Folding up Fianna Fáil’s tent — and a political era

THE tent is coming down. And with that single move, Brian Cowen’s reputation as Taoiseach will inevitably go up.

Fianna Fáil’s annual fundraiser at the Galway Races had always been a source of controversy. Frequented by wealthy developers, who gladly forked out up to €4,000 for a table, the tent led to claims that Fianna Fáil was far too close to the construction industry.

That was hardly a new charge. Ever since the 1960s, when Fianna Fáil established the infamous “Taca” organisation to secure funds from wealthy businessmen, the party had faced accusations of aiding and abetting developers to build their bank balances. In return, the accusations went, the developers helped build Fianna Fáil’s bank balance. The party and developers were seen as being arm-in-arm long before Galway came round.