Fianna Fáil is so far taking slowly its bid for a toe-hold in the North, writes DAN KEENAN
INDEPENDENT ASSEMBLY member Gerry McHugh from Fermanagh has said he joined Fianna Fáil “some time ago” following encouragement from party members in the county.
What he could not confirm was that he told Fianna Fáil head office at the time that he was an elected member at Stormont.
Stormont has not proved to be a seedbed for political Independents or smaller parties as had been the wish when it was established after Good Friday 1998. Assembly elections have seen the smaller parties suffer a hard time at the polls. Hospitals campaigner Dr Kieran Deeny was the only Independent member elected in 2007 – that was until Gerry McHugh quit Sinn Féin almost two years ago to the day.
One theory has it that McHugh opted for Fianna Fáil in order to save his political skin – an accusation opponents may have been preparing as part of a bid to discredit him in his native Fermanagh. But McHugh denied this yesterday, claiming that membership of Fianna Fáil had yet to be shown to be a political asset and could even be detrimental to an Independent trying to hold onto a seat.
Some SDLP sources say privately they expect Fianna Fáil to establish some form of Northern presence which will permit candidates standing under its banner to be nominated for Assembly elections in 2016 – obviously a key year for republicans of all hues.
Fianna Fáil may well treasure the all-Ireland credentials associated with a Stormont presence. However, the party yesterday dismissed notions that it was seeking elected office in Northern Ireland at this point.
The drive for participation in Northern politics and elections is currently in the hands of Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern. Assisted by Cavan Monaghan’s Brendan Smith, the Border TD undoubtedly has a feel for the sensitivities of the initiative.
New and enthusiastic Fianna Fáil members, particularly those associated with the thriving Queen’s University cumann (now equivalent in size to that in UCD) and the Our Time Is Now group, want the party to run in some capacity in the 2011 elections. However, it could well be that the party’s Ministers will opt for a more long-term strategy of evolution rather than revolution.