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FIANNA FÁIL TD Barry Cowen has called for a special meeting of the party following its “alarming” performance in the Dublin Bay South by-election.
Fianna Fáil’s candidate Deirdre Conroy secured less than 5% of the vote in Thursday’s election, prompting questions to be raised about Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s leadership of the party.
In an email to party colleagues, Cowen said the result is “both a shock and alarming but strangely not hugely surprising.”
The former Agriculture Minister called for a special in-person meeting to address the by-election and 2020 general election results.
“We are still awaiting the Fianna Fáil review of our dismal election of February 2020. I know it is considered better not to have an election post mortem too soon after the event but such a delay is simply inexplicable at this stage,” the Laois-Offaly TD said.
It is imperative that both that election and the latest bad result now comes under the microscope of the parliamentary party.
“I recognise by-elections offer opportunities for an electorate to send messages. It is good manners to respond to these messages.
“Our parliamentary party, its leadership and executive personnel of the party should meet during the summer to reflect, discuss and take on board these messages,” Cowen added.
I believe the electorate deserve a focused, cohesive Fianna Fáil party that is fit for purpose to serve as a republican party of the 21st century.
The Taoiseach sacked Cowen as a Cabinet minister last summer following controversy over a drink-driving incident from four-years previous.
Last January Cowen told the Sunday Independent he does not believe that Martin will lead Fianna Fáil into the next general election.
In the aftermath of yesterday’s result, Fianna Fáil’s Director of Elections, and prominent leadership contender, Jim O’Callaghan also raised questions about Martin’s leadership.
O’Callaghan was critical of the party’s policies on housing and when asked whether the Taoiseach should lead the party into the next general election if it takes place in 2024/25, he replied: “We’ll have to think about that.”
With reporting by Christina Finn
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FF are no longer relevant!
The electorate see them for the cha-ncers that they are,
MM would do anything to be Taoiseach,
Even sacrificing the party in the process!
@Niall Power: oh yeah can’t wait for Sinn Feinn to bring us back to the dark ages . Unfortunately the people who support Sinn Fein are the majority who pay little tax or none and believe everything should be free brigade .
@DB: this article is about the demise of Fianna Fáil not Sinn Fein,
Please keep up!
@Niall Power: Nail on the head. I’d say it broke his heart not to get to the White House for St.Patricks day too. The worst “leader” in the history of the state.
@Niall Power: the journal is the main vent and rant outlet for SF. So it’s ok every now and then for the centre right to defend their way of life, which is often work hard, pay too much tax so we can keep the welfare payments topped up and free houses popping up.
@DB: we’re in the dark ages
@kieran: I wonder who are currently giving out all the “freebies”. My observations tell me that to date FF, FG and Lab have given out all the “freebies” since the foundation of the state!
@DB: we can’t do whiteout the Farmers
@Darren Lambe: I think Brian Cowan was but he is second Leo third.
@Damien Leahy: you are
@DB: im a school teacher like all my family and wee pay tax !
@DB: “freebies”. I work full, went to college and have paid rent for years. I dont want a freebie, I want a secure affordable home that I can have a pet and hang a picture in, that wouldnt involve living with strangers.
Thats why Im now a SF voter, amazingly at the age of 18 in 2011 I voted FG.
If expecting working to provide the basics of a home is entitled then I have no problem taking that label. This is no country for young working people at all
@kieran: You really lose the argument before you start when you claim “the journal is the main vent and rant outlet for SF’. The Journal is unashamedly a pro FG and very pro Leo outlet. They gave Geoghegan top billing all-throughout the DBS campaign. When they done their main piece on who the candidates were Geoghegan was given approx 2 times more words than the FF candidate, approx 3 times more than the SF candidate and approx of 4 times more than Bacik.
I work in IT in Finance sector and I voted for SF in 2020 and to date I do not know of any free houses that popped up.
I was and am sick of my taxes been wasted by the Gov on things like the NCH fiasco, over the top salaries for heads of public bodies like the HSE, multiple new advisors to gov ministers in that 3 ring circus and the multiple pay rises they have received during a pandemic, while others are struggling. I actually would have no issue in paying some more taxes if that reflected in better public services for all, instead of lining the pockets of the usual suspects and the vested interests.
