Martin’s bid to dictate FF’s Seanad candidate list foiled

FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin’s attempts to control the party’s Seanad candidates has been rebuffed by members.

Because Fianna Fáil’s fortunes are in decline, party strategists believe the most they can aim for is a dozen seats in the Seanad.

As a result, Mr Martin wanted to keep the number of candidates to around the same number and pick them himself.

But candidates do not need to rely on their own party for a nomination. They can also receive nominations from designated bodies which represent specified vocational interests.

The deadline for the provisional list of nominations by those bodies closed at midday yesterday and featured 21 Fianna Fáil names — a direct rebuff to Mr Martin, who will name his own list of preferred candidates next week.

Yesterday’s list included a number of outgoing senators, such as Terry Leyden and Mary White, who had bluntly told Mr Martin they would not be stepping aside in favour of younger candidates chosen by him.

But a spokesman for Mr Martin said the party leader had never intended telling the nominating bodies what to do. Instead, Mr Martin is seeking to influence the 218 Fianna Fáil councillors who, along with outgoing senators and new TDs, vote to elect 43 of the 60 senators.

“Micheál was clear from the beginning that it wouldn’t have been appropriate for him to seek to influence the external nominating bodies,” the spokesman said. “So it was free for anyone to engage with them and seek a nomination.

“What his strategy is based around is meeting with councillors around the country... and explaining to them his rationale.”

The spokesman said Mr Martin would publish next week “a list of his preferred candidates” — numbering between 12 and 14 — and ask the FF councillors to support them only.

It was unclear last night whether Cork councillor Kenneth O’Flynn — son of former Fianna Fáil TD Noel O’Flynn — would be among the preferred candidates.

He received a nomination from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry. His father agreed prior to the general election to retire as a TD to give running-mate Billy Kelleher a better chance of holding a seat.

But Kenneth O’Flynn said yesterday both his father and Micheál Martin had stressed at the time of that decision that there was “no deal struck”.