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THOUSANDS OF FIANNA Fáil members descended on the INEC in Killarney this weekend for the party’s 75th Ard Fheis.
With the local and European elections just weeks away this was about rallying the troops for the battle ahead as the party looks to recover from its near-fatal collapse in the 2011 general election.
Plenty of local and European election candidates were on show with the party keen to demonstrate that it has young, fresh and female faces ahead of the 23 May vote.
We spent two days with Fianna Fáil so you didn’t have to and here’s what we learned…
1. The big story wasn’t in Killarney
Were it not so serious for the coalition itself, a cynic would argue that Fine Gael and Labour purposely chose this weekend to have a bit of a row about the garda commissioner/whistleblower controversy. As a result it has dominated the domestic news agenda.
Of course a Cabinet split is probably good for the opposition parties on the long run, but it distracts from Fianna Fáil talking about its ideas and policies and forced Martin to spend quite a bit of time answering questions about the controversy during his media appearances this weekend.
2. The party of law and order?
“Let’s be clear here, no party comes close to matching Fianna Fáil in its commitment to An Garda Siochána,” Martin told delegates on Friday night. The party leader has used the controversies surrounding the gardaí and its watchdog to attack Alan Shatter in recent weeks to some political gain.
But at this gathering Martin deflected questions on the future of Martin Callinan refusing to call for his resignation and clearly aware that calling for his head may not be the right move. Fianna Fáil can only go so far in criticising the gardaí, it would seem.
3. The party’s age profile is vastly different to others
“We have had an infusion of young blood into Fianna Fáil,” finance spokesperson Micheal McGrath told RTÉ earlier. You could argue another ‘infusion’ is badly needed. One could not escape the number of grey-haired and elderly delegates in attendance at the INEC in Killarney this weekend.
That’s not being ageist, simply an assessment that the party seems to have more older than younger members when compared to the other main parties. Despite the presence of large numbers of Ógra Fianna Fáil, the average age of attendees probably didn’t drop below 55. More young blood is needed for the party to move forward.
4. Micheál Martin got into an unnecessary row…
Last night, the party leader alleged that Phil Hogan had gerrymandered the redrawing of the local election boundaries with the way he set out the Boundary Commission’s terms of reference. Never one to duck a row, Hogan hit back saying Martin should apologise to the members of the independent commission.
Martin did not row back on his earlier comments when asked about the controversy today, insisting he was talking about Hogan’s terms of reference, and not the independent members of the commission. But it was all a bit unnecessary.
5. … and everyone hates Phil Hogan
Speaking of Big Phil, he has and continues to be the favourite punching bag for the opposition parties. As well as the property tax, water charges and the aforementioned row, the minister himself was bashed by ordinary delegates.
Gorey councillor Malcolm Byrne said that appointing Hogan as European Commissioner, as is widely expected, is “like appointing Nidge from Love/Hate as the next Garda Commissioner”. One reason why the opposition might want that plum EU job to go to someone else is so they can continue bashing Hogan here at home.
6. Fianna Fáil still has a women problem
Claire O’Driscoll, a candidate in Ashbourne, and her seven-week-old son Ferdia Barry at the Ard Fheis. Pic: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland
If you want to vote for a minority candidate you won’t get any more minority than a female candidate for Fianna Fáil – the words of the party’s MEP candidate in Dublin, Mary Fitzpatrick. She’s being brutally honest about a problem that is as relevant now as it was three years ago when the party failed to get any female TDs elected.
The optics this weekend weren’t great either. Several women who attended an event on gender equality bemoaned the fact that it was held in a room on the fifth floor of the INEC complex – very much on the fringes.
Fianna Fáil is still lagging behind on gender quota targets – 30 per cent of their total must be female at the 2016 general election – and this needs to be addressed. One senior party source lamented that while plenty of women are working behind the scenes, few of them are willing to put their name forward on the ballot paper. That’s a problem Fianna Fáil simply has to overcome if it is to have any hope of returning to power.
