Fianna Fail – Page 9 – Slugger O'Toole

“Fianna Fail needs to stop playing stupid patriot games”

Mick Fealty on February 8, 2012, 11:39 am | Readers 51

For my money, the Irish Independent’s editorial somewhat scales up the current German influence within the EU for effect, but it warns Fianna Fail it is currently playing the wrong game in calling for a referendum: It is a measure of how the European dream has soured that having joined with the clear intent of severing our provincial ties with Britain we are now little more than a part of Greater Germany. But, unless we want to return to the …

Latest poll good news for the new opposition (and perhaps next government)?

Mick Fealty on December 19, 2011, 4:37 pm | Readers 1

No surprise that after a fairly punishing budget for the public sector (not least in education where targeted help for low achieving schools in inner city areas seeing substantial job cuts), that the government rating fell in yesterday’s Behaviours and Attitude poll by ten points to 26%. For the record, that’s the lowest rating for a government in its first year since polling began. The party ratings are no more encouraging for the government either: Fine Gael support is down …

The difference between FF and FG? Twelve months.

John Ó Néill on December 8, 2011, 12:25 am | Readers 12

Anyone who watched the anodyne post-budget chat between Michael Noonan (FG) and Michael McGrath (FF) on RTE’s PrimeTime on Tuesday must have been reminded of Pearse Doherty’s comment during Sinn Féin’s response to the budget in the Dáil earlier that day that the difference between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is twelve months. In retrospect the kites that were flown prior to the budget provide a cynical benchmark of the extent to which the government tried to instill fear in the public to condition them for some of the changes …

Sinn Fein’s increase was “an average of a mere 37 votes a constituency”

Mick Fealty on November 1, 2011, 11:36 am | Readers 23

I’ve just been talking to Ian Parsley, who sounded a somewhat sceptical note on the effective crippling of Sean Gallagher on Frontline last Monday. It remains a great moment of television without a doubt, but Ian wonders if it was more like the Sheffield rally was for Neil Kinnock, whose stock was already on the fall by the time of his jumping the shark… In fact, there is a slightly counter intuitive narrative doing the rounds that the effect of …

#Aras11: How the Press got it wrong on Gallagher (and failed to admit it)

Mick Fealty on October 27, 2011, 8:48 am | Readers 48

Whilst it was perfectly legitimate to probe Martin McGuinness on his paramilitary past in the course of a Presidential election the key reason (character) for doing so was rarely crystalised by the many good journalists who did so. To be blunt, you cannot make political murder a reason for not taking office in state that was founded on killing and rebellion, no matter how many columns of outrage get printed in the Sunday Independent. You can make lying about it …

For that reason, Sean, I’m out: #aras11 injury time.

John Ó Néill on October 25, 2011, 1:48 pm | Readers 12

Sean Gallagher, the Fianna Fáil independent candidate who has been leading the latter stages of the #aras11 race must be hoping that the finishing lines comes as quickly as possible. Martin McGuinness presided over a a very public unfolding of Gallagher’s memory of collecting donations for Fianna Fáil on the final debate on Frontline last night (although no-one seems to have noticed that he had instant recall of the individual he claimed to have had no memory of seconds before). This included a dreadful gaffe in referring to an …

After all they did, are FF set to win #aras11?

John Ó Néill on October 19, 2011, 8:00 am | Readers 8

After all they did, are Fianna Fáil going to win the Presidential election? Or, perhaps as pertinently, are the media going to win it for them? While Mick suggests that they are right to protest that Gallagher is not their ‘dog without a collar’, the limited ability of the media to amass any significant details of Gallagher’s Fianna Fáil CV is in contrast to the detail being presented on the other candidates (with the obvious exception of Michael D). Gallagher …

Seán Gallagher, a Fianna Fáil member in the #aras11 race?

John Ó Néill on October 9, 2011, 12:40 am | Readers 11

Having managed to mostly fly below the radar, it will be interesting to see if Seán Gallagher, now having shown well enough in the opinion polls, suddenly comes under tighter focus. On RTE, he finally put to bed some of the issues around his membership of Fianna Fáil today. Well, actually, as it turns out, he didn’t, as David Cochrane, over at politics.ie, has adroitly pointed out. It seems that Gallagher’s resignation from the National Executive of Fianna Fáil was only in January this year (p.ie has …

Sinn Fein pass Fianna Fail in Irish Times poll…

Mick Fealty on October 7, 2011, 7:25 am | Readers 3

Here’s the real reason Martin is running in the race for the Aras. Given Labour, FF and SF are so bunched, the lead is probably more psychological than real, but… When people were asked who they would vote for if a general election were to be held tomorrow, the figures for party support – when undecided voters are excluded – compared with the last Irish Times poll on July 20th were: Fine Gael, 35 per cent (down three points); Labour, …

Where is the Fianna Fail vote going in #Aras11?

