Has leadership race in Fianna Fáil effectively begun?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance.
Jim O'Callaghan and Dara Kaliri have been mooted as possible candidates for any leadership race in Fianna Fáil and Micheál Martin appears to be holding fast to power right now. But talk about who will be the next leader has been rife since the party's poor performance in the recent by-elections. So has the race effectively begun? Well, Gerard Howland is a public affairs consultant and former senior political advisor, and he joins me now. We were talking about this earlier on Anton's programme, and I described it as a shadow race in Fianna Fáil. How would you describe it? Is it underway? Is it rumbling around there, Gerard?
Who are the potential candidates for leadership in Fianna Fáil?
It's not underway. There's a bit of rumbling. There's always a leadership race in every party in that somebody is looking at themselves in the mirror every morning and wondering, what about me? Positioning themselves vis-a-vis their colleagues and so on. But in real terms, is there any effective race on today? The answer is simply no. More money has been lost in bookie shops betting against Micheál Martin than I think can be calculated at this stage. It's very much his to give up when he chooses, barring an event or a mistake.
And do you think that is what will happen, that he will decide to leave rather than being pushed?
I don't know is the short answer. He has incredible stamina. I mean, he's been extraordinarily successful in managing a weak party a weak political hand himself in terms of keeping himself as leader since 2011, in getting himself back into the Taoiseach's office twice, in being really dominant in the ether of Fianna Fáil. But actually, he thrives in its weakness. His strength is its weakness because it is weak in terms of personnel, in terms of numbers, in terms of energy. He, as that very dominant force, is proportionately a bigger character, a bigger figure.
So what type of a person do you have to be who thrives on your party being on life support?
Has the leadership race in Fianna Fáil effectively begun?
People forget how bad things were back in 2011. I mean, the machine was very nearly switched off a couple of times and he has stayed in there, as you have said, since then. But what does that say about him as a leader?
His determination and stamina and grace is simply unprecedented. I mean, you could go back to Hawhey in 81, 82 and surviving the coups, but it was a much bigger machine. There was a lot more at stake. These were very lean times. And his determination to go on regardless make him a singular political figure. What he lacks, I would argue. is vision and imagination. And that's why, you know, we're talking about runners and riders in terms of the future leadership of Fianna Fáil. Perhaps the bigger issue is the relevance, because unless a future leader can address that issue of its relevance, I'm not sure it's really as important as we might
So redefining what Fianna Fáil is, because he did an interview with Gavin Riley on Virgin and he talked about being pro-enterprise. And I think there were some in Fianna Fáil who said, well, that's what Fianna Fáil is. So you can't, you know, you can't say that as your lead item on a description of Fianna Fáil. So you've got to redefine what the party is. Now, who is there amongst the runners and riders who may have a vision, do you think, for what the party should be?
I mean, I think there are people who are somewhat livelier, somewhat more animated, and I think particularly of Jim O'Callaghan or perhaps Dara Kaliri, whether what they have, that energy they have, amounts to a comprehensive vision, which they can articulate in government, which, by the way, is partially a disadvantage, because reimagining while you're in government... while you're pinned down hour by hour, day by day, dealing with all the issues that arise, to find a headspace, to find a political room, to take on a new position, a new stance, is actually much more difficult. But do either of them, yes, or anyone else in Fianna Fáil, has articulated something for the 21st century in which life as we live it and experience it is utterly changed.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:43
2
Who are the potential candidates for leadership in Fianna Fáil?
0:43–2:08
3
Has the leadership race in Fianna Fáil effectively begun?
2:08–5:23
4
What factors are influencing Micheál Martin's leadership position?
5:23–10:24
5
What qualities define a successful leader in Fianna Fáil?
10:24–11:49