Former environment minister Dick Roche, who was dropped by the Taoiseach from the new Cabinet, yesterday accused forces within Fianna Fáil of "negative briefing" against him during the general election campaign.
Mr Roche, who said he was "deeply disappointed" at his exclusion from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's senior Government team, told The Irish Timesa lot of journalists received briefings about him which were damaging.
Asked who in Fianna Fáil was briefing against him, he said: "I am not going to point the finger at anybody in particular."
There was one instance during the election campaign, he said, when a presenter on an RTÉ Radio One programme announced that Fianna Fáil headquarters had said that Mr Roche was not available to go on the programme.
"I was available is the short answer. I never have refused to take a phone call from any journalists. And I will ensure that every journalist will have my phone number so they can get to talk to me in my new job," said Mr Roche, who is to become a minister of state for European affairs.
Earlier on RTÉ radio, Mr Roche said: "During the election campaign I had a very hard time. There was some very negative briefing done at one stage and I suffered from that and I understand where it came from and I am not going to get involved. It's a matter for the memoirs."
He said he had no idea he was about to be dropped from cabinet and was told last Wednesday during a one-hour meeting with the Taoiseach. Asked was Mr Ahern "gentle about it", he said: "Oh Bertie is a very good friend of mine and has been for a long time. He is a very, very friendly and human man. He had to juggle a lot of issues. There is geography that has to come into it as well. I am only interested in politics."
Asked what he thought of the Greens holding the environment portfolio, he said: "I am very pleased. Not very pleased to be out of environment, but very pleased they are there."