Ahern eyes presidency but FF TDs say it’s not a runner

BERTIE AHERN has expressed interest in running for president after months of speculation that he wanted the job, but many Fianna Fáil TDs are opposed to the idea.

One backbencher said he would be prepared to bet a year’s salary that the former taoiseach would not get the Fianna Fáil nomination, while another said the Dublin Central TD “hasn’t a notion” of being put forward as their candidate.

In an interview with a Polish national newspaper, Mr Ahern was asked if he was considering a “comeback” and responded: “I am thinking about this. Now, it’s only an idea, but I wonder about running for the presidential elections. Still, I have a lot of time to think about this, the election is not until 2011.”

Speaking to Rzeczpospolita daily newspaper, he accepted a number of mistakes leading up to the financial crisis.

“We were building too much; we believed there would be buyers of property forever.”

He also wished he had realised the importance of keeping tight control over financial institutions when he was taoiseach.

“If I had known this before 2008, Ireland wouldn’t have suffered. I can blame only myself,” he said.

But he later contradicted his own remarks, arguing he could not be responsible for the “banks’ wrong policy”.

He said: “My mistake was to put too much trust in what the financial people were doing. But who would suppose that people in such responsible positions of huge experience, committed such culpable mistakes and didn’t exercise self-control.”

The former taoiseach described himself as “one of the parents” of the Celtic Tiger. But when asked why his Government did not make more of an effort to save during the boom years he said: “From each side, from each politician, I heard constantly ‘spend, spend’ . I was criticised all the times that I spent too little.”

He said: “If I cut spending they would have|crucified me.”

Despite recognising his mistakes, Mr Ahern said he still wants to he president — something he has previously refused to rule out.

But a number of Fianna Fáil backbenchers last night said this was totally unrealistic. “It’s a combination of a number of things,” said one TD referring to recent controversy over a News of the World ad in which the former Taoiseach appeared in a cupboard and the financial mess left behind when he resigned from office.

Another TD said: “I’d be prepared to bet a year’s salary that Bertie Ahern will not be the candidate and it’s highly unlikely that he will even want to be.”

One TD said the main reason he is an unlikely candidate is that Ireland South MEP, Brian Crowley, would have a far higher chance of getting elected as a Fianna Fáil president.

Limerick West TD, Niall Collins, indicated that Mr Ahern should hand back his state car. Speaking to The Last Word on Today FM, he said: “I think there’s a reasonable case to be made for former taoisigh giving up having a car for life once they vacate office. I think you could look at a period of maybe two years after they vacate the office, that they could give up their cars. I think that’s fair”