FF presidential play shows party has same old problems

AS A CORK man, Micheál Martin would have done well to remember a bit of Fianna Fáil’s local history in his recent handling of the party’s presidential strategy.

In the 2004 European elections, party headquarters ordered Brian Crowley to carve up Munster and seek first preference votes in Cork only, leaving Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford to running mate Gerry Collins.

Crowley was having none of it and publicly spoke out about the strategy.