Ahern trades teflon for the whole truth
Last night’s clear statement of intent that the booting of Beverly Flynn from the Fianna Fáil party will happen next week continues a pattern.
Far from the normal kicking to touch of contentious issues, the Taoiseach’s performance in Dáil Éireann on Tuesday when he dealt with the Government’s handling of the Judge Brian Curtin affair was refreshingly direct and categorical.
Yet more importantly, yesterday morning there was no prevarication whatsoever when he openly admitted wrongdoing on the party of Noel Dempsey and Frank Fahey in using their departmental offices for party political gain.
No messing around or making lame excuses. Mr Ahern told Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny that he accepted the accusation that two of his ministers had transgressed and crossed the line. “The rules are drawn tight now and I will remind my colleagues about them,” he said.
The apparent turning over of a new leaf took the opposition entirely by surprise and the Taoiseach even had a wry smile on his face as he acknowledged his ministers had erred.
Sticking to the theme of ethics in elected office, Mr Ahern took uncharacteristically swift action in dealing with Beverly Flynn losing her Supreme Court appeal of her libel action against RTÉ.
Next week’s meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party promises to be an interesting affair. At the meeting on the third floor of Leinster House, the Taoiseach will himself propose a motion that the party whip be removed from Ms Flynn.
Putting his own name behind the proposal is a symbolically important gesture that he wants to be directly associated with the clean-up operation.
Going even further, a special meeting of the party’s ruling body, the FF Árd Comhairle, will be held at the end of next week to decide on a motion to expel Ms Flynn from the FF organisation entirely. Taking the lead from their party president, Fianna Fáil will wash its hands of the Flynn family in just a week.
Contrast this with the Taoiseach’s handling of the cases of Ray Burke, Liam Lawlor or even Charlie Haughey, where his lack of action was interpreted as his condoning of their misdemeanours.
IN FAIRNESS, the scene was set anyway by the Taoiseach’s outlining of the position back in February that Ms Flynn’s continued status in the party into the future was subject to the Supreme Court verdict. The Taoiseach was thereby obliged to move fast.
The catch-cries from the opposition of openness, integrity and accountability have been expanded upon in recent times.
The Taoiseach’s less than outstanding performance at the Mahon Tribunal was seized upon by opposition leaders as a sign that a leopard never changes its spots and this was the same old Bertie Ahern.
Just last weekend, Enda Kenny dedicated a sizeable chunk of his keynote address at the FG Árd Fheis to focus upon his merits as someone the public can trust.
Similarly, the recurring theme of Pat Rabbitte’s corresponding speech the week before was the Taoiseach not remembering anything, in reference to his lack of recall of a meeting with Tom Gilmartin and acknowledgement it could have taken place.
Yesterday the new Bertie Ahern was on display.
Summing up her reasons for voting against the party in 1999 when it called upon her father, Padraig Flynn, about the allegations made by Tom Gilmartin, Ms Flynn said: “A Flynn must support a Flynn.”
Obviously Bertie Ahern doesn’t share similar sentiments and the warning has gone out to Fianna Fáil that the times have changed and the Taoiseach is prepared to be judge, jury and executioner.
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