Martin faces battle over FF reform plan

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin faces a battle to push through reforms of the party structure at this weekend’s ard fheis with one of his frontbenchers among those opposing his plans.

Frontbench spokesman John Browne, a Wexford TD and former junior minister, says he will be voting against a motion to introduce the “one member, one vote” system which Mr Martin sees as key to rebuilding the party.

The spokesman on fisheries and the marine believes party members in his Wexford constituency will also reject the proposed changes, which would see each party member have an equal say in selecting candidates and deciding policy positions at conventions.

The switch to one member, one vote would do away with the current system in which each cumann has just three senior members, or delegates, who are entitled to vote at conventions.

The three often have a loyalty to the sitting TD, making it harder for new candidates to stand for Fianna Fáil in elections. They also tend to make it harder for new members to join the party.

Mr Martin believes the changes will attract new members and give more power to existing ones.

Mr Browne says he has been “against it from the start” because it will “impinge on smaller cumainn” which will no longer have equal power to bigger branches.

“I feel the present system meets the needs of the party,” said Mr Browne, who has not yet decided whether to make a speech against the changes at the ard fheis, which takes place in Dublin’s RDS on Friday and Saturday.

Mr Browne is the only TD to publicly oppose the changes but he believes others are being “cuter” in their approach.

Speaking to Raidió na Gaeltachta last week, Mr Martin said the proposed changes would give “power to each member of the party”.

Galway West TD and deputy leader, Éamon Ó Cuív, said that while each member has a democratic right to make up their own mind on the issue, the changes would make the party “much stronger”.

He admitted “some people are worried that somebody trying to get on in politics could get a lot of people to join, pay their membership fee and get them to attend conventions... I think that would be possible, but hard enough to do.”

On the other hand, he said, it will give a chance to people who are “genuinely active in the party to redouble their efforts to get more members in”.

A senior party source last night said the reaction from members to the proposed changes had been very positive, but added: “You can never take anything for granted.”