Does it really matter if Gallagher is a de facto FF candidate? Yes, it does
So, let me get this straight. Having lived high on the hog during three successive terms in office, Fianna Fáil blithely sleepwalked the country into the biggest financial crisis in its history. Over 350,000 jobs, not to mention our economic sovereignty, have been lost after crippling austerity measures sucked over 20bn out of the economy — and there are still at least 7bn of cuts yet to come. Meanwhile, the cursed banks will cost us both an arm and a leg and whatever other limbs you happen to possess.
Quite understandably, given the calamity that befell the country while they were in office, the party was decimated during the last general election with support plummeting from a high of over 40% to just 17%. Now, however, just eight months later, all seems to be forgotten with the de facto Fianna Fáil candidate, incredibly, on course to win the election.
God, you’re forgiving. Now, of course, Mr Gallagher will tell you he’s not a Fianna Fáil candidate until he’s blue in the face but that’s about as credible as Bertie Ahern’s Mahon Tribunal testimony.
First, let’s address the letter he sent to his party colleagues in January this year in which he resigned his position as constituency delegate with the national executive. He initially said that he did this because he had not been “active” with the party since 2009 but his letter merely states that he no longer has the time to attend meetings because he’s so busy with his day job, motivational speaking.
Furthermore, that letter concluded with the following line: “I wish, however, continued support to you and your colleagues in this challenging period for the party.”
Nowhere does he say that he is resigning his party membership and if he was then why would he be offering his continued support? And why, according to an article in the Dundalk Argus in December 2010, had he been nominated by a number of local cumainn as a general election candidate just one month before he sent the letter? A follow-up article said the local party had been plunged into “electoral turmoil” because of Mr Gallagher’s surprise decision not to run.
Additionally, if, as he says, he had formally cut all ties with the party in January, then what was he doing launching the election campaigns of a number of his allegedly erstwhile party colleagues later in the year? In February he was in Co Mayo, where he launched the campaign of Dara Calleary, and later that month he travelled to Donegal where he launched Charlie McConalogue’s campaign.
Reporting on the latter’s launch, the Donegal Daily said: “Sean Gallagher… [thinks the] 33-year-old Fianna Fáil man can change politics and the political system for the better … he gave a full endorsement of Charlie McConalogue to a crowd of 300 people.” In fact, the party faithful was so buoyed up by Mr Gallagher’s motivational speech on the night that the Fianna Fáil Mayor of Castleblaney, David
Funchoen, was moved to tweet; “Sean Gallagher rallying the troops, the atmosphere is electric.”
So, having established that Mr Gallagher is, in fact, the Fianna Fáil candidate in everything but name, the next question that must is asked is, does it matter?
The answer is yes. After all the abuse this country has suffered at the hands of Fianna Fáil do we really want to send the message that everything is forgiven? Already? That all party members have to do is drop the name and the branding and we’ll happily forget their wanton destruction of the country and merrily vote them back into office? I know this is a predominantly Christian country but haven’t we turned the cheek one too many times when it comes to Fianna Fáil?
I’m not suggesting its party members should be permanently branded, or kept in 21st century leper colonies, but, in the interests of national self-preservation, can we at least keep them out of high office for the next generation — the time it will likely take for the country to recover.
Disregarding his party allegiance, questions also arise about Mr Gallagher’s personal suitability for the role. As far as I can see, his entire campaign is predicated on the notion that he is a successful entrepreneur and, by some kind of inexplicable process of osmosis, will use that entrepreneurial spirit to lift the country off the jagged rocks his party colleagues wrecked us on.
Fair enough but, according to the P60 that Mr Gallagher recently published, he earned a grand total of 12,133 last year while his company, Smarthomes, had accumulated losses of 543,000 in 2009 — which, by any estimation, would mean that his business is in some considerable difficulty. Of course, there’s no shame in that. Many businesses are but why tout yourself as a hugely successful businessman when you’d conceivably be in a better financial position working as a JobBridge intern?
Unless he has other income that is not listed in the P60 he released but, if that’s the case, then what was the point of releasing the document “in the interest of transparency” in the first instance?
Meanwhile, asked how he was going to create all of the jobs that he’s constantly referring to, Mr Gallagher said he wouldn’t be afraid to “sell” Ireland abroad and that, like any good salesman, all he needed was a “good product”. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather our President refrained from describing our country with terminology that can more commonly be found in an episode of Dragon’s Den when contestants are attempting to flog tat. Lest he forget, the job he’s applying for is head of state, not CEO. Perhaps Mr Gallagher would make a fine President — but of IBEC, not the country.
POLITICIANS of all hues have rightly been subjected to considerable opprobrium in recent years, and are hovering somewhere between head lice and charity chuggers in the popularity stakes but, to be fair, some of them have managed to achieve something during their years of public service.
They haven’t managed to sell themselves very well, because they’ve been too busy flinging dirt at each other like enraged chimpanzees, but David Norris single-handedly forced the State to decriminalise homosexuality, Michael D Higgins has an incredible record when it comes to human rights, Gay Mitchell played a pivotal role in reforming EU development aid, Martin McGuinness played an instrumental role in the Northern Ireland peace process, Mary Davis has done Trojan work for people with special needs and Dana, well, she won the Eurovision back in the ’70s — although, she’s been dining out on that one for a while.
If Presidential candidates were allowed hold anything as dangerous as opinions then, instead of the cloying banalities that have been foisted on us from all seven hopefuls during their interminable debates, we could at least have had a discussion about our aspirations for the country. And, dare I say it, a Presidential frontrunner with a distinctive personality, and an ability to address the country without resorting to business jargon and saccharine blarney, could have emerged.
Instead, it now appears that we’re going to revert to type and elect another snake oil salesman whose victory will be pounced on by Fianna Fáil as a sign that the electorate has turned a corner — long before the economy ever will.
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