7. Selfies are now obligatory at party gatherings…
You know that a new trend is getting out of hand when politicians are all over it and the selfie craze is one thing TDs and Senators are getting into big time. Here’s Robert Troy trying an Oscar-style picture earlier today:
And here’s Micheál Martin holding up some jam made by the Dingle food company Blúiríní Blasta. We’re told that the party leader was insistent on it being a selfie rather than waiting for a photographer:
8. … so it’s a good job that a bonkers social media motion was voted down
One motion debated today proposed legislating to give government autonomy to shut down a social media site in circumstances where it was found to have led to the death of a citizen. Impracticable, unenforceable and easily voted down by a handful of delegates who gathered on the fringes of the Ard Fheis. One delegate, who was particularly passionate about opposing it, remarked: “We got the room tightly whipped!”
9. Members love John McGuinness – but do his Dáil colleagues?
The Public Accounts Committee chairman has had an uneasy relationship with his party over the years, but the grassroots love him. His speech earlier this evening was supposed to be about SMEs but covered everything from the garda whistleblowers to Enda Kenny’s bizarre request to business people in America to ‘call me’.
McGuinness drifted into his work on the PAC, saying what he had seen there had shown that “your taxes are being wasted every single week”. The delegates gave him a standing ovation. But the reception remains lukewarm at best within the parliamentary party.
Pics: Twitter and Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland
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The only way in my opinion that they will be taken anyway seriously as a political party is if they sack every TD and Minister that were part of the last government, starting with their leader.
Your 100% correct Gary, and even at that it will take years to trust that party…… I would love to know where the thousands came from, and where were they??
10. Fianna Fáil don’t believe they were responsible for the economic collapse.
11. Fainna fail are a deluded bunch of hasbeens.
12. Fainna fail still the party of Cowens and Aherns.
14. Fail is in their name and in everything they do
10. Pretty sure they apologised
11. Second biggest party in the country and leader of the opposition… What would that have made FG in 2006.
12. Proof… Of some sort
13. I expect you might learn the difference between Irish and English…
I ask one thing, Can any one tell me with proof that any other party would have done different that FF before the crisis?
While it maybe popular to blame FF (and they made mistakes). Can we seriously say other parties would have not done the same.
If we don’t learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.
What we have learned is we have learned nothing. These are the corrupt gangsters who have destroyed this country and all our futures
Why do you say they are corrupt gangsters and how do you think they have destroyed the country?
Martin were you just revived out a coma?
No Norman, I shall pardon your ignorance. I am fully aware of the financial crisis that started in 2008, EU&IMF Bailout, mass unemployment and emigration etc. Which people say is all down to Fianna Fáil because they were running the country at the time. I just (to be honest) don’t really understand the details as to what exactly FF did to cause this mess??
They were in control of the country, billions of euro in tax was inappropriately spent. There was corruption in the government as they were colluding with the planning authority, local councils, developers and banks. The country was in a building bubble that was going to burst. They did not regulate the banks, the banks could do what they wanted. Crazy money was loaned and the gov stood ideally by and did nothing. 100% mortgages ect. They did nothing to tackle inflation,
They all got rich on the back of the people of ireland Abusing their power and then they gave the bank guarantee which enslaved its people. This is and was not what the people of ireland wanted to do. The government should act in the best interests of the irish people not companies, corporations or the EU. This is why we elect them in the first place!
Martin that is EXACTLY the reason we don’t want ye back.
Ye will never learn!
From my memories of the time, all the main political parties were pursuing the same policies, bickering over the details. I’m quite concerned watching the Garda whistleblower controversy, that Shatter is reacting in a similar way to Bertie, when he made his infamous suicide comments. Except Morgan Kelly and George Lee were the whistleblowers (along with one guy on the Last Word at the time who researched property booms and saw that we could not have a soft landing).
Thank you for your constructive (non-insulting) reply. How were they colluding with the planning authorities again?
Martin
Talk to someone
Memory loss is painful not just for the individual but thoes around you
#FFAmnesia
Jessie Foley – I am not Fianna Fáil!
