MINISTER OF State Conor Lenihan has said none of the senior Fianna Fáil figures frequently mentioned as future leaders of the party will replace Taoiseach Brian Cowen in a post-general election scenario.
Mr Lenihan said Fianna Fáil would overlook senior Ministers such as his brother Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and Minister for Tourism Mary Hanafin and opt for a leader from a younger generation.
“As far as I’m concerned, those three or four individuals who have been speculated about to being potential leaders of our party, if they want to be leaders, they’d want to tell us very quickly because there’s no point hinting at it and talking about it endlessly.”
“My view on it, for what it’s worth is that none of those four will be leader of Fianna Fáil after the election, that it will pass to younger people in the party who are out there, who are standing and who are prepared to put their names forward in this election.”
Speaking on Newstalk radio yesterday, Mr Lenihan said heaves were “dangerous” and he denied he had been “testing the waters” on behalf of his brother.
