Wounded Martin rounds on Ahern

FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin defended his running of the party as he turned fire on Bertie Ahern.

Stung by criticism of the way Fianna Fáil tried and failed to woo a celebrity presidential candidate in the shape of Gay Byrne, Mr Martin insisted he would push on with a “new style” of politics.

Mr Martin said he was right to offer the former chat show king his party’s nomination publicly as voters did not understand “old-style backdoor politics”.

“They understand simple things — is a person going to run or not?”

Mr Byrne’s rejection of Fianna Fáil backing for an Áras bid caused ructions in the party and saw MEP Brian Crowley announce he would not seek a presidential nomination.

Mr Martin denied that the party’s decision not to field a presidential candidate for the first time since the 1930s represented a personal defeat. The Cork TD insisted he had made a “strategic decision” to concentrate the party’s resources on the local elections in 2014.

Mr Martin also stepped up attacks on Mr Ahern following the ex-taoiseach’s dismissal of some party workers as a “useless bunch of good for nothings” in an upcoming TV3 documentary.

Asked about the €270,000 expenses bill Mr Ahern has presented to taxpayers, Mr Martin told Newstalk: “I think that it’s too high, that it should be reduced. In the present set of circumstances that was excessive.”

Mr Martin also claimed his general election pledge that ministers returned to the Dáil would waive their severance pay had never been meant to apply to junior ministers Billy Kelleher and Dara Calleary, as well as former defence minister Willie O’Dea — who have all now taken the payments.

Former Cork Fianna Fáil TD Noel O’Flynn, who was persuaded to stand down before the last general election, attacked Mr Martin’s style of leadership.

He said the party would not run a candidate for the presidency because it feared a backlash from the publication of the Mahon probe into alleged political corruption during the campaign.

Mr Martin also defended his controversial Seanad election strategy.

The leader said five of his 10 preferred candidates had been election to the upper house, taking the Fianna Fáil tally to 14 senators — slightly more than political pundits had predicted.