Gormley: Ahern 2012 exit plan news to me
As controversy continued to rage following the explosive tribunal revelation that Mr Ahern’s former partner, Celia Larkin, received a £30,000 “loan” from Fianna Fáil funds to buy a house, the Environment Minister again insisted he was not the Taoiseach’s moral “watchdog”. However, Mr Ahern’s strong indication that he planned to remain Taoiseach until just before his mandate ends in June 2012 appeared to surprise the leader of the junior coalition partner.
After one of his Green Oireachtas colleagues broke ranks and warned that Mr Ahern was in a “Tony Blair situation” — a reference to confusion over when he will stand down during this parliament — Mr Gormley refused to be drawn on whether the Greens would prefer to see him leave earlier rather than later.
