A NUMBER of Fianna Fáil TDs have called on Taoiseach Brian Cowen to step down as leader of the party voluntarily in the wake of the controversy surrounding the botched Cabinet reshuffle.
Three prominent dissident backbenchers – Willie O’Dea, Conor Lenihan and Michael McGrath – yesterday separately said the Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil had been badly damaged by the circumstances surrounding Mr Cowen’s attempt to create and fill six vacancies in the Cabinet.
Mr McGrath, a constituency colleague in Cork South Central of leading dissident Micheál Martin, said the events that occurred on Thursday were an “absolute calamity and embarrassing to the party and the country”.
“I have come to the conclusion that it is in the best interest of the party that he leaves, that he vacates the leadership,” he said. He said he believed that view was shared by a majority of his parliamentary colleagues.
Mr O’Dea, a TD for Limerick East, said he was personally friendly with Mr Cowen, but that the party would face total catastrophe at the polls if he were to remain as leader. He said the reshuffle was seen by the public as a “grubby stroke” to “advance Fianna Fáil’s electoral interests”.
Mr O’Dea said it seemed that some who supported Mr Cowen had now changed their minds. He contended that those supporters needed to take the initiative.
“It is up to them to reverse the situation that they created by voting, in my view, the wrong way,” he said.
Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cuív said last night he would “not be in Cabinet if I didn’t think the Taoiseach was capable of doing the job”.
Mr Ó Cuív had earlier told reporters that he had “no comment” to make when asked if he had confidence in Mr Cowen. He later told The Irish Times last night that this should not be misconstrued as a lack of support.
While a number of TDs who said they had supported Mr Cowen told The Irish Times they no longer had confidence in him as leader following the debacle, none was prepared to say as much in public. One said he was one of several TDs who intended to contact Mr Cowen before the Dáil reconvenes on Tuesday.
There was little evidence yesterday of co-ordination or an attempt to gather the 18 signatures necessary to relaunch a motion of confidence.
A number of other Fianna Fáil TDs, while acknowledging the damage caused by the incident, declined to give a view, saying they were taking the weekend to reflect on Thursday’s events.
Kildare South TD Seán Ó Fearghail and Dublin North Central TD Noel Ahern yesterday indicated that they would continue to support Mr Cowen. Longford-Westmeath TD Mary O’Rourke said she believed it was now too late to change the leadership and it would be a futile act.
“It has been politically bewildering. It was almost an emotional experience for many of us that the whole thing could go so spectacularly wrong,” said Mr Ó Fearghail.
“Part of the criticism previously was he was not paying attention to reform. He saw an opportunity for a process of renewal to put some new focus on the party again. That’s why I felt some sympathy. This is how he felt he should do it,” he said.
Minister of State Conor Lenihan was another who called on Mr Cowen to resign. In several media appearances, Mr Lenihan said the party had been rocked to the core and Mr Cowen had not “a shred of credibility left”.