Last general election ‘end of love affair’ with Irish public and FF

As a former member of Fianna Fáil, I was interested to observe the reaction of its leadership and grassroots members in the wake of the Mahon Report.

Feeling that I know the beast from its belly out, I was not surprised to see it morph into a creature very similar to the one the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference transforms into when it is in reply mode.

They have become more concerned about praising the institution rather than admitting any wrong doing, (the tokenistic expulsion of former bigwigs aside).

Amongst some members there is an almost paternal instinct that the Irish public should gracefully accept the ‘swift decisive action’ of its leader and be thankful they are ‘renewing’, so at some future juncture can rule over us as they feel is their birthright to do!

It appears to me that the majority of active Fianna Fáil members fail to recognise the last general election was the end of the love affair between it and the Irish public.

They were utterly rejected.

I will not deny that there was a brief window in the country’s history where Fianna Fáil was a great party, but this period is well and truly over. De Valera hung on too long, Seán Lemass came too late, and in 1977 Jack Lynch discovered “the euro dollar loan market and they mistook it for an oil find.”

After that we were subjected to Charvet Charlie and since then there has been a series of leaders who prostrated at the feet of ‘the Boss’ and lived by the adage “uno Duce, una voce” (as long as it was electorally expedient).

Mahon has just shown up the cracks that have always been there.

What will Fianna Fáil do? Probably nothing; it seems to be living in Plato’s cave with its back to the world, observing shadows from the outside world dancing on the walls and deciphering from this the best way to ‘go forward’.

I certainly would not hold my breath with regards to that.

Patrick Corkery

James Street

Cork City