TAOISEACH Brian Cowen told the Fianna Fáil ardchomhairle this week that he was unhappy with the party’s standing in opinion polls but this was the price of taking tough but necessary economic decisions.
Mr Cowen was speaking in his capacity as party president at a regular meeting of the ardchomhairle (national executive) of some 90 delegates in Leinster House on Thursday night. The executive meets in private every six to eight weeks and is the governing body of the party in between ardfheiseanna (national conferences). The Taoiseach chairs these meetings in his capacity as president.
A review of the organisation was commissioned by Mr Cowen when he became Taoiseach almost two years ago. On foot of this, a report was presented to the executive last April and, in the aftermath of the party’s poor performance in local elections last June, two further reports were commissioned.
These concerned the state of the Fianna Fáil organisation in cities. Former minister of state Chris Flood is heading a review of Fianna Fáil in Dublin city and county, and former justice minister Gerard Collins is looking at the party’s position in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
Mr Collins made a presentation of 15-20 minutes to Thursday night’s meeting. This was followed by a discussion lasting 45 minutes.
Welcoming Mr Collins’s report, Mr Cowen said a special meeting of the executive would be needed to discuss these matters.
Mr Collins and Mr Flood are due to make their final report and recommendations in the next month or so. Further reports are planned on the state of Fianna Fáil in towns and rural areas.
There were no journalists present, but sources from the meeting said Mr Cowen told delegates that “the Government of Fianna Fáil and the Green Party is proving that it has the capacity to take the necessary decisions, eg in the budget, in contrast with the Opposition parties”.
In an impromptu speech described by observers as “passionate” and “very, very strong”, Mr Cowen said he accepted these decisions were “very tough” and that “people are making sacrifices, including people in this room”.
“Nobody’s more unhappy than I am about the opinion polls,” sources quote him as saying. “Nobody’s happy where we are in the polls.” He stressed the “need to work hard between now and election day in two years’ time”.
“There is no other party or parties that would have taken the decisions we have taken. We are making progress, but it is going to be a hard slog to get to where we want to be.
“Do you think I’m happy being at 25 per cent [in the polls]? Are you joking? I am more conscious [of it] than anybody else,” the Taoiseach is reported as saying.
Sources also quote Mr Cowen as saying that the party structures were “not as sharp” as 10 to 12 years ago, and there was a “need for rejuvenation of the organisation from the ground up”.
He is also quoted as saying: “I don’t mind criticism: I was often damningly critical in the past and people in this room will remember that. I don’t mind any criticism but let it be [in] here.”
Some took this as a reference to recent critical remarks on RTÉ Radio by Jerry Beades, a member of the executive, although the Taoiseach did not mention anyone by name. There was a sharp disagreement between Mr Beades and Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey under “any other business”.
The meeting was mainly taken up with day-to-day party business. There was a “very long” discussion on financial matters, including a fundraising lottery the party is running. There was also a report from the youth wing, Ógra Fhianna Fáil, and from one of the councillors’ representatives on the executive.