ANALYSIS:The Fianna Fáil leader has raised the profile of candidates from outside the Dáil by giving them prominent positions, writes HARRY McGEE
THE ANNOUNCEMENT of a new Fianna Fáil front bench is as strategic politically, in one sense, as the conductor revamping the strings section of the orchestra on the Titanic.
The party’s newly elected leader announced his team of 15 main spokesmen and women yesterday, plus six new positions to develop ideas for reform in politics, the financial sector and the public sector.
What was striking about the selection is that at least seven of the 20 who will stand in the election are more likely to lose their seats than to retain them. And there are very few of the remaining 13 who can say with any certainty that they will retain their seats. In a month’s time – understandable in the context of the collapse of the party’s support base – it is likely that Martin will have no choice but to redraw substantially his front bench.
There were two big talking points yesterday on Martin’s selection. The first was the return to frontbench politics of former minister for defence Willie O’Dea. The Limerick East deputy resigned after it emerged he made a sworn affidavit containing allegations that subsequently turned out not to be true.
Martin argued that O’Dea had paid a heavy financial and political price for his mistake, implying that he had served his time in the political sin bin and was now entitled to return to the pitch.
The Opposition parties will not share this view. O’Dea is an abrasive and effective communicator but his efficacy to Fianna Fáil over the next three weeks will be countered by his political opponents reminding him of his misbegotten comments about Sinn Féin’s Maurice Quinlivan.
The other surprise element of the announcement was Martin’s decision to bypass his own TDs to fill four of the positions. The senior front bench includes Senator Marc Mac Sharry, an election candidate in Sligo-North Leitrim. And for the other three positions, Martin went outside the Oireachtas entirely.
The party’s new legal adviser and spokesman on constitutional reform is barrister Jim O’Callaghan, a councillor on Dublin City Council who is not contesting the election. Another city councillor Mary Fitzpatrick, standing in Dublin Central, will be spokeswoman on housing.
Averil Power, who becomes the spokeswoman on political reform, is elected to no political office but is a candidate in Dublin North East. Why would Martin ignore the claims of up-and-coming TDs like Thomas Byrne and Margaret Conlon and parachute in party members from outside the Oireachtas? His explanation was not altogether convincing: “This is a new way of doing politics. There are many people outside political representation who can bring special expertise to the table.”
The more rational explanation is the short-term exigencies of the general election. There is an acceptance that the lifespan of this front bench will be less than a month. Martin, by giving such prominent roles to new candidates like Mac Sharry, Power and Fitzpatrick, has given them a high profile at the start of the campaign.
There were no surprises that the seven Ministers retained their portfolios nor that Mary Hanafin was named deputy leader. She is the right fit for such a role – female, experienced and based in the capital.
There was considerable speculation that the price she would pay for the promotion was a sideways move from the ultra-competitive Dún Laoghaire to Dublin South. But no such move materialised.
Indeed Martin strongly indicated that no pressure will be brought to bear on either Hanafin or new health spokesman Barry Andrews to move.
He cited strong attachments that TDs have to constituencies in urban areas.
He did not rule out one or two further interventions like the one that saw Noel O’Flynn step down in Cork North Central. But it is likely that the party will allow two candidates to stand in most constituencies, even when there is no guarantee it will retain even one seat.