FIANNA FAIL:FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin has said neither Senator David Norris nor any other potential Independent candidate has made a formal approach to the party seeking its support in the nomination process.
Mr Martin said yesterday his party will take a “collective decision” on how it will treat approaches from candidates.
Speaking to reporters during the first day of his party’s two-day special parliamentary party meeting in Tallaght, Mr Martin said Fianna Fáil’s TDs and Senators had agreed they would approach the matter collectively.
That leaves it open for the party to nominate one candidate, or take a decision to allow all 33 TDs and Senators a free vote to nominate individual candidates.
Mr Martin said it could also mean that the party makes no decision until after nominations closed on September 27th and then decided to support one of the candidates already nominated.
He said he had no knowledge of David Norris approaching the party seeking to re-enter the race. It is known also that Dana and Justin Kilcullen of Trócaire have expressed interest but neither has made a formal approach to the party, he indicated.
Mr Martin said the presidency issue was not the party’s ultimate issue at the meeting which he said would focus primarily on the economy, unemployment, jobs and mortgage arrears.
Mr Martin said proposed radical changes to the way the party operates that will be put before its ardfheis in February. This means a change to a one-member one-vote, subscription fees and a possible ending of the 85-year cumann structure in Dublin. “The basic principle is that we must empower our members,” he said.
During the speech, he referred to the party offering a strong and “constructive” opposition, that it would support the Government when it believed its strategy was correct. He contrasted that with the opposition being provided by Sinn Féin and the technical group, both of which he said were taking the route of total opposition.
“They will oppose every measure which might be unpopular pretending that we live in a world where there is an easy answer to every problem.
“This approach lets the Government off the hook because it ignores reality and lets policies through without proper scrutiny.
“They may well get short-term hits in, but it the long term it will lead them nowhere.”
Mr Martin sharpened his criticism of the Coalition in his speech. He was particularly critical of the “jobs budget”, which he said was “political manoeuvring” that would wear out the public’s patience and “actually cost jobs”.