@Da Dell: Im a believer that the people who vote FG and hate SF are not rich, they are people over 45 who got lucky in the tiger or bought houses for nothing pre 1990s and have clue about the reality for young people. And as a result see anyone struggling for housing as a lay about
@DB: Conveniently you fail to mention the Billions that have been taken from the Irish economy and the Billions that still have to be repaid concerning the collapse of the economy by the gangsterism of the banks and developers facilated by F.F. / Greens . Ironically the Cartel are again in power with F.G. and you tell us people who pay little tax because they are on minimum wage are responsible. Sweet Jesus spoken like a true FFG propagandist.
@Niall Dunne: It seems to be the FG play book, they like to spin that SF supporters are ‘unwashed’, ‘uneducated’, ‘on the dole’ etc etc. This would of course be the complete opposite of results of the last GE as all that voted for SF could not be in those so-called categories. The tried the same in the DBS elections and it did not work from them.
Some say that FG never learn from mistakes, but the truth seem more like that the reason for this is that the are not actually mistakes on their part but actual ideology and policy. I think the Public are finally seeing through FG spin, since 2017 Housing has been on the ‘Top of their Agenda’ and it has got worse not better, if that has been a priority and it has gotten worse, how would that bode for anything else that they see as a priority ?. But most know now that ‘Housing’ is only a priority for them in Press Conferences but not it actual action. Vulture and Cuckoo Funds, the measures put in place and results of such are the evidence of that.
@Da Dell: I mean a lot of young SF voters are on the dole now. Because insecure zero hours jobs pay less then the PUP.
Although my cohort is ignored by everyone but SF. Those who earn too much for HAP or to buy or even rent alone but is deemed to earn enough for the higher rate of income tax
@Niall Dunne: On the ages thing you mentioned, I dont think its that simple, I think the FG core vote is mostly of the better off type.
I think that the over 45′s you mentioned unless they are very wealthy must be concerned about their own children future.
People close to or of retirement age must be also concerned about how they have been treated of last decade or so, also there should be huge concern about what happened in the Nursing Homes through the pandemics and especially in the beginning when so many lives were lost.
Also fyi I am closer to the half century than 45, yes I foolishly voted for FG once after the crash, but cannot see myself ever doing so again.
@Niall Dunne: Yes i agree that the younger have been more affected by the pandemic. We have had a few interns from UCC join our team during the pandemic. I think the future while will be tough for a while, but the possibilities are really something to look forward to, if these are an example of the caliber of the new young people coming into adulthood so to speak. I have been extremely impressed by the them.
@Da Dell: I graduated in 2014, and somehow things have felt bleeker and bleeker since then. I have zero hope at all for the future, zero expectations of a quality of life. It seems the only hope I have is an inheritance one day that can get me a home
@Niall Power: Fully agree,FF should of brought the game to SF and tried to form a government with them,SF would of said no but at least it would of shown something,they are going no where understand MM leadership.
@Niall Dunne: I am sorry to hear that and I can also agree with you, my nieces and nephews are in the same boat and I hope it will be better for me. When i said ” the possibilities are really something to look forward to’ I was talking about a possible future driven by those interns I have met. They are very political and had little interest in ‘Celebrity world’ type stuff and such if you get me . They were genuinely informed and know the realities etc .. I really hope they and their generation, like yours can create the change necessary for a better country for all and they can too.
@DB: it looks like SF are living rent feee in your mind: this is an article about FF ;)
@DB: well it isn’t the good times
@Daniel Roche: a Simon Coveney lead FG would bury FF in the next general election,
People are sick of the Leo and Mehaul show!
We will have two major parties FG and SF,
FF will scrabble for votes with Labour and the Greens.
@DB: play the ball not the man. FF with their coalition partners have been poor at handling the pandemic, are failing young people on the issue of housing and just created tax exemptions for cuckoo funds not 3 days ago the coalition has failed to fix the problem. The point is the other parties have failed. The onus is on SF to bring middle class people to support them by not being reckless in taxation and a house building program and giving young people affordable housing ( by giving I mean providing and acting as landlord) so they can properly start their lives.
