Micheál Martin – Page 2 – Slugger O'Toole

Fianna Fail-Could they bounce back at the next election?

David McCann on June 9, 2015, 6:29 pm | Readers 1265

Fianna Fail, the natural governing party of Ireland. One of the most successful parties in Europe, second only to the Swedish Social Democrats for both electoral success and length of time in power. All of this changed in 2011 as the party suffered a heavy defeat following three years of recession and austerity. With the exception of 2013, the party has polled at around 19-23% and in the local elections they won more councillors than any other party in the …

Fianna Fail’s future is the radical centre

Johnny Fallon on May 25, 2015, 9:40 pm | Readers 1551

Many voices are rushing to tell Fianna Fail what direction it needs to go. Mark Beegan is a Public Relations Consultant and Fianna Fáil activist. He specialises in political communication and media relations. He argues that simple ideological analysis is not enough and is not what Fianna Fail was ever about. Senator Power’s bombshell has brought forward a debate long needed in Irish politics. Where does Fianna Fáil stand and for whom? John McGuirk and Pat Leahy have both …

Martin on the Starmer report: “It’s time for Gerry Adams to own up and come clean…”

Mick Fealty on May 23, 2015, 7:53 am | Readers 2190

And whilst the SDLP gets tangled in all kinds of mess with welfare reform, Micheal Martin keeps up his one man Republican opposition to Sinn Fein on the Starmer report (copy via reader Jag) released yesterday… The report vindicates Mairia Cahill who bravely stood up to on-going abuse and spin by Sinn Féin. Consistent claims that the court case had found all suspects not guilty have been given their proper context by this report. The unacceptable delays and weakening of …

Is it possible that Fianna Fail has turned another one of those invisible corners?

Mick Fealty on April 30, 2015, 3:06 pm | Readers 1571

So averting gaze from the mesmerising polling of the UK election, and to the unfixed electoral politics of the Republic, here’s a constructive question. Is Fianna Fail on the rise again? Mad, eh? Well, Jody Corcoran does not have a completely unblemished track record when it comes to predicting the future. Still, the 1400 at the party’s selection meeting in Kerry is larger than several parties’ national conferences, and 800 turned up in Sligo last week. Specifically Jody notes that… …

Adams v Martin: Well that escalated quickly

David McCann on April 20, 2015, 2:17 pm | Readers 2702

This morning the Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin and the Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams went head to head over remarks made by Martin at the annual 1916 commemoration yesterday where he stated that Sinn Fein where unfit for democratic government. Here is the audio of the tense exchange between the two leaders Who got the better of whom in this exchange? David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on …

Adams: “Sinn Féin has not engaged in any cover-up of abuse at any level of this party.”

David McCann on October 25, 2014, 1:45 pm | Readers 1684

Speaking at a party candidate event earlier today in Belfast, Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD made another statement about the Cahill case; below are his remarks to members of his party The allegations of Maíria Cahill have been at the centre of the media and political system North and South, in recent times. Over the course of the past week Maíria Cahill has made serious allegations against myself and named Sinn Féin members. While I am very mindful of the …

Martin: “Sinn Fein is failing even the most basic standards of republicanism”

Mick Fealty on October 21, 2014, 11:00 am | Readers 892

Micheal Martin’s response to Gerry Adam’s blog statement is also worth replicating here more or less in full: “After instigating a vicious campaign of vilification against Mairia Cahill over the course of the last week, it is of course welcome that Gerry Adams has belatedly acknowledged that his organisation did carry out internal investigations of sexual abuse allegations. However, it is deeply disappointing that even as he abandons a key claim he fails to do the right thing by Ms Cahill. …

Mairia Cahill “I am appalled. Gerry knows the truth. He knows I know the truth.”

Mick Fealty on October 16, 2014, 9:43 pm | Readers 2770

So here’s a long response from Gerry Adams to the allegations on RTE’s News At One today, followed by Mairia Cahill’s criticism on Newstalk at lunchtime: listen to ‘Gerry Adams “more than economical with the truth” – Maíria Cahill’ on audioBoom The real meat of the day though was in a Press Conference at Leinster House following a meeting between Ms Cahill and Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail. The Irish Times reports: In response Ms Cahill said: “I am appalled. …

“We have a politics that treats people almost as infants to be sold policies rather than actively engaged…”

Mick Fealty on July 23, 2014, 11:14 am | Readers 483

Every year, the MacGill Summer School gives us under exercised political anoraks a moment to resolutely focus on Irish public affairs. Last night the subject was trust between the governors and the governed, a title none of the three speakers were particularly comfortable with. And it invoked some biting, cynical wit on Twitter… Don't miss my talk at Macgill, "Political Reform: The Politics of Reform, or The Reform of Politics?" — lɐƃɹǝℲ (@Fergal) July 22, 2014 There’s a wider sense …

Fianna Fail’s only MEP Brian Crowley jumps EP political groups…

Mick Fealty on June 23, 2014, 11:36 am | Readers 91

Oh, and here’s some more bad news for Micheal Martin (this time it is actually real bad news)… BREAKING: Fianna Fail MEP Brian Crowley is to leave ALDE + join the ECR, home of the British Tory MEPs, Danish Peoples’ Party + True Finns — Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) June 23, 2014 So, his only MEP has gone rogue and swung back to the right [with the British Tories? – Ed] to join the ECR group and leaving the much diminished …

Derek Mooney-Fianna Fáil and the long road to recovery.

