Micheál Martin's position under threat as Fianna Fáil TDs smell 'blood in the air'

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, right, speaks to former taoiseach Bertie Ahern after the funeral Mass for  Martin Mansergh at St Mary’s Church, Tipperary. Mr Mansergh, a senior civil servant at the Department of Foreign Affairs and a senior adviser to several taoisigh, died in Morocco on September 26. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Taoiseach Micheál Martin's hold on his Fianna Fáil parliamentary party is under threat, with TDs claiming there is "blood in the air" in the aftermath of Jim Gavin's sensational withdrawal from the presidential election.

Mr Gavin, backed by Mr Martin over party stalwart Billy Kelleher in last month's nomination vote, withdrew from the race in extraordinary circumstances late on Sunday, doing so amid claims that he had not repaid €3,300 paid in error by a former tenant. 

Mr Gavin had initially denied having any recollection of the incident, but public expenditure minister Jack Chambers said on Monday that Mr Gavin’s account of the rental dispute was “contradicted” by documents provided to the party by the tenant.

A Fianna Fáil spokesperson confirmed Mr Gavin told the party he was formerly a landlord during the internal vetting process.

The party said Mr Gavin denied ever having an issue with a former tenant during that process, a position supported by Mr Martin. 

Speaking on RTÉ's Six One News, Mr Martin said Mr Gavin was asked several times if he had any difficulties with tenants and was informed he did not.

He said: “What happens in a situation like this [is] you say to any candidate: ‘Is there anything in your life that we need to know? Is there anything that happened in the past?’

“Repeatedly, Jim was asked: ‘Had you ever any issue with a tenant.' He said: ‘Absolutely not.'"

Mr Martin added: “What happened here, there was an issue in his life back in and around 2009. He clearly did not deal with it at that time or since, and probably buried it somewhere in the recesses of his mind, and didn't deal with it.

“The consequences of that have now come home.”

'Calm the horses'

Within Fianna Fáil, parliamentary party members said Mr Martin's leadership has been weakened by the controversy. TDs said on Monday that Mr Martin had phoned them in a bid to "calm the horses", but one TD said there was a “scent of blood in the air” after Mr Gavin’s campaign collapsed.

“The Jim experiment was a shitshow from start to finish,” one TD said. “This is serious now in the sense that the grassroots are livid, the canvassers and [people are asking]: ‘Why didn’t we pick one of our own?’"

One TD said the party had been sold a “Jim dream” and told it would be “the right thing for the party in Dublin”.

“There's no anger with Jim at all,” they added.

One TD suggested that it is “50/50” whether Mr Martin will still be Taoiseach at Christmas.

“If I’m Jim O’Callaghan, I’m pulling the trigger this week. The boys will never be more vulnerable. There is stuff happening behind the scenes.”

One TD suggested that the Taoiseach “forced” Jim Gavin on them, adding that Mr Martin had “made a bollocks of it".

Fianna Fáil will hold a parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, at which meeting one TD said they hope people will “start being honest”. One TD suggested the “wrath of Micheál has weakened”.

When asked if they believe Mr Martin will ask the party to row in behind Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, one TD suggested there would be a revolt if he attempted to.

“If we are told to row in behind Heather, Micheál will get decapitated right there. Never mind losing his job,” they said.

'Poor judgement'

Cork South Central TD Séamus McGrath said there was “fundamentally poor judgement” shown by the selection of a candidate without any political experience.

“Before the rental property issue surfaced, his campaign was already in trouble. Many loyal Fianna Fáil supporters were not voting for him because they did not believe he had the required experience,” Mr McGrath said.

Another TD said he believes Mr Gavin lost his composure early in the campaign, saying he wondered “if his heart was in it” after the first debate.

“It’s a right mess,” they said.

Another parliamentary party member said “appalling judgement” was shown in Mr Gavin’s selection, while adding, even without the controversy over the rental payment, his campaign was “fucked anyway”.

However, one senior Fianna Fáil minister told the Irish Examiner that Mr Martin and Jack Chambers "both have enough political credit to get through this. However, that credit is seriously diminished by it."