Haughey quit threat fuels FF in-fighting
The disillusion within Fianna Fáil over the “astonishing” promotion of Mary Wallace was compounded yesterday when Sean Haughey went public for the first time to express his dismay at being passed over.
In a dignified but cutting interview with RTÉ, Mr Haughey revealed he had been led to believe for many weeks by people “close to the Taoiseach” that he would be chosen as Ivor Callely’s replacement.
He also said he would have to consider his future in the Dáil over his treatment.
Mr Ahern later moved to diffuse growing annoyance within his ranks by offering to meet the Dublin TD. His spokesperson said the long delays in filling the vacancy had stemmed from the row over the Fisheries Bill and the need to transfer Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher from the Department of Marine.
But Mr Haughey expressed “bafflement” at how he had been left to expect promotion by those close to the Taoiseach, only to be overlooked yet again.
He said he only discovered that Ms Wallace had been appointed at the 11th hour, when Chief Whip Tom Kitt phoned him after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.
Though Mr Haughey defended Mr Ahern’s right to choose his own ministers, his anger at being left swinging in the wind for nine weeks - with constant speculation linking his name to the job - struck home with party colleagues.
Many TDs contacted by the Irish Examiner - all of whom spoke privately - criticised the long delay and Mr Ahern’s failure to quell the hype about Mr Haughey’s chances.
Some close to Mr Ahern still predicted Mr Haughey would get the job on Tuesday morning - only hours before Mr Ahern named Ms Wallace.
One senior figure within the party said: “In the long run, it will do desperate damage to (Mr Ahern). Sean Haughey is a decent fellow with a good pedigree. It’s hard to understand where Mr Ahern is coming from on this.”
Another backbencher put it more bluntly: “The whole thing has upset people in a way that I haven’t seen them upset before. They are asking: Is that what’s in it for me? Is that the value we are held in as backbenchers? I think it’s despicable.”
Many TDs also queried the choice of Ms Wallace, saying her obvious lack of co-operation had been rewarded. Though she denied it this week, it was widely perceived that Ms Wallace had ‘boycotted’ the party after her demotion in 2002.
In what was seen as a swipe at Mr Ahern’s appointment of Ms Wallace to boost FF chances in Meath, Mr Haughey said: “There has to be more to politics than electoral advantage.
“If I’m likely to be in line for promotion in future I’ll stay, if I’m not I won’t.”
NEWLY appointed junior minister Mary Wallace participated in only half of all Dáil votes following her demotion in June 2002, a fact sure to irritate Fianna Fáil backbenchers already annoyed that a more “loyal” TD did not get the job.
Party whips would generally expect their TDs to participate in at least 80% of votes. However, analysis of Dáil records by the Irish Examiner yesterday indicated there were 580 votes between June 2002, when the Fianna Fáil-PD coalition returned to power, and the end of last year. Ms Wallace voted in 290 of these.
She voted mostly on Wednesdays, but did not participate in many important votes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Dáil’s other sitting days.
Ms Wallace was widely perceived to have “sulked” following the Taoiseach’s decision to demote her from the junior ministerial ranks in June 2002. It was reported at the time that she had chosen to boycott the Dáil. She has repeatedly denied this, insisting there was no boycott. She did accept in 2002, however, that she had an “issue” with the Taoiseach. She met with Mr Ahern on September 2 of that year, and, while she declined to divulge details, Ms Wallace told her local paper, the Meath Chronicle, both she and Mr Ahern were “very happy” with the outcome.
