When opportunity knocks

DURING the week, Fianna Fáil accused Sinn Féin of opportunism by tabling a motion in the Dáil to bring in new legislation on abortion.

 

Also during the week, Fianna Fáil party leader Micheál Martin accused Health Minister Dr James Reilly of “hiding the truth” after nominating two towns in his constituency for primary care centres.

There is no question about it but Sinn Féin were certainly being opportunistic by proposing that Dáil motion on abortion in the wake of the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar last month. There is no doubt but the Minister for Health was economic with the truth when he was quizzed about those healthcare centres in his Dublin North constituency.

So what’s new? Do you believe Fianna Fáil never indulged in opportunism and always told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Do you believe that since the party was founded in 1926, Fianna Fáil has been a consistent opponent of opportunism and fairy tales? Perhaps you believe this is a new Fianna Fáil; that while the party might have indulged in such tactics in the past, things have changed under Micheál Martin and are going to be different going forward.

I don’t believe that you believe any of that. Let you be the most devoted Fianna Fáil supporter in the country, you know very well that it was through opportunism and being economic with the truth that Fianna Fáil remained in power for so long from the 1930s right up to the present decade.

Fianna Fáil were masters of the game and I don’t believe Micheál Martin has lost that touch.

I could say that accusing Fine Gael and Sinn Féin of hiding the truth or of being opportunistic is like the pot calling the kettle black. Except that pots and kettles are no longer black since we stopped cooking over an open fire. I might be accused of going too far if I said it was like a con man accusing a thief of being a rogue. Honestly, in spite of what you might think, I don’t believe any of them are that bad. But I am sure you get my meaning.

Those tactics that Fianna Fáil accused Fine Gael and Sinn Féin of playing are called politics. They are what politics are all about. I have never yet met a politician who was not an opportunist. If a politician was not able to hide the truth, he or she would not last too long in politics. It is why Fianna Fáil were returned to power so often in the history of the party.

So it’s a bit rich hearing Fianna Fáil spokesmen accusing other parties of playing the same games they were so adept at playing since the early days of this State.

However, it is understandable. Since the election, they have been neck and neck in the opinion polls with Sinn Féin in terms of support. That situation could not be tolerated. Sinn Féin had to be taken on.
You have perhaps noticed a somewhat different Fianna Fáil since the summer break. Up to a few months ago, Fianna Fáil looked to be a party that was down and out. They didn’t even contest the general election, for God’s sake. They were still reeling from the general election disaster when the party was almost annihilated. They were playing second fiddle to Sinn Féin in Opposition.

Their difficulties were compounded by the fact that Fine Gael and Labour in Government were implementing policies that were proposed and adopted by Fianna Fáil. So any attack on the Government sounded very hollow indeed coming from the party that was blamed for causing the economic crisis.

Sinn Féin, however, had no such problems. Never having been in government, Sinn Féin could not be accused of laying the foundations for the collapse of the economy. So as Fianna Fáil were losing ground, Sinn Féin were gaining. That had to be stopped if Fianna Fáil were ever going to get back into power in the future.

So the gloves came off. Last month in Bodenstown, Micheál Martin launched the strongest attack since the election on Sinn Féin. He hit Sinn Féin where it is most vulnerable – on Sinn Féin support for the IRA and for that organisation’s bloody campaign over three decades in the North. (Naturally, he never mentioned that back in the 1930s and 1940s, Fianna Fáil leaders were accused of the same things by Fine Gael).

Now the latest opinion polls are showing Fianna Fáil soaring ahead of Sinn Féin. I have always pointed out that opinion polls are basically irrelevant when there is no election on the horizon. But they do give us an indication of how the people would vote if an election were held at the same time as the opinion polls were held.

The latest opinion polls gave some confidence to Fianna Fáil at a time when they badly needed it. They do not tell us that Fianna Fáil will be back in power at the next election. But they do tell us that the party seems to be heading in the right way. The most recent opinion poll published in The Sunday Times put Fine Gael on 30%, Fianna Fáil on 22%, Sinn Féin 14% and Labour 12%. At the general election in February 2012 Fine Gael got 36% and 76 seats, Labour 20% (37 seats), Fianna Fáil 18% (20 seats) and Sinn Féin 10% (14 seats).

So Fianna Fáil look to be on the right track. They must ensure they continue to play the leading role in Opposition and not allow Sinn Féin or the technical group in the Dáil to usurp that position.

The longer they get away from their experience in government under Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, the better their chances should be as people in general do not have long memories.

Next week’s budget and the reaction to it will be a major milestone in the life of the present Dáil.
Meantime, Fianna Fáil will continue to accuse the other parties of opportunism and of hiding the truth.