John Mc Carthy – Why are you sarcastic to people on the internet? You would not speak to somebody with that tone face-to-face! I do not have memory loss! I remember the economic collapse of ’08 and that that was caused by FF being in gov (partly) but also because their was a worldwide economic collapse triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank in the US, which would have caused economic turmoil in Ireland anyway regardless of FF being in gov. I am 23, most of the time FF were in power I was a child and then a teenager, so I don’t really remember all the policies and things FF did!!!!
True, while FF were throwing money all over the place back when we allegedly were all better off!! FG called for more spending in the budgets saying FF weren’t doing enough, very hard to see who you would like to pin your hopes on in the next election for the future of this country and our economy, one is as bad and corrupt as the other give or take a few who are in it for the good of the people and not the good of themselves
@ Martin…they had a leader back then (Bertie Ahern) who was one of the most corrupt individuals in Europe. The government appointed bank regulator was absolutely asleep at the wheel.. We had FF politicians telling the country the troika weren’t coming to this country as the wheels of their flight touched down, a FF minister of finance who shackled this country to an equally corrupt and busted banking system with the bank guarantee. How you can even contemplate selling whatever virtue you think FF have is astonishing.
Martin
Take a drive around Ireland and look at all the stuff that was built in the 00s, there was no real planning, not enough schools, not enough water supply, not enough greens for kids to play, sewage problems and some estates get flooded because they are on flood plains.
The was a hotel and council offices built right on top of Trim castle. There is a report that says there was corruption, bribes and the like. When FF were in power if you wanted something done you just needed cash in an brown envelope. The guys at the top were driving the bus, they were in control and when the bus crashed the just got off and ran away. And they gave themselves a big pay out as well!!
In Iceland the banks tried to pull the same stunt and the people said no! The prime minister was convicted of corruption. There was no bank guarantee. There were two referendums on it! It shows a country acting in the interests of the people and a country acting in the interests of the corporations.
I think maybe you should start reading some stuff before you make all the statements you are making. I remember in the height of the Tiger, Bertie explaining why we were borrowing an extra €1.4 Billion which was going to give an easy budget. It made no sense then, even less now.
I was in a position to know what was going on, as I came up against most of them in Dublin, but was looked on as an unimportant servant type, where they talked as if I wasn’t in the room.
From 1977 I remember what was going on, it hasn’t changed. President Childers was the last FF man I actually respected, his thought on Charlie Haughey’s coterie were a revelation.
They need an enema to clean out the old soldiers of destiny.
Charlie Haughey the man who bailed out his friend Larry Goodman. ABP. Is the biggest beef processor in the country. Ever hear of the beef tribunals where it turns out this man had colluded with politicians to make his fortune. To do this he was screwing the farmers. Underpaying them what he should of and price fixing. He went broke and the government bailed him out. CJ helped his friend,
Today Larry still screws the farmers through price fixing. When the price is high he stops buying cattle from farmers and kills his own cattle. He both kills and supplies which in my opinion is price fixing. He was also the cause of the horse meat scandal. He makes Billions of the backs of small rural families in Ireland and pays them peanuts for it.
Martin
Lehman is the first word that comes out of FF as an excuse for the economic crash on their watch.
Why didn’t any of the Scandinavian countries or even Scotland, England or Wales suffer as what we had to endure.
FF policies ruined this country and my generation and generations before and after.
Remember Bertie saying “people who talk the economy down should commit suicide”
Yes Martin
You may or may not suffer amnesia
But either way, get help
#FFarrogance
I believe the biggest problem we will have in the we will have in the next election is the media. The media in ireland is controlled by a billionaire. He has the most influence. If he decides on one or the other that will influence the people most.
This all was done on ff watch the people of this country elected them to do a job that was protect irish interest of all the people not the chosen few martin
1. their still liars
2. they still support corruption (hence not calling for callinan’s resignation )
3. they are still as smug and arrogant are ever
4. they are the same as FG
5. they are as deluded as FG
6. they believe their own propaganda
7. they believe in FG policies
8. they support water tax
9.they support Property
10.They still the same Lying Bast@rds as before
thats what we learned . ie NOTHING.