Mick Fealty on October 5, 2011, 10:56 pm | Readers 2

This has just come up as an off topic conversation on another thread. Whilst the Red C poll gives a good idea of where the candidates where just before the campaign began, it does tell us where the core vote of each of the parties is going. Both Sinn Fein and Labour candidates were up on their parties poll showing, whilst Fine Gael was spectacularly down. But given none of the four other candidates are representatives of political parties, it …

“When you’re a political party you have to act like a political party…”

Pete Baker on September 19, 2011, 4:46 pm | Readers 2

Fianna Fáil may have their own problems at the moment but, before Sinn Féin showed its hand on the presential election, Fianna Fáil party leader Micheál Martin was telling some home truths about the performance of the Northern Ireland Executive. The former Minister for Foreign Affairs said he had first hand experience of how poorly Sinn Fein had performed in the Northern Ireland Executive. He said: “Just look at Sinn Fein’s performance in government in Northern Ireland, it’s been pretty …

“Utter fucking chaos” (Fianna Fáil)

John Ó Néill on September 16, 2011, 2:07 pm | Readers 9

Those were the words used by one witness in describing last night’s six hour meeting of the Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members, as reported by Ivan Yates on Newstalk (comments are passim through the podcast, but check out Parts 3 and 4 in particular). The Oireachtas group were discussing policy regarding the Presidential election, which Fianna Fáil had already decided not to contest. It appeared that the party had already squeezed sufficient and significant negative mileage out of not contesting the Presidential election by trying to recruit Gay Byrne whilst …

No official Fianna Fáil candidate for Irish Presidential election

Pete Baker on August 31, 2011, 8:02 pm | Readers 2

As recommended by the party’s six member sub-committee on the issue, and with Gay Byrne not accepting the invite [and Micháel Ó Muircheartaigh? – Ed], Fianna Fáil have confirmed they will not be putting forward a candidate in this year’s Irish Presidential election. But they reserve the option to back someone else. [If anyone will accept that endorsement? – Ed] You might very well think that… In the Irish Times Harry McGee adds Speaking at a press conference after the …

Ó Muircheartaigh: “I never said I was interested in being a candidate”

Pete Baker on August 26, 2011, 3:44 pm | Readers 10

GAA commentator Micháel Ó Muircheartaigh echoes Gay Byrne in ruling himself out of the race for the Áras. From the Irish Times report Mr Ó Muircheartaigh last night announced that he would not be putting himself forward as a candidate but that he was honoured to be asked to run. Speaking this morning, Mr Ó Muircheartaigh (81) said he had been approached by members of a number of political parties – which he declined to name – but that he …

Fianna Fail’s dilemma: Damned if they do, damned if they don’t…

Mick Fealty on July 4, 2011, 9:38 am | Readers 2

NOT sure I believe that at this stage there is much to be gauged from opinion polls on the Irish Presidential election, but John Drennan’s write up on yesterday’s Sindo Poll, finishes with this intriguing remark: Meanwhile Fianna Fail’s plans to “tiptoe gently away” from the race are in serious danger of being scuppered by the belated entrance of Eamon O Cuiv into the frame. The grandson of the party’s founder Eamon de Valera has not formally requested the nomination …

“Ireland failed this test of prudent fiscal management.”

Pete Baker on March 1, 2011, 3:44 pm | Readers 3

As RTÉ reports, an independent review of the Department of Finance’s performance over the last ten years has found that the Irish government repeatedly ignored the Department’s “clear warnings on the risks of pro-cyclical fiscal action”. And that, “with very few exceptions”, the Irish government consistently implemented spending and tax relief policies “substantially above that advocated by the Department and Minister”. From the Independent Review Panel report’s summary [pdf file] 6. The Panel reviewed in detail the annual June Memoranda to Cabinet on Budget Strategy. Generally …

#GE11 Profile: Fianna Fail no longer an undisputed “Republican Party”…

Mick Fealty on February 27, 2011, 10:47 am | Readers 28

From a long term point of view, the big story of the election was what’s happened to Fianna Fail. Not so much a notice to quit as almost a notice to quit trading. Bertie’s seat bonus has gone (and may never return), and the core kicked them pretty hard and coming on the heel of too Local Government wipeouts, they have a nasty generational gap to bridge. Back in January, Liam Clarke rather ominously suggested that Fianna Fail may be …

In Ireland, the parish and the county matter more than ideology

Mick Fealty on February 21, 2011, 12:01 pm | Readers 11

Probably the sharpest comment on the latest polls comes from former Justice Minster Michael McDowell, when he notes that: The latest poll does not indicate any last-minute surge in support one way or the other. But of course, we haven’t reached the “last minute” yet. Labour appears to have come off worst in its scrap with Fine Gael and the “Gilmore for Taoiseach” posters are going to become collectors’ items — just as the famous 1969 Labour poster “The Seventies …

Ireland’s Problem: Getting and spending, we laid waste our powers…

Mick Fealty on February 18, 2011, 2:16 pm | Readers 4

Anglo Unfinished - Gavin Sheridan

I was struck by Chris Caldwell’s clever (if predictable) play on the second word in the title of Ireland’s traditional party of government in his article on how Fianna Fail is finished [just like the Canadian Tories, peut-être? – ed]. Not a bad summary of the electoral reality confronting many working class Fianna Fail voters: In the grand old days before the Irish real estate boom collapsed, the ruling Fianna Fáil party used to campaign the fun way. Infamously, the …

Is Fianna Fail the new Woolworths of Irish politics?

Mick Fealty on February 17, 2011, 10:01 am | Readers 52

It’s not published until 3rd March, but one book I recommend you place an advance order for from Slugger’s Bookstore is James Harkin’s Niche. Belfast émigré Harkin examines a number of stories from business, culture and politics and comes to a single insight: everywhere the broad middle is collapsing. He offers Woolworths as an iconic exemplar of how a broadly curated High Street offering failed when customers chose instead to draw from a range of highly segmented retail outlets: The big …