@DB: Ye have some serious obsession with SF to say the least… Niall the original comment poster mentioned noting about SF, but you made you reply about SF… Very very strange mentality..
@Niall Dunne: something seriously wrong with your voting choice from the very start.. Always voted for fg and now a sf supporter.. Not really a consistent person… How do you jump from hard right (ish) to a pretend left wing party…?
@DB: Niall, Niall, Niall, if people actually believed that tripe you are spouting, FF would still be on top. Ever consider changing the approach?
@DB: What you say is very relevant and very true ,BUT We cannot ignore the fact that Mr. Martin has single handedly destroyed FF . A large number of that Parliamentary Party have ignored what has and is happening . The Real supporters of FF down the years have left in their droves over last 12 Months , and that is being ignored too. It is a doubtful case now if the Party can be Retrieved.
@Darren Lambe: he is brutal, but Enda Kenny still holds that title.
@John Martin: I hope you don’t teach English
@Niall Power: just a thought,ah FF are actually in power atm and the aforementioned Mr Martin is Taoiseach, now are we all up to speed?
@DB: what a sad minded person you are
@DB: stay with the subject for comment.
@DB: we have to be brought out of the Dark Ages, before we can be brought back there. Thanks to FFG
@Daniel Roche: its that sort of ignorance that has you FFG’s on the back foot now Danny boy. you need to stop believing your own petti propaganda and see that SF would have said yes.
It was FFG who said No. Now you people must live with that.
@Niall Dunne: where are SF going to borrow the money needed to keep this country at the level its at never mind the 10′s of billions needed to fulfil even half their promises.
They told everyone they’d burn the bondholders.
Tax those earning over 100,000 even more
So way good bye to every young doctor who qualifies in this country.
Tax the muntinationals, way at the 10s of thousands of jobs they provide.
Build houses who’s going to front the money? Who’s going to build?
Promising everybody everything and telling them they won’t have to pay fo it, are you surprised they are popular?
@Da Dell: read what I wrote….I didn’t say it’s pro SF, I said it’s the main vent/rant station. Read and comprehend.
One of Barry’s special meetings in the Dail bar and then all drive home ,or have lessons been learned ?
@James Delaney: Ouch.
Shocked by the terrible by-election result, Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen demands ‘urgent inquest’ into why he voted on Wednesday to give Vulture Funds tax breaks. https://t.co/DihFY7LbxK
Doesn’t matter now the majority of young people will be voting Sein Fein or Labour in the next election
It’s sure looking more and more like it. Ff are on the way out and with marrying fg in the last election they’ll drag them with them too. Although fg are doing a fantastic job of resigning themselves to the history books. Looking after their elitist friends over the past few years is doing them serious harm.
@Aido:
Labour?
After what they did while in Government?
I think a lot of traditional Labour voters will never vote for them again!
A win in a by election in a posh part of Dublin bears no relevance to the National picture.
Labour votes are mainly going to SF now!
@David Grey: you are probably right
@Aido: when their spending power will be taken away after 5yrs of a left government and perhaps a bailout having taken place they will be backing same parties as their parents.
Has Barry passed his driving test yet?
Any update on his complaint against the Gardaí and his drink driving case?
Mehole will have a view from the back benches shortly
MM should just leave FF, join FG and let FF try and recover
What may be best for FF, FG & Labour would be to get new leaders altogether.
Since Leo has become leader of FG, they have not won an election and the FG Party in general has had a downward trend, since the initial high from the protest vote against FF after the crash.
MM sold out his party twice now for his own personal ambitions.
Kelly carries to much baggage from Irish Water and last time Labour was in Gov with FG. Bacik was wise to keep him away from her campaign in DBS and it worked out well for her, maybe she can build on that and become leader of Labour.
@Da Dell: she’d deserve it! And lots of young -mid aged people could be swayed with her as a new leader
@Da Dell: I’d say Alan Kelly was out nearly every night with Ivana — no hiding away nonsense.
