Confidence vote will 'go to the wire', claims Martin

MINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has insisted the confidence vote in Taoiseach Brian Cowen as leader of Fianna Fáil will “go to the wire”.

Mr Martin last night told The Irish Timeshe had not solicited support from Cabinet members, although he had discussed the issue with a number of Ministers prior to this week.

“It’s very, very tight is my prediction. It’s very close to call. A lot of TDs holding their counsel to themselves, and it seems to me it’ll go to the wire,” he said.

Giving his assessment of the state of Fianna Fáil, Mr Martin said when he decided he would contest this year’s general election, “I just felt we’re dead at the moment, we’re down, the morale is low.” He added: “If I’m fighting a campaign I want to fight in a campaign with fire in the belly.”

He was then contacted by TDs, “people like Billy Kelleher, who normally wouldn’t be associated with something like this”, who told him the party was in a “very serious state” and expressing “despair and concern”. A “string of resignations” had had a demoralising impact, and did not seem to have been managed at all, he said.

“There comes a stage when you do have to say, okay, in the aftermath of this election people are going to ask ‘what did you do to try and change the situation and avoid a complete meltdown?’ ” he said.

“I’m not a person to sort of start leaning on other Cabinet Ministers. I’m clear in my own mind that I had to do what I had to do.”

Earlier yesterday, Mr Martin told the Pat Kenny Showthe "sniping" within Fianna Fáil over the past 10 months has had a "destabilising" effect on the party.

And he said with the party at 14 per cent in the opinion polls, there was an “absence of direction” in preparing for the upcoming general election.

He said he was aware of other members of the party who will not support the motion. Although to date no other senior Ministers have come out to support his position, Mr Martin also said some Cabinet Ministers have similar views.

Mr Martin said the net issue was about who can lead an “effective, organised and vibrant [election] campaign” and also rebuild the party.

“The writing was on the wall – even if the Greens hadn’t made their decision [to pull out of Government] – that we’re heading into very turbulent waters, therefore it would have made sense to prepare in a more co-ordinated way.”

Mr Martin said it was difficult to quantify what effect a new leader would have on the party, but it would “put fire in the belly of the organisation and would lift the party membership”, leading to a “far more vigorous [election] campaign”.

Mr Martin was bolstered yesterday by support from former Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea, Minister of State Billy Kelleher and Cork North West TD Michael Moynihan.

Mr O’Dea, who resigned last February said he could no longer support the Taoiseach.

“The overwhelming feedback is, that with Brian Cowen leading us into the election campaign there is an unacceptably high risk of electoral annihilation.” He said he was willing to gamble on a new leader.