Taoiseach Micheál Martin has defended his position amid criticism from party colleagues over how the Government dealt with the fuel protests, reports Breaking News.
Martin said he does not “feel under threat” as leader of Fianna Fáil, as political tensions following the demonstrations continue, reports Breaking News.
Senior figures within the party have publicly criticised the Government’s response to the fuel protests and blockades after the three youngest Fianna Fáil TDs issued a letter expressing their “deep concern”.
Martin held a meeting with the three TDs on Wednesday night before travelling to Berlin for discussions with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, reports Breaking News.
When questioned about his leadership during his visit to Berlin, he said he does not “in any shape or form, feel under threat in that respect”.
He added: “I do acknowledge the extraordinary pressure on families and people across the country in terms of the rising oil prices as a result of the war in the Middle East, and Government was faced with a very significant dilemma last week in terms of vital critical infrastructure being blockaded,” reports Breaking News.
He said “no one anticipated the nature and scale of the protests”, adding that the Government had “an obligation” to bring an end to blockades at the country’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork.
Some Fianna Fáil members have previously raised concerns about a lack of collaboration and transparency between the parliamentary party and its leadership, reports Breaking News.
Following the sudden withdrawal of the party’s presidential candidate Jim Gavin three weeks before polling day, members said they were not sufficiently involved in the selection process.
Martin in particular faced criticism for backing Gavin, reports Breaking News.
On Thursday, party members continued to express dissatisfaction after hearing from constituents who were unhappy with how the Government handled the fuel protests.
Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow-Wexford Malcolm Byrne said the Taoiseach and some ministers could have demonstrated “more empathy” and “more understanding” in their comments about the protests last week, reports Breaking News.
“I think some of the tone in some of the language that was used last week didn’t help,” he told RTÉ Radio.
“I spoke to the Taoiseach, he totally gets it, and he understands the pain and pressure that people are facing,” reports Breaking News.
Byrne said concerns around the social contract raised by the three TDs need to be addressed and suggested a meeting should take place within the next two weeks to discuss the party’s future direction.
However, he added “it can never just be about a particular individual,” and said he would not support a motion of no confidence in Martin, reports Breaking News.
“I think the package that was certainly announced – and we’ve now seen three-quarters of a billion in terms of supports that were there – I think there was a concern that, from a Fianna Fáil perspective, we didn’t feel we had enough input into some of the discussion,” Byrne said.
“There’s times that I get really annoyed over the fact that I’m sent the statement ‘This is the Government statement, this is the message that you have to deliver’ and I don’t feel that I’ve had an input into it,” reports Breaking News.
John McGuinness, the Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny and a long-time critic of Martin, called for new leadership within the party.
He said he attended the fuel protests and met many individuals whose “backs were to the wall”, adding that party members were not given the opportunity to have “direct input” into how the situation was handled, reports Breaking News.
“The finger of blame, if you like, is pointed fairly and squarely at the Cabinet, and those that represented the Cabinet in public discourse did not do so in a way that recognised the legitimate efforts of people at a local level to get their point across,” he told Newstalk radio.
“My blame is directed at the Cabinet generally in terms of how things happened. We have a separate issue in Fianna Fáil.
“We need new leadership, quite frankly, and we need a new direction focused on the social issues of our day and based on the old values of the Fianna Fáil party,” reports Breaking News.
On Wednesday, James O’Connor of Cork East, Albert Dolan of Galway East and Ryan O’Meara of Tipperary North said it should not require protests for the Government to “listen and to act”.
“We must face that reality that the social contract is strained to breaking point,” they said, while stressing it was not about “challenging any individual”, reports Breaking News.
Hours after their statement, former Fianna Fáil minister Willie O’Dea, the longest-serving current TD, and former Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl also raised concerns.
Ó Fearghaíl said he had observed public frustration building “for quite some time”, and that excluding measures on agri diesel from the Government’s initial €250 million support package during the fuel crisis “absolutely incensed” farming families, with the anger spreading widely, reports Breaking News.
He said there was “no cohesive” communication between the Government and the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, and that backbench TDs had been treated like “lobby fodder”.
He called for discussions on the party’s future leadership within the next two weeks, reports Breaking News.
O’Dea said being in Government is not about “explaining the Government’s problems to people”, but rather about “explaining the people’s problems to the Government” and ensuring action is taken.
“We seem to have lost the one virtue on which every democracy depends, namely the ability to hear anger before it turns into rebellion,” O’Dea said.
“I think we’ve taken our eye off the ball. The leadership, the party and the Government have become too detached from ordinary people,” reports Breaking News.
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