“They’re”
2 grammar penalty points , yeah !!!
Most other countries throughout Europe and the world pay a form of property tax and water rates, so why do Irish people think it is some sort of alien barbaric idea? Not saying I am in favour of property and water taxes myself as I couldn’t afford to pay them and who really wants to pay for their own property and a natural resource.
Also Sean the only reason there was a good turnout was 95% of them had free travel.
We learned FF,FG & Lab greed and self interest is all that drives them.
I’ll give you 3 very good reasons
1. We did pay a property tax when we bought our homes we paid this gross tax up front.
2. This tax was brought in when in when massive amounts of us our family homes were worth less than we owed to the banks. Negative equity means we are being taxed on a liability.
3. A family home is not property it’s a home and the current leader of this country famously said that a tax on a persons home would not happen on his watch
Phil Hogans reflection hates him…
Being reincarnated as a mirror. His worst nightmare.
Is it just me, or does it look like MM is trying to force that little old lady’s hand down the front of his trousers?
I mean honestly, are there no depths to which these shameless b@stads will not sink???
Message to you FF party hacks ,….stop red thumbing , if you are not happy with our remarks come out and defend yourself ….they us why our opinions are wrong .
Sh1tebags
Mckevitt you are an ass– le of the highest order.
Sold all our tomorrows for their crony friends approval, yesterday!
I’m confident the electorate will reward them …for all their efforts?
It’s gas you would think they did nothing wrong in the past! They destroyed this country. They might blame who they want but it was FF who made the decisions to run this country into the ground! Bifo and his army.
The Euro elections are our opportunity to let the big three: FG, FF & Labour know what we feel about them. Get out and vote and let them see that their actions do have consequences, even if they themselves shirk any responsibility for their actions.
Agreed, not going to vote for any of those 3 in the local and European elections. Going to see what SF and independents have to say for themselves when they come a knocking
brains for rocks – Are people also aware that Sinn Féin are associated with certain dissident republican groups????
Are you aware what FF, FG & Lab have done to this country…..
Is ‘Martin Gosling’ an actual individual, a living entity? or a cooked goose home from Killarney
If you remember that FF were in charge for 61 years out of 79 to 2011, and were only out of power for around 4 years at any one time, not enough for opposing parties to really make a difference, just to clean up a bit & get tarred with the same brush, then we need a total sea change.
I will be surprised if the electorate has grown up enough to realise he truth, they haven’t in my lifetime!
What are you talking about Martin. ‘Dissident’ republicans hate Sinn Féin and have made death threats against Sinn Féin leaders.
“Sinn Féin are associated with certain dissident republican groups” Do you really believe that statement Martin
Get them when they are young me hole…. And they’ll be idiots for the rest of their lives…
Gerrymandered, Nice word.
I remember during the seventies, listening to both sides, accusing the other of gerrymandering. My parents always had the radio on at the time. Probably, due to a post traumatic North/South Cold War syndrome. I was always looking to see how many spuds were left in the bowl.
Thanks for the property tax lads.. and all the other sh1te we have to put up with because of FF but no worries the lads who showed up to the FF tent at the Galway races back in the day will keep ye going for another few years.
Never forget what the Fianna Gobh1te Fail party did to this country. One cannot afford to take these fcuks seriously ever again
And the current crew of FG and Labour are better – Jesus wept give us a break
Yes, yes they are. They weren’t in charge when FF destroyed the economy. Would they have done a better job? Who knows, maybe not.
But ultimately FF were in charge for the years from 2002-2007 when terrible, stupid, populist policies destroyed our economy. I don’t hate FF for the bank guarantee we were screwed regardless by that stage. It was their craven stupidity in the years beforehand which means they should never ever be in government ever again.
