Louise Burne: Micheál Martin ruffling feathers in Fianna Fáil again

After Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s comments in the Dáil, some backbenchers were disappointed that he had not told them first. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

“What are they giving out about now?” a Fianna Fáil source in Government Buildings asked.

This query was in response to an Irish Examiner journalist noting that Fianna Fáil backbenchers were unhappy with Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Again.

This was on Monday, however. And the backbenchers’ unhappiness had not yet boiled above the surface.

On Tuesday, the Taoiseach told the Dáil chamber that he would vote in favour of Sinn Féin’s proposed legislation to remove the three-day “reflection period” for women accessing abortion services.

Once again, Martin was ruffling feathers in the party.

The party has had a difficult history with abortion, a history that has dogged many of its politicians in the intervening years.

In the lead-up to the 2018 abortion referendum, Martin, then leader of Fianna Fáil in opposition, was evasive on how he intended to vote.

This was until one Thursday afternoon in the Dáil, when he stood up and confirmed he would vote in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment.

He acknowledged that he had been against a “significant change in our abortion laws” and had been “broadly in favour of the law as enabled by the Eighth Amendment”.

“Those elected to this House carry a responsibility to find a balance between beliefs which should be made law and those which should guide his or her personal actions alone,” he said.

“We must each question how far we are willing to go to impose our personal beliefs on others.”

Martin went on to campaign for the Eighth Amendment to be repealed, with the referendum passing by 66.4%.

However, not all in Fianna Fáil were willing to follow their leader into battle. The infamous photo of 31 members of the parliamentary party holding “vote no” signs will forever be part of Irish political history.

Fianna Fáil members supporting a no vote ahead of the Eighth Amendment referendum in 2018. File picture

Many of those in the picture are still TDs: They include ministers Dara Calleary, Niamh Smyth, Mary Butler, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Jack Chambers, and Charlie McConalogue, as well as deputies Brendan Smith, Sean Fleming, Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, and Andrias Moynihan.

Ireland’s current EU Commissioner, Michael McGrath, is also in the snap.

In the last eight years, there have been some changes of heart, with Jack Chambers saying in May 2022 he had changed his stance.

However, this week has shown that Fianna Fáil is still a party deeply divided on the abortion issue.

After Martin’s comments in the Dáil, some backbenchers were disappointed that he had not told them first.

Ministers were taken aback, given that he did not tell them at that morning’s Cabinet meeting.

The matter was raised at the parliamentary party on Tuesday by Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, who said he felt Martin was trying to influence their votes.

Martin said he was asked a question, so he answered it.

But there was a feeling among some in the party that he should have advised them first.

Those on the more liberal side of the party, and even some of Martin’s staunchest critics, said they had little else to be complaining about.

Ahead of the vote, one TD suggested they reckoned Fianna Fáil TDs would vote three to one against the Sinn Féin bill.

And as the results showed, the divide in Fianna Fáil is not going anywhere quickly.

Neither, it would appear, is the Taoiseach’s ability to annoy members of his parliamentary party.

• Louise Burne is Political Correspondent.