@Dermot Lacey: I dont know either way, but its the papers that were reporting that it was wise of her, but I cant find that now, so I may have picked it up wrong
@Dermot Lacey: Either ways he may have let the Fox into the hen-house.
@Gargle29: Ill be lampooned for saying this, but Id consider Labour & FF again if they had new leadership that could also change their party’s for the better.
@Dermot Lacey: ah hear don’t be casting aspersions
@Da Dell: feck off, its a 100 year old ideologies that has to change and not a few personnel at the top.
Da Dell, I took you for an intelligent person. You know well that a rotten structure cant be replaced by the introduction of a few new bricks.
Get a grip man!
The vultures are circling
@David Hammond:
Another ex Taoiseach needing full time security in the making. Can we not just nominate one and leave them in the ruddy job! Makes no difference really.
@David Hammond: the revenge card now being played by Cowan… despicable cowardice
@David Hammond: Your right, they are and buying up all the properties that their buddies have offered them on a plate with no tax liabilities.
I cant for the life of me figure out why FF wont change tact.
Im one of the reasons they will be dead. Im 28, a degree and a masters, worked non stop since graduation, rented in house shares with half my wages for years and now back living at home counting down to the resumption of Canadian working holiday visas to get out of here.
I will never have the chance to own a home in Dublin, where I am from and work in thanks to govt policy.
They refuse to bring in social housing and long term tenant protections.
Our society by and large still views not owning your own home as a personality flaw and a sign of being a failure.
I just cant live in Ireland anymore, its miserable, over working and tiring to be young here. 1 in 3 under 35s take some form of anti depressant, only 1 in 10 of the same cohert own a home.
We need radical change or life is simply not worth living here anymore for the young
@Niall Dunne: Come on mate, the radical change in mentality is needed to get rid of FF and FG, you guys have really short memory, them two been rooted in your identity throughout generations, your mummies and ladies, grannies and grandads shaped the political stage for generations.
@Niall Dunne: Well said
@Niall Dunne: Please don’t leave… Stay and use your vote to try and fix this. The winds of change are beginning to blow!!!!!
Trying to shut the door long after the horse has bolted. Shows just how out of touch these guys are. What’s most surprising is a third of the electorate still vote FG and want to keep younger generations from buying their own homes. This is our next major battle as a nation and SF will be key in that whether we like it or not. FF won’t be at the table though. MM made sure of that last year when he jumped into bed with FG. It was a fatal error and one the electorate won’t forget for decades.
@Declan Doherty: Unfortunately history has shown that the Irish electorate have very short memories. Well the ones that vote anyway…
Political opportunist that is Cowan and the rest of his party,an absolute shower of wastrels.
Heave Ho
Was Cowen sober when he called for the review, he has little or no credibility having been caught misleading or even downright lying….one wonders did o callaghan decide to be the worst election agent for FF deliberately… coz if that was his best performance, god help FF if he ever became leader
Hopefully FF have had their day and will be consigned to the rubbish heap very soon. They have become irrelevant and only have themselves to blame. Good riddance
Fianna fail on the verge of a heave against the taoiseach.led by Jim o Callaghan and cowen
@hawk: It looks that way but who would take over ? Despite being a dismal Taoiseach, Martin isn’t actually the problem here. FF are being punished for going into government with FG and the only way to fix that is to take down the government. We’ve seen them fall for less.
Bye bye fianna fail
Fianna Fáil never apologized or took responsibility for the way they selfishly governed the country into a property bust and painful economic meltdown. And there’s plenty of evidence to suggest they haven’t learned. They don’t get that half of the country still despises their name and brand of leadership.
Wonder would the u turn concerning the vulture companies have anything to do with the dismal performance of F.F. If u turns were an Olympic sport Martin and F.F. would be bankers for a gold medal..Forgive the pun about bankers .As the part time Taoisach Martin stated there was no bailout of the banks. Memory loss among F.F. TDs must be contagious.
That he thinks it ‘alarming’ just proves further the ever widening disconnect.
