Martin casts aside friendship and party loyalty

MICHEÁL MARTIN cast aside friendship and a lifetime of party loyalty to announce he no longer had confidence in Taoiseach Brian Cowen to lead Fianna Fáil.

When Mr Cowen tables a motion of confidence in his leadership at tomorrow’s parliamentary party meeting Mr Martin said he will be campaigning to defeat it.

He said he had been lobbied by senior figures within Fianna Fáil to make a move on Mr Cowen because the party may not survive an election fought under the Taoiseach.

“Last week a number of TDs and indeed some ministers came to me, called to me, articulating their concern about the situation regarding the party. These would have been TDs and people who would not normally or ordinarily be involved in articulating concerns about the Taoiseach in the past.”

After listening to the Taoiseach’s attempt to cling to power, when he appealed for the support of a majority of his TDs in a secret ballot, Mr Martin said he could no longer support his leader.

At a press conference in the Burlington Hotel, in which he took questions after a short statement, the foreign affairs minister said the heave had been prompted by a disillusionment within the party that it was doing nothing to prepare for the election.

“During the Christmas break — and indeed many people going through conventions had met many party workers and were extremely concerned at essentially the very low morale within the party around the country; the absence of any appearance of a campaign or an electoral machine in readiness.

“In particular, the number of resignations post-Christmas in a way that wasn’t managed at all. And, in a sense, an absence of direction,” he said.

Mr Martin confirmed that he approached Mr Cowen this day last week and told him he should step down. The pair had spoken a number of times since, including one final time before Mr Martin’s defection, but the Taoiseach rejected his offer to resign from cabinet.

During a 23-minute press conference Mr Martin said this was not an “old style heave” and he was not seeking the spoils of office. Instead, he argued that leading Fianna Fáil at this time would be one of the most difficult jobs in politics.

Mr Martin also denied his decision to express no confidence in the Taoiseach as head of Fianna Fáil yet opt to remain in cabinet was evidence of indecisiveness.