“this government has introduced the biggest cuts to the garda budget in history”
Well yeah, that’s no surprise. Leaving aside the fact they have made the cuts because Ireland doesn’t have the money and who is responsible for that for second. A growing economy and inflation means that the in nominal terms, in millions and billions increases and decreases are always the biggest in history.
It’s much more instructive to look at whether policing spending as a percentage of GDP or government spending is at a historical high or historical low. You could also look at whether the crime rate is increasing or decreasing at a per capita level or any number of metrics.
But nope, Fianna Fail has always been a party of devoid of any real ideology or policy. It’ll go with whats popular or whatever the advisors are recommending. Policy isn’t what they are about, getting elected is what they are good at.
Worked fine when we were selling agricultural products and working factories. Having policy incompetents in charge of a complex globalized economy destroyed out economy.
I’d never vote for FF in a million years. The other ones at least either of policy skills or ideology. FF literally exists to get elected.
Imagine if the roof had fallen, be a real pity
On point no. 3 “and that’s not being ageist”, would the author have complained if the attendance’s age profile was too low and not enough grey hair present? I get tired of comments like that (even though I’m “only” 39). You get the same thing said about Mass, that it’s mostly only old people go, as if they were lesser beings!
That baby has a great head of hair.
So has the mammy.
A week fed baby too by the looks of it!
#well fed even! Damn auto correct
Remember it’s this so called political party that is responsible for the daily financial misery of the vast number of ordinary decent citizen’s of this country.
Michael Martin was a member of the government that condemned Ireland to its miserable doom therefore I find I’d it nauseating and terrifying to contemplate our intelligent citizens ever voting them back into power.
An abonation to irish politics#SF
What’s an abonation? Is it when they finally kick the white man out of Australia?
I don’t care about Irish politics, I care about the Irish people.
FF, FG and labour have shown they only care about themselves and bettering their own lot and those around them. The rest of us can pay for it.
That is one nerdish selfie.
That was a lot of reading through all those comments! So, all are a pack of bas@€ds. Who or what party will honour the feelings of the Irish people? Or does anyone in politics know or care of the feelings of the country?
In a nutshell… No sadly! what do we do?
Any links to McGuinness speech?
SSDD!!! As usual they spout what they think we want to hear – and not just FF they all do!!! Ch***t I hope people ha be good memories and seriously think about how they vote. The one that stands on that podium and says they are slashing their wages, taking their pensions at pension age only and admits they are screwing us at the moment to their gain will get my vote…. Yup , you thought it – they dont exist! It’s time to change the constitution…..
The level of cynicism in these comments is really disheartening. I’m a new member of Fianna Fáil and I didn’t join for the handshakes and envelopes. Fianna Fáil was in my opinion.. 60% to blame for the very difficult position we find ourselves in. The other 40%? 25% for a lax banking regulator, 10% for credit that was far too cheap and the last 5% was that Irish people collectively lost the run of themselves. I’m not saying you did now, I’m sure you’ve never borrowed a cent more than you could repay but collectively, as Enda Kenny rightly pointed out, we did. I’m sorry for what happened, I really am but at the end of the day at 18 I had absolutely nothing to do with that mess and I’ll end up paying back more than the majority of thejournal’s readership. I know some very decent people in FF and to be fair 90% of that old shower have left. New people, new ideas.
Patrick your leader sat in cabinet while FF sold the country down the tubes. You’ve stepped into a toxic party who’s only goal is to line their own pockets and it’s a pity as you seem a decent person that you fell for their lies
No offence Patrick but they all started out with great ideas but got corrupted very quickly. If you strip away the high wages and pensions maybe the right people will take up the job again with the people in mind but as it stands a pension that can be drawn upon after I think it’s 3yrs is ridiculous to start with. They’re all a shower the lot of ‘em, FF most of all.
Again the typical shite of Fianna Fail. Why did you join them? Why?
What part of their policy or ideology attracted you to them?
None, because thats not what FF is about.
They talked a lot of bull did not say where they positively stood on property and water tax ?
I think what what we have learned is that for Fianna Fáil to have any supporters left, that they must be susceptible to cultish indoctrination !
have your say