FF are a disaster from Donnelly in health, O Brien in homelessness, Martin in vaccine wonderland. A rabble party with unqualified TD’s in every department. Disband this tripe now
@adrian j aungier: and bring in the busload of sf experts quickly to save us all!!! Hilarious…..
I personally think Tony is doing a great job as Taoiseach!
Michael Martin appears like a bunny in the headlights. Giving Tony H too much say. Govt need a strong leader. Time to live with Covid!
A person that is partly responsible for the demise of the party seeks meeting to discuss the demise of the party, in the hope of shifting the blame for it’s demise onto someone else.
FF and FG are terrified of SF. Let me explain why. SF are the largest party in the North of Ireland and all the polls in the south show them as the most popular party with their margin growing. FF popularity is getting less and less. FG are just about holding their percentage. The govt in Westminster wants to drop Northern Ireland ASAP. Sammy Wilson went to ask the PM a question last week and before he could finish the PM had walked out. If there is a United Ireland then both FF and FG are on the back benches with no say in anything anymore. All because of their handling of housing, young people, health and covid.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: give it a rest ffs
@Mary N. Cooke: if there is an election in the morning in Northern Ireland SF will first the first time ever hold the position of first minister. The vote of the unionists parties is fracturing UUP, DUP and TUV cannot come near SF in terms of percentage. A nationalist party have never held the position of first minister in NI. SF currently hold more seats than the DUP.
We also seen FF and FG talk about alliances and setting up parties in NI mending this is a real concern to them.
It’s not that alarming a result. They entered a complete header into the race.
He has actually done a u turn, cancelled the meeting and gone slugging pints instead!
It’s clear that the only reasonable alternative to FFG is Sinn Fein propped up by FF with Mary Lou at the helm. Give it 5 years and see if they can bring about the social and profound change required in Health, Housing and Environment. There are a half dozen excellent SF deputies who could step up to the mark in the senior positions. FF are gone as a single governing party and Jim O’ Callaghan will be their next leader in less than 6 months . I believe that Sinn Fein if given a chance could govern for the people and not just for big business. Like in all things, there is a balance of course to be maintained and that’s where they will be judged.
@Brendan O’ Gorman: SF will have to convince the middle class that they are safe hands. Rabble rousing may be enough for their core voters, but any talk about big spending makes people wonder where the money will come from.
@Brendan O’ Gorman: Give it 5 months and see where we will be…….disastrous plan as they really havn’t a notion!!
@Zmeevo Libe: Big spending? Like the childrens hospital? Dail printer? Etc
National debt during celtic tiger: €25bn
Irish taxpayers paying for others gambling losses: €64bn
National debt before covid: €200bn+ with 14 million per day of taxpayers money on interest alone.
Will we say another 50bn for covid? Pup etc.
Surely SF can’t do worse, but they may not be any better due to this poison chalice.
MM was intending to ignore this result you could tell from his response in a media interview after result saying government’s don’t do well in by elections. Well the point is they get more than 4.8%.
As usual notthing matters but self preservation. We have been screaming for months he’s a bad leader and its only now they get up In arms. Politics is utterly broken.
Fianna Fáil will be led into the next election by their leader Leo Varadkar.
When Michael Martin and his cohorts implement medical apartheid and a two tier society it will be the end of Fianna Fail and it will effect the other parties behind this blatant unconstitutional discrimination.
@Stephen Grehan: its spot on!!
The republican party!!??, they were never that anyway; the party was set up on a lie and corruption and never libed up to their slogans. Like all chancers, they got found out.
A disgruntled lad without much of an idea as to how a modern party might exist in this time.
Bring back Bertie !
@Barry Teehan: one thing for him, it was the last time in this country the working man could get on by putting in a days work
@Niall Dunne: Ah lads, don’t be goin’ all rose tinted on us now. Bertie was the start of where we’ve been, are and will be for a very long time to come.
It’s this back stabbing that has them doomed. They half that understand they’re screwed being shouted down by the half that can’t believe the world has moved on without them.
A merger with FG is their only chance at relevance but it may no longer be in FG’s interests.
