RALLY:FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin has said he is determined to return his party to the core principles that guided it for decades after its foundation in 1926.
In a major speech to a Fianna Fáil rally in Co Meath, Mr Martin repeatedly evoked the traditions of the party and the achievements of its leading figures in the past, including Constance Markiewicz, Éamon de Valera, Seán Lemass, Donogh O’Malley, Frank Aiken and Jack Lynch.
He did not name his most recent predecessors – Brian Cowen, Bertie Ahern, Albert Reynolds or Charles J Haughey – in the course of the speech.
He told the rally at the Newgrange Hotel in Navan, attended by more than 300 people, that the party was at a crossroads and would need to be renewed and repositioned if it is to survive.
“Our work of renewal will not be easy and it will not happen overnight. We need to awaken our core principles and work to make those principles and the tradition that they arise from the heart of our party.”
He also defended the party against charges that its success in the past was based on manipulating the public. “We won the support of the people in the past because of what we achieved for this country,” he said.
Mr Martin referred to Fianna Fáil’s status as a republican party, saying its determination to unite Ireland remained undiminished.
However, he continued: “We must now find a new language and new methods to take the next steps in the journey. Our work in the North is not done . . . If you believe in unity for this island, then I appeal to you to join me in renewing Fianna Fáil,” he said.
He cited the party’s commitment to educational opportunity, to the Irish language, to rural communities, to the elderly and to the need for economic development.
He also said Fianna Fáil must be a party of equality and tolerance. “I choose to fight for a tradition which defends religious and civil freedoms. We are the party that helped Ireland keep the fascism of the 1930s away . . . bringing in a Constitution which entrenched democratic values and tolerance.
“We are the party which enacted equality legislation, supported the institutions of minority communities and recently gave recognition to the relationships of same-sex couples.” He also said he would aspire to rebuild Fianna Fáil so that it could reflect all sections of society, not divide them into “separate camps”.
“We showed that one party could build a common bond between small farmers, urban workers and a growing professional class. Alone of the parties, we have been organised in and represented every single community. As we are seeing more and more in recent weeks, others are content to target section groups in the pursuit of power.”
Mr Martin said his first test as leader was how Fianna Fáil campaigns in the general election. He said that was why he deliberately eschewed making any promises in the party manifesto other than those addressing the urgent challenges facing the country. He said the plan contained not one single new spending commitment.
“I know this approach is unconventional and it is a political risk. We have not been in a position to promise new things every day – and I decided that there would be none of the usual empty tactics which are all about gimmicks and nothing about tackling problems.
“There have been no fake billboard campaigns, no cardboard heads sticking out of cars and no manufactured outrage. We have left that to the others.”
He said that in the remaining days of the campaign he would fight for every vote and ever seat.
“We won’t lie down . . . We will make sure every person knows that today’s Fianna Fáil is committed to renewing its core values and to being the party that will again be the vehicle for social and economic advancement for the ordinary people of this country.”
