BERTIE AHERN made an impassioned defence of his 11 years as taoiseach on announcing to his local Fianna Fáil cumann last night that he will not contest the next election.
Mr Ahern told the meeting of the O’Donovan Rossa Cumann in St Luke’s, Drumcondra, that the perceptions of “great failure” that now seemed to taint his period as taoiseach had to be put in the context of the great successes that occurred between 1997 and 2008.
“The truth is more complex and in time it will be viewed more dispassionately,” he said.
Mr Ahern said his decision to stand down as a TD after 33 years in Dáil Éireann was made as long ago as 2002.
In the course of a 3,000-word speech, Mr Ahern moved to distance his decision not to run from the controversy that has surrounded his tenure as taoiseach since the economic crisis began in 2008. Mr Ahern said it had always been his plan to step down in 2011.
“I made clear as long ago as 2002 that I would step down from Dáil Éireann before I was 60. This evening I have come here to say that remains my unalterable position,” he said.
“With an election due in the spring and my next birthday in September being my 60th, I want to confirm tonight that I will not be a candidate at the next general election,” he said.
Mr Ahern devoted a long passage of the speech to defending the policies and decisions made by his governments between 1997 and 2008 when he was taoiseach.
“I dearly wish there was no crisis. I realise that it would have been better if some things had been done differently. But I will not denigrate the good that has been done, or belittle the effort it took to achieve it,” he said.
He suggested that future judgment of his tenure as leader would be less harsh.
“It is not given to anyone in life who tries and tries again not to sometimes fail. Years of apparently great success then are apparently tainted by great failures now. But the truth is more complex and in time it will be viewed more dispassionately.
“The raw emotion of real shock means it is too soon to take stock.
“But when that stock is taken, when the 11 years I had the honour to be taoiseach are more coldly considered, the many positives will be put into the balance with the negatives. The perspective of what lasted and what was washed away will be clearer.”
Ireland was in the eye of a great economic storm. “People’s confidence has been knocked back. Plans for the future have been put on hold.
“Aspirations have been sundered. And for some, for those who have lost their jobs, there are truly difficult circumstances and really hard times.”
He contended the crisis had to be judged against “the sustainable and the lasting gains which Ireland has made. Yes, some gains have been lost, but in truth many remain,” he said.
“Ireland is not ‘banjaxed’. Ireland is not ‘an economic corpse’. Ireland is a country of real achievement and, yes, of real and pressing problems. The truth is that our country will recover. We will regain our stride and we will succeed in holding on to many of the gains we have made together,” he argued.
He said he believed that conditions would improve. “Now and out of necessity, we are forced to step backwards after years of unprecedented progress. But the race is not over, the context is not lost, the future is still ours to win,” he told the cumann.
Mr Ahern said that this week marked the 40th anniversary of his membership of Fianna Fáil, having attended his first meeting in January 1971 at the age of 19.
“I did not know it then, but that was one of the defining moments of my life,” he said. He added that the O’Donovan Rossa Cumann had remained his political home “through the long years and tumultuous events since [then]”.
“It has been an incredible journey and an extraordinary privilege to represent the people of Drumcondra and Dublin Central for over 30 years,” he said.
His speech referred by name to many activists in the constituency, whom he said had encouraged him to become involved in politics.
“I learnt a fundamental lesson from those who had gone before me and from those who worked along with me in this cumann, that politics at its best is patriotism. Politics is about love of country and politics is about concern for one’s community,” he said.
Turning to the situation facing the State, he asserted that Ireland was beginning to regain ground. “If progress seems slow, it is sure. And it is surest of all because we are handing over our future to a rising generation of unsurpassed capacity and self-confidence,” he said.
He told the meeting that as a young man his motivation for standing for election in 1977 was to represent the people of the constituency and his greatest honour throughout his political life had been to represent them.
Mr Ahern said that becoming taoiseach, for any citizen, was the highest and the ultimate civic responsibility.
“It has been my great honour to have been entrusted for over a decade with the great responsibility of that office and of leading our country as taoiseach.
“To follow in the footsteps of de Valera and of Lemass has been the greatest privilege of my life.”
He also said that Irish people were, even in difficult times, staunch in their support. He listed achievements in the area of social protection, the peace process, health and economic improvement.
In relation to the Belfast agreement, he said: “Every single day, I thank God that I have lived to see peace fulfilled.”
“I am proud of what I have achieved in politics . . . If there must be recognition of where we went wrong, there has to be clarity about what we got right,” he said, saying that some of the criticism was deeply exaggerated and grossly unfair.
Mr Ahern concluded by saying it was “time to stand aside, to pass on the baton and allow others to continue the race”.
Cowen’s Tribute “the Consummate Politician Of Our Generation”
Statement by Taoiseach Brian Cowen
I want to pay tribute to Bertie Ahern today. His decision not to contest the next general election truly marks the end of an era.
He is without question the consummate politician of our generation in this country.
He is a person of rare ability and extraordinary talent.
He has an immense work ethic and he is a superb negotiator.
Bertie Ahern was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1977. He was already a senior member of the party when I was first elected to the Dáil. He has been a close colleague and a good friend of mine for many years.
I served alongside him in the governments of Albert Reynolds. I was honoured to be a member of each of Bertie Ahern’s cabinets and to serve as his deputy leader.
I will always admire him greatly for his leadership skills, his massive commitment and his brilliant political instincts, but also for his courtesy and kindness to colleagues.
I know, having followed in his footsteps, in serving in the Department of Labour, the Department of Finance and most recently in the office of Taoiseach, how highly regarded he was throughout the public service for his dedication to his duties and his abilities.
As a political leader, Bertie Ahern was an electoral phenomenon. He was the first Irish leader to win three successive general elections since de Valera in the 1940s.
As taoiseach, Bertie Ahern had wide appeal and an extraordinary ability to connect with people. He also had a great ingenuity for politics and he was an innovative and brilliant strategist.
Bertie has given a lifetime to public service.
He was to the forefront of creating social partnership as minister for labour. As minister for finance, he guided Ireland successfully through the devaluation crisis.
As taoiseach, Bertie Ahern will always be associated with peace on our island. Building on the work of his predecessors, he was the joint architect of the Good Friday agreement.
His persistence, his skills and his commitment ensured that the agreement was implemented and built upon.
I want to thank Bertie for all of the work, effort and political acumen he brought to bear on the peace process.
He also deserves great credit for all the achievements during his term in office as party leader and taoiseach, and I believe his fellow countrymen and women will always hold him in high esteem, especially for that enduring work on the peace process.
Bertie has made an outstanding contribution to Irish public life and I wish him all the very best for the future.
