FIANNA FÁIL TDs and Senators have identified shortcomings in communications from senior Ministers including Taoiseach Brian Cowen, poor organisation and strategy and a controversial method of choosing candidates as the main reasons behind Fianna Fáil's "disastrous" results in the local and European elections, as well as the two Dublin byelections.
Some 36 members of the 93 parliamentary party members who attended Tuesday's meeting spoke during the 4½ hour postmortem on on what one TD described as an electoral "drubbing".
Many of the speakers concentrated on organisational and communications shortcomings, but there was also some criticism of the performance of Mr Cowen and of the Cabinet. The five TDs who were said by colleagues to be most critical of the leadership's performance during the meeting were: Tom Kitt; Noel Treacy; Noel O'Flynn, Beverly Flynn and Mattie McGrath, who was the only member who openly called for a Cabinet reshuffle.
Mr O'Flynn (Cork North Central) said yesterday that he told the meeting that if Fianna Fáil ignored the election result, it would be wiped out.
"I said I wanted to see a plan of action that will give us employment and reduce the burden on working people.
"I asked the Taoiseach to allow TDs and Senators who received the backlash at the doors to have an input in the programme for government review.
"It's only in recent days that Minister are saying that they need to communicate the message. I have been saying that since last October. I said I hoped that the Taoiseach and Government would take stock of the result and look at ways and means of communication with the public", he said.
Ms Flynn (Mayo) said the gist of her contribution was the party needed to acknowledge the election was an absolute disaster. Stressing that her criticism had been constructive, she said: "I feel that Brian Cowen has a lot of talent and a lot of ability, but he needs to communicate with our organisation and with the general public. When he does that at certain public meetings and in the Dáil, he is very good. We do not see enough of it. I would be happy to see him take the message to the public more. There are people who had good jobs who now have no jobs, who have cars repossessed, who have seen life savings swept away. We are not touching base with those people," she said.
Mr Kitt (Dublin South) said he told the meeting he wanted an overall review of the party at every level. He said the review included the leadership and stewardship of the party, but he qualified this by saying: "When we talk about leadership and stewardship, it refers to more than one person."
Mr Kitt said the party also needed to focus on Dublin and on the lack of cohesion between different levels of the party. Chris Andrews (Dublin South East) and Michael Mulcahy (Dublin South Central) were also critical of the party's approach to Dublin, which both described as posing massive political difficulties. Mr Andrews said: "At organisation level, there is a serious disconnect and I believe there's a need for a reshuffle within Mount Street. There's also a problem with delivering the message. We must make sure people become familiar with the Taoiseach. When they see him at close quarter, they are impressed, but it doesn't happen enough. He needs to go directly to the public," he said.
Mr Mulcahy also identified communication. "We have not got the message out there that yes, it is serious but we can show people the light at the end of the tunnel." John Cregan (Limerick West), considered a close friend of the Taoiseach's, told the meeting there was a need for a root and branch reform "from Mount Street to cumann level".