FF TD blasts party’s ‘stroke politics’

FIANNA FÁIL’S decision on its last full day in power to appoint two of its own councillors to state boards was classic “stroke politics” and should never have happened, one of the party’s own TDs has said.

Michael McGrath has lambasted former ministers Mary Hanafin and Pat Carey for making the appointments, saying they were entirely wrong to do so.

“I think that those appointments were typical of the type of stroke politics that contributed to Fianna Fáil’s electoral disaster on February 25,” Mr McGrath said.

“The appointments really are a microcosm of everything that has been wrong with Fianna Fáil and the way the party practised politics during its 14 years in power.”

The Irish Examiner revealed yesterday that Ms Hanafin appointed Offaly councillor Danny Owens, a close friend of former Taoiseach Brian Cowen, to the board of the Sports Council on March 8.

It had previously been reported that Mr Carey appointed another Offaly councillor and friend of Mr Cowen, Peter Ormond, to the board of An Post the same day.

It was the Fianna Fáil administration’s last full day in power, as Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny was elected Taoiseach on March 9.

Mr McGrath said that while he was not questioning the suitability of the councillors for their respective roles, the timing and manner of the appointments was “deeply disappointing”.

Fianna Fáil were routed in the February 25 general election and Ms Hanafin and Mr Carey had lost their seats, he said.

They were therefore effectively caretaker ministers on March 8 and should not have been appointing party councillors to state positions. The appointments suggested the Fianna Fáil cabinet had learned nothing from the election defeat, Mr McGrath said.

“For two ministers who had already lost their Dáil seats to make important appointments to State boards on their final day in office, and for the beneficiaries to be clearly party people, is deeply disappointing,” he said.

“It sums up everything we need to get away from in Irish politics. The fact that Fianna Fáil saw fit to make these appointments in its last [full] day in office after being massacred by the electorate on February 25 is deeply disappointing to me and to many other young and progressive party members around the country who see this as precisely the type of stroke politics that we have to get away from as a party.

“If the Fianna Fáil party doesn’t learn that this type of politics is not acceptable, then I think the party may never see power again.

“We have to make a complete break from that type of politics.

“That isn’t in any way a reflection on the people appointed, who I’m sure are well qualified and suitable for the posts that they were appointed to.”