VIEW FROM THE BACKBENCHES:THERE WAS overwhelming support for Brian Cowen as the next leader of Fianna Fáil from backbenchers who expressed a public preference yesterday.
A succession of Fianna Fáil TDs yesterday said they support Mr Cowen as leader. Significantly, no parliamentarian expressed any reservation about the Tánaiste or gave public backing to any other candidate. That suggested that Mr Cowen will be chosen as the next leader with the unanimous backing of the party TDs, as Bertie Ahern was when he became leader in 1994.
Among the TDs who have indicated support for Mr Cowen are Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West); Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West); John Cregan (Limerick West); Mary O'Rourke (Longford-Westmeath): Peter Kelly (Longford-Westmeath); Margaret Conlon (Cavan-Monaghan); and Timmy Dooley (Clare).
Seán Fleming, a constituency colleague of Mr Cowen in Laois-Offaly, said that Brian Cowen would be a different leader to Bertie Ahern.
"Brian is more of a decision-maker; Bertie had more of a consensus style," he said. "There will be change of style. But that suits the change in mood," he said.
Michael McGrath (Cork South Central) also pledged his support. "I think that Brian Cowen is the most qualified and the most able and has the right experience to take on the job," he said.
Michael Fitzpatrick (Kildare North) also said he would be supporting Mr Cowen.
"Laois-Offaly is very close to us. He is a Leinster man and he has done a very good job as Minister for Finance and has been a good successor to Charlie McCreevy, who I was closely allied to," he said.
The other FF TD in that constituency, Áine Brady, said: "I think he is very articulate and capable. He is a very decisive politician who will make an excellent leader." She added that she did not expect a contest, rather a unanimous endorsement for Mr Cowen from the party's TDs.