Grassroots stalwart Ken Curtin quits Fianna Fáil
Ken Curtin, who was the party’s Cobh cumann secretary and Yes Equality Cork director, left a day after the departure of Senator Averil Power for the same reason, adding to the crisis within Fianna Fáil.
Speaking on Today with Sean O’Rourke, Mr Curtin said while “it’s not a single-issue resignation” the alleged lukewarm support the party gave to the referendum is behind the move.
While praising party leader Micheál Martin’s public calls for a yes vote, he said “an awful lot” of rural TDs and senators were deliberately “neutral” so as not to lose future general election support.
I've been crying a lot over last few days but today I'm crying having made a hugely tough decision to walk away from the party I loved
— Ken Curtin (@kencurtin) May 26, 2015
The grassroots campaigner said the reality was he “got more contact from the party locally and nationally about trying to organise a church collection than the referendum”.
Hitting out at the wider problems the row represents, he said after 20 years he has decided Fianna Fáil is “too broad a church for me” and that it was disheartening to organise events when his party was the only one which “didn’t turn up”.
I've lots of friends in @fiannafailparty & still believe in its potential but as of now voices like mine are lost in there unforutunately
— Ken Curtin (@kencurtin) May 26, 2015
Mr Curtin had flagged his decision to leave since the weekend on Twitter which, he said, led to one “Fianna Fáil staff member” telling him he was “one of thousands” and that “they won’t miss me if I’m gone, I’m only one of the foot soldiers”.
I wouldn't have stood by @fiannafailparty for so long if didn't mean a lot to me but comes a time to say enough us enough, now is that time
— Ken Curtin (@kencurtin) May 26, 2015
I tried to reform @fiannafailparty from within along with others, something others will continue to do but right now it's no longer for me
— Ken Curtin (@kencurtin) May 26, 2015
When asked about the second resignation during an unrelated launch yesterday, Fianna Fáil transport spokesman Timmy Dooley initially said “who” before Cork North Central TD and health spokesman Billy Kelleher said “any person that leaves is regrettable”.
Speaking on the same programme as Mr Curtin, councillors Sean Haughey and Deirdre Heaney hit out at Ms Power’s departure — despite the fact it improves their own chances of being on Fianna Fáil’s Dublin Bay North general election ticket.
When asked how he voted and whether he campaigned for a yes vote or stayed silent for personal election benefit — an issue Ms Power said is at the heart of the issue — Cllr Haughey said: “I felt I couldn’t canvass with conviction and wanted to listen to the arguments. I’m passionate about my country, but at the end of the day it’s a secret ballot. I want to be perfectly honest, I wanted the luxury of sitting back and listening.”
