Europe row puts leadership of Martin into focus
Fresh from resigning as deputy leader over the issue, Éamon Ó Cuív withdrew his name as a candidate for the party’s vice-president post as he said he did not want the vote to become a focus for division.
As about 3,000 delegates gather in Dublin for the party’s first ard fheis since 2009, Mr Martin was desperate to regain the political initiative.
The public spat over Europe threatens to act as a lightning rod conductor for disillusion within the party, centred on Mr Martin’s leadership, which many consider to be lacklustre.
Mr Martin said he was ready for dissent at the ard fheis as the party needed an open debate about change.
Party heavyweight Willie O’Dea moved to calm nerves by claiming Fianna Fáil was united on Europe despite Mr Ó Cuív being told to step down as deputy leader because of his comments in favour of the no campaign unless financial sweeteners could be prised out of Brussels.
Mr O’Dea said a meeting of the FF parliamentary party had backed Mr Martin’s yes stance, and Mr Ó Cuív was still loyal.
“Mr Ó Cuív said he had no intention of joining any other political party, that he wasn’t contesting the vice-presidency because he felt it would turn into a referendum on the party’s position on Europe,” the Limerick TD and former defence minister said.
Mr O’Dea appeared to smooth the way for Mr Ó Cuív to return to the fold.
“They are the technical rules of the party but that doesn’t mean that Eamon Ó Cuív doesn’t have a big future to play in Fianna Fáil,” he told RTÉ.
Mr Ó Cuív vowed to stick to his guns on Europe, insisting the referendum was a “historic opportunity” to wring concessions out of the ECB.
“If you look at Lisbon, if you look at all the treaties the basis of Europe has always been that the commission proposes policy and then heads of state dispose of it.
“What we have seen in the last year — is two of the leaders of Europe — that is Angela Merkel and [Nicolas] Sarkozy — pre-empting the European council and proposing the policy and literally usurping the role of the commission. A Europe that operates on that basis will self-destruct.
“Unless we get a much better deal from Europe, unless the fundamental issues about the structures of Europe that have led us to the place we are in then I will vote no.”
Mr O’Dea said Ireland could not blackmail Europe over the referendum.
“There’s a fundamental difference here between a fiscal compact and an EU treaty proper. If this was an EU treaty proper it would require ratification by all 27 member states. Ireland would be the only country holding a referendum. That would put us in a very powerful bargaining position.”
Eamon Ó Cuív has been no stranger to controversy during his career, from coming out against the Nice Treaty to pledging to go to jail rather than pay the septic tank fee.
In between he clashed with Micheál Martin last summer over the FF leader’s cack-handed attempts to get Gay Byrne to run for the Áras, before withdrawing the party from the contest completely.
Mr Ó Cuív had made it clear he fancied following in his grandfather’s footsteps as head of state, but Mr Martin would not tip him the nod.
A long-running row over whether Dingle should be wiped off the map in favour of its Irish counterpart ended in messy compromise, and Mr Ó Cuív became the object of national ridicule during the IMF emergency intervention in Nov 2010 when he urged people to pray for Ireland.
— Shaun Connolly
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