‘There is no vacancy. I am leader of this party’

“THERE is no vacancy, no probationary period. I am the leader of this party.”

Those were the bullish words of Taoiseach Brian Cowen as he insisted there was no heave against him and he intended to stay as the democratically elected leader of Fianna Fáil.

“In relation to the internal party meeting which we had... there are issues which people are raising,” he said. “I said I would deal with those concerns on the basis of a one-to-one discussion with colleagues to assess what we believe to be in the best interests of the party in terms of preparation for the elections and going forward. My intentions are as I have stated them, but I am democratically elected. I listen to the democratic wishes of the party and I will assess those myself.”