Soapbox on May 19, 2014, 12:30 pm | Readers 73

Continuing on our series of articles of elections in the South, former Fianna Fail advisor Derek Mooney writes about the current campaign, Fianna Fail’s recovery and what it has to do next. While there are worse jobs in the world: the worst job in politics is certainly leader of the opposition. If he didn’t already know this, it is certain that Fianna Fáil’s leader Micheal Martin will know this in just over a week. The 2014 European and Local Election …

Fianna Fail in Northern Ireland: “We have to be very incremental: it isn’t going to be a big bang.”

Mick Fealty on February 18, 2014, 12:57 pm | Readers 216

Alex Kane has done a fascinating interview with Micheal Martin for the News Letter. He covers a lot more Northern Irish bases than he has before and makes it clear that his past interventions on policy are part of long slow iterative engagement with Northern Irish politics, which he hopes will grow into a separate challenge to the business as usual of the current status quo. Here’s some of the highlights: MM: What I would like to have seen is …

Micheal Martin: “For things to change in the North they require greater generosity and restraint”

Mick Fealty on February 5, 2014, 2:04 pm | Readers 69

Fascinating debate in the Dail right now. The Tainiste kicked off statements on the current situation in Northern Ireland by identifying three points he wants to see progress in: re-implementation of the Civic Forum; bringing forward the Bill Rightsl and the implimentation of an Irish language act. Here’s selections from Micheal Martin’s draft speech: On the rare occasions that Northern issues are now addressed in the Dáil by the Taoiseach we hear statements about how everything is in hand and …

Micheal Martin claims Sinn Fein’s cover up of sexual abuse goes beyond the Adams case

Mick Fealty on November 28, 2013, 3:06 pm | Readers 555

And on the day Liam Adams was sentenced to 16 years for the child rape of his daughter, and Gerry Adams odd insouciance on the matter of what he actually did in response to finding out over 20 years ago, this from Sinn Fein… Ms McDonald is furious (apparently) with Micheal Martin for claiming that: From information we have picked up, and we have talked to other people, this may have been a broader trend in the republican movement. Just …

Micheál Martin: “It is the lack of action on these points which feeds disillusionment and division”

Mick Fealty on August 15, 2013, 12:44 pm | Readers 52

Whilst the DUP and Sinn Fein continue to withdraw into their bunker mentalities, Micheál Martin was speaking at the Merriman School yesterday (the clar is here)… Institutions are in place. Meetings happen on schedule. Speeches about how well everyone is getting on, are delivered all the time. Yet there is absolutely no urgency or ambition. The process is becoming ever more concentrated on the elites, distracted by their partisan concerns and leading to a marked increase in public disillusionment. The focus has …

Micheál Martin “there is a grave danger that policing in the North will be compromised because of this activity”

Mick Fealty on May 17, 2013, 5:09 pm | Readers 53

I’ve alluded to this in a post earlier in the week, but the Oireachtas record gives Deputy Gerry Adams a voice not captured on the Dail video. The exchange between himself and the leader of Fianna Fail is very instructive, not least as we face into another summer of discontent… The relevant section begins with Mr Martin making a point he’s made before, only because of his interventions more forcefully and directly to one of the political parties he clearly …

Micheál Martin: Legacy of 1916 is to build rather than to divide the Irish nation…

Mick Fealty on April 21, 2013, 1:01 pm | Readers 101

Just out of embargo, here’s today’s speech from the Fianna Fail leader made just now at Arbour Hill church, where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were buried. The added emphases are mine: Every state should take time to commemorate and celebrate the people and events of their founding. This commemoration is organised by Fianna Fáil the Republican Party, but we come here as Irish men and women to fulfil our responsibilities to the great generation of 1916. After …

Micheal Martin: NI’s ‘establishment parties’ are failing the Belfast Agreement

Mick Fealty on February 28, 2013, 12:16 pm | Readers 92

So Micheal Martin’s speech last night, revisited with my own analysis appended. First the word cloud (kindly generated by John) of Micheal Martin’s speech has one word which stands far out above any other. And it’s Agreement. Not surprising perhaps since the speech was themed around the coming 15th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement. And, it seems, he came to Belfast not to bury, or even just to praise it, but remind his audience of young students at Queens last …

Micheál Martin in Belfast: “There is nothing inevitable about peace and progress”

Mick Fealty on February 27, 2013, 7:58 pm | Readers 96

This evening, Micheál Martin gave the following speech to Queens University Politics Society and Ógra Fianna Fáil in the Canada Room that was by all accounts was pretty packed to the gills. It’s long and detailed, and picks out some policy areas (not least north south development) where Martin argues there has been a shortfall by what passes in Northern Ireland for the ‘political establishment’. More detailed comment will follow tomorrow, but in the meantime, I’d appreciate your own thoughts: As we …

Micheál Martin – opportunism and cynicism of the very worst kind

Eoin O Broin on January 20, 2013, 10:48 am | Readers 82

The award for opportunist of the week must surely go to Micheál Martin. His hastily written opinion piece in Wednesdays Irish News was a timely reminder of Fianna Fáil’s cynical approach to both the peace process and to politics. For weeks Belfast city centre has been brought to a standstill by illegal loyalist blockades. Night after night the same protestors have returned to their own neighborhoods and engaged in running battles with the PSNI causing real disruption to their own …