This yoke is washed up he will never get elected again
Mehole is to busy tearing the country apart to be worried about Cowen.
IT WONT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO FF WHO THEIR LEADER IS.
A tryer, I’ll give him that
Another fianna fail clowen
Government party not winning a by election isn’t really alarming. Just once in 100 years has the Party in power won one. It’d be more alarming if they had won.
@Ronan McKeon: FF won 5%. Of course thats alarming to them. In 2007 they won 34%. Main difference? An entire generation locked out of home ownership in the 25 years since
Well said Well said
Oh please dissapear Barry Cowen. Unneeded and unwanted
IT WONT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO FF WHO THEIR LEADER IS. SINN FEIN HAVE TAKEN THEIR WORKING CLASS VOTE.
It the percentage of first preferences is the problem for FF.
Just don’t let him drive
It was an FG seat to lose, not sure what FF expected.
Maybe they’d understand what is happening if they remembered that they are supposed to be politicians….not regional managers for financial institutions.
I’m alarmed that they find it alarming. Have they all been asleep during the pandemic when almost the entire country didn’t want them in power? Oh wait! They weren’t asleep they just didn’t care about the general public at all.
Bog men like himself and Marc McSharry are one of the reasons why FF are losing support, the other is that their voter base are older, dying or dead.
I’m not sure if Sinn Fein support Multinationals like Apple as they must be the ones you mean who pay little or no tax.
Ff/Fg/Sf/labor, all the same for the public sector and the populace who never work and breed neer do wells, paid for by the hard working taxpayer
I never voted FF in my life. But Conroy was a very poor candidate. She was nervous in interviews and not on top of her brief. By far the weakest on the main candidates.
Barry Cowen : Its and Alarming Housing Result …. !!!
Fianna Fail: 4.6% of the electorate want them in power but they are still “in power”!
The only way to put citizens in power and in control of Housing for the benefit of citizens and not “others” is a Referendum.
https://www.change.org/p/irish-referendum-on-family-home-special-status
“Politics is the Art of Compromise” yet all we ever hear is NO to plans, not because they might work but because that party did not come up with the idea.
Look at the North of Ireland and see what a lack of compromise causes.
Are we in the south that much better.
Rather than say yes, government that’s a great idea or yes opposition that is a good idea.
Cant do that as it would make party A look weak and party B strong, so instead they attack each other. Look at me I am right, my party is right
Thats half the problem, their egos in thinking they are always right and theirs is the only solution to the problem.
Reading all the political brochures, sorry manifestos. Most of them had good ideas in them on different issues. But not on everything.
So no one party is right, could they listen to others and learn. Possibly but they wont. Cant be seen to give in, not even if it benefits the society. They must be seen as the party that fixed the problem.
How many parties have gone into government as a smaller partner and been destroyed in the next election or by-election. All of them.
Not many parties get larger from protest votes and when in power fail to deliver. Its easy complaining. We have not had it here but across the world Greece is the perfect example, they were terrible and the country has swung to the right again.
So careful what you wish for.
Cowen Brothers new Blockbuster!
“Mehole Fail”
Just do what you promised have not fulfilled much in the last 20 yrs would you agree Brian
Bye bye
Just take on board the basic facts!
1.Darragh O’Brien is a better Minister for Housing. Unfortunately 18 months of a pandamic , with Construction closed down for most of it has delayed the objective of building affordable houses.
2. FF have a track record in Republic for building affordable/Social Housing.
3. SF has no track record for same..look at Northern Ireland where they share power. ! Its in chaos.
4 Print media bias towards SF & FG is overwhelming especially in the Dublin South Election!
@anne: how is O’Brien a better housing minister? he had an oppertuntity to stop the bulk buying of 100% of apartment blocks by Imvestment funds and missed it.
Apartments used to be a stepping stone onto the housing ladder for many couples but that is gone now in Dublin.
Its a fatal error for me and makes him a bad housing minister.
@anne: a nice soundbite Anne, but like everyone else, I dont think believe it yourself!
Get all the spin doctors together@ tell us who to blame for failure
have your say