The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
LAST weekend’s Red C opinion poll put Fianna Fáil on just 10%, and while most in the party would consider this a surprise and very disappointing performance, Councillor Alan O’Callaghan says it was to be expected.
“I’m not one bit surprised. I’d have predicted it when the Programme for Government was voted for. People mightn’t have wanted it, but felt there was no other alternative at the time and went for it,” he said.
He feels the party made the wrong decision by entering government with Fine Gael and the Green Party and should have opted for another election. “It goes back to the Programme for Government. I wasn’t in support of it, and I would have been one of very few on the Council who wasn’t supportive of it. I felt at the time the reason behind it was for Micheál Martin to become Taoiseach, that was the sole purpose of putting it together. He got his wish to become Taoiseach now, and it’s falling down around him. I’d rather have gone back to the polls at that time.”
While he acknowledged that the landscape will have changed by the time of the next local elections, the current standing would see a wipeout. “If we were running at the current figures we’d lose about 60% of our councillors. That’s a huge threat to the Fianna Fáil councillors that are doing great work. If you are running for Fianna Fáil are you going to suffer because of it?”
He feels that the Taoiseach has not connected with the voters since taking office, while he noted that Mr Martin wanted a change when Brian Cowen was struggling. “I just feel he’s not being taken seriously anymore. And if you go back to 2011 when Brian Cowen was down around 11% the first man to question him was Michéal Martin. He came in and said there would have to be change and whatever but he’s not one bit phased now.”
West Clare based Councillor Shane Talty acknowledged the figures will lead to some unease within Fianna Fáil. “There’s bound to be concern at grassroots level, whatever has happened since the Government was formed they don’t seem to have set the world alight around controlling the agenda and controlling the message.
“There’s been a difficulty in establishing who’s leading the Government and how that’s controlled. It’s an unenviable time in fairness to try and lead a Government with the challenge that is there, but there’s undoubtedly more work required on communicating the message and what’s going on, why it’s happening, and why people are doing what they are doing at a difficult time.”
He also acknowledged that Micheál Martin is having difficulties. “If it’s quite obvious that the current leadership haven’t set the world alight and the current government hasn’t taken control of the message, then he can’t but be part of the problem, but that’s not to say that it’s not retrievable.
“We’re only a number of months into the Government, he has two years as Taoiseach. At the end of the day the party membership voted for a Programme for Government on the understanding that he was party leader and would be Taoiseach for a two year term.”
Councillor Talty said that the Government may steady around the next budget and in the months thereafter.
So dominant for much of Ireland’s post-independence history, Councillor Talty said the party is still struggling for relevance, years after many voters became disillusioned with it as the economy struggled. “The last general election showed that, the last ten years have shown that, there’s been a constant struggle for relevance. I wonder in the distribution of ministries did we take the right ones. We are struggling for relevance in key areas, we need to go back and broaden the base and broaden the message. Where there is traction and support you need to focus on that and show what you are doing. Maybe sometimes there is a campaign to become relevant to maybe sections where the space is already occupied. Maybe you should try and hold what you have rather than getting destroyed in a battle for ground you can’t win.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
