Fianna Fáil Cork East TD James O’Connor
Fianna Fáil backbencher James O’Connor has said Jim Gavin “should never have found himself on the ballot paper”.
In a lengthy statement on Tuesday, the Cork East TD said Mr Gavin was there due to “extensive pressure” put on Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators by party leader Micheál Martin and deputy leader Jack Chambers.
“They repeatedly phoned each member of the parliamentary party in the days before the selection convention on September 9th,” he said.
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“I regret the treatment bestowed on Mr Gavin and his family in the past two days. Elevating him one day and then throwing him under a bus the next has to be the most unceremonious dumping on a party candidate in modern Irish political history.”
Former Fianna Fáil minister and deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív said it was “highly unlikely” that Micheál Martin will lead the party into the next general election.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Ó Cuív said the Taoiseach had gone past the “natural sell-by date” of Fianna Fáil party leaders.
“Just on a statistical basis, except for the founding leader of Fianna Fáil, no Fianna Fáil leader has lasted as long as Micheál Martin,” he said. “There seems to be a natural sell-by date for leaders of Fianna Fáil.”
In relation to Jim Gavin’s abandoned candidacy, Mr Ó Cuív said the debacle had “significantly damaged” the party.
“It’s more about the process than the actuality of what happened,” he said. “I don’t think it was foreseeable that this issue would have arisen, but long before that I think it’s fair to say that Jim Gavin’s candidacy wasn’t going well. It goes back to a fatal flaw; this thing was rushed in the end.”
Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen
Barry Cowen has called for a “full and frank review” of the process through which the party decided on a candidate for the presidential election.
Mr Cowen told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that he had not been satisfied with the lack of transparency and structure in the process in the months leading up to the decision.
“There was little transparency or structure,” he said. “The leadership seemed to believe from the outset that no current or former Fianna Fáil TD or Minister, for example, could come forward and could win, so they looked outside. But there has to be a proper open and robust process.”
The Midlands-North-West MEP said he understood Mr Martin’s wish to “reach beyond the party base”, but in doing so he “may have lost sight of the talent and the experience already within Fianna Fáil and the benefits that would accrue as part of nominating from within”.
Fianna Fáil Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne
Malcolm Byrne expressed deep concern over Mr Gavin’s decision to end his presidential election campaign , calling it a “shock” and “disappointment” for the party.
Speaking on Morning Mix on South East Radio, the Wicklow-Wexford TD highlighted questions surrounding the former GAA manager’s failure to disclose the tenancy issue during the candidate vetting process.
He said senior party figures are accountable for the flawed vetting process and called for a thorough investigation.
