts of the community as it is not the latest hot topic.

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    Mute Matt D
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:19 PM

    A member of the party that took medical cards from the sick, terminally ill & children with down syndrome.

    56
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    Mute Anto Gunning
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:37 PM

    Does Aodhán have shares in the journal, he’s had a article about himself or Liebour almost every day since he was elected.
    Another TD who can’t survive on a TD’s Salary. Give us a break

    29
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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jun 25th 2024, 3:39 PM

    Sorry to spoil your send off pleasantries Aodhan, but the Austerity Gov still rankles with those working people still affected by lifetime pension cuts and cancelled medical cards.
    Even more so this week, when the very highly paid public service cohort is whinging about the tax they will have to pay on 90k plus pensions!
    I wish you well in Europe, but maybe you can put this cruel inequity on your agenda.

    19
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    Mute H Woo
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:21 PM

    Shin Fein voted on that night
    with the government to bail out the Banks.
    Only the Labour party voted against the bail out.

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Jun 25th 2024, 3:49 PM

    @H Woo: is that correct?
    If Labour voted against the Noonan bail out austerity measures, it would have collapsed that Gov.

    10
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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 25th 2024, 5:56 PM

    @H Woo: The Dail was presented with information and a course of action that was proposed.

    That the information presented by the government to the Dail was not correct is not the fault of any other party not in government at the time.

    That Labour sold us out *afterwards” when the true situation came to light is a terrible indictment on that party.
    That Labour visited the worst of the burden on those least able to bear it tells us all we need to know about that party.

    By their deeds ye shall know them.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:00 PM

    @William Kelly:
    Not sure how it works, but shin Fein vote may have being enough for the bail out to happen without Labours numbers.
    Heard this on the Pat Kenny show one morning.
    Mary Lou denied in the studio they voted to bail out the banker so Pat Kenny had one of his researchers fact check it during the show.

    1
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    Mute H Woo
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:09 PM

    @William Kelly:
    Not sure how it worked.
    Maybe shin Fein’s vote for the bail out made up the numbers.
    Heard about this one morning listening to the Pat Kenny show, Mary lou stated they did not vote with the government to bail out the bankers.
    Pat Kenny had one of his researchers fact check her.
    Turned out she was wrong.

    1
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    Mute Sean Butler
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:21 PM

    Remember in 2011 when SF policy was to tell the IMF to go and take their money with them. SF never were able to say where the one billion a month to keep school and hospitals was going to come from.

    Country was bankrupt and only the IMF / EU loaned us money to keep the lights on.

    Choice was that stark, make cut backs or run out of money.

    10
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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 25th 2024, 5:58 PM

    @Sean Butler: The country was only bankrupt because the government decided to bail out bondholders.
    Bondholders which they did not have to bail out.
    Bondholders which they were still bailing out years after the collapse of the banks.

    9
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    Mute Sean Butler
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    Jun 26th 2024, 7:48 AM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: SF voted to bail out the bamks. Labour.voted against it.

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    Mute H Woo
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:19 PM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Don’t forget. Bond holders are also made up of,
    Pension funds, Credit Unions, Trade Unions, Banks with little old ladies life savings.
    Remember Iceland when the government allowed there banks to fail? Icelanders braking down bank doors climbing in windows trying to get what was left of their savings. Which was around 50cents in the euro.
    Maybe our government picked the least worse option.

    1
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    Mute MN
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:35 AM

    To avoid her bringing the far right with her…

    The more I read the more I worry

    7
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