McGuinness says he will make no further calls on Cowen to step down

FORMER MINISTER of State John McGuinness has said in the wake of yesterday’s Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting that he …

FORMER MINISTER of State John McGuinness has said in the wake of yesterday’s Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting that he will make no further calls on Brian Cowen to step down as Taoiseach.

The Carlow-Kilkenny TD, who had called on Mr Cowen to “consider his position”, told The Irish Times he would refrain from such comments in the future. “You can only do that once. I rolled the stone up the hill and it has rolled back down: that’s politics.”

The former junior minister for trade and commerce spoke for 28 minutes during the Fianna Fáil meeting at Leinster House which went on from 2.30pm to 5.05pm, and was brought to an end when a division bell rang for a Dáil vote.

“I told him I wanted to avail of the opportunity to say in the parliamentary party what I had said publicly. I acknowledged I was on my own,” he said afterwards.

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“I stood alone, which I expected,” he added, acknowledging that Mr Cowen “has the overwhelming support of the parliamentary party”.

Mr McGuinness went on in his speech to other issues such as the need to improve party structures and communications.

The meeting began with a speech from the Taoiseach, which some members present described as unusual since he generally waited until the end.

In an address lasting about 30 minutes, Mr Cowen said he wanted everyone in the party to work together, with the welfare of the country as their priority.

He said he was “proud to be Taoiseach”, and that each member of the parliamentary party was important to him and to the country.

He accepted there were problems, expressed unhappiness at the party’s standing in the opinion polls and acknowledged there had been a failure to communicate.

One deputy who was present said: “He lifted his head and looked us in the face and spoke humbly but with passion, and we said to ourselves, ‘thank God, this is the Brian Cowen we knew [before]’.”

Others who were present described Mr McGuinness’s criticism of the Taoiseach as indirect and low-key. “He did not directly challenge Brian Cowen,” one TD said.

Another said Mr McGuinness was being referred to by colleagues as “The Club of One”.

Another dissident, Mattie McGrath, was sharply criticised by Minister of State for Disability Issues and Mental Health John Moloney, who urged the Tipperary South TD to refrain from attacking the Taoiseach in the media.

Mr McGrath defended his actions, but expressed support for the Taoiseach while calling for the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, to be replaced, party sources said.

Addressing Mr McGuinness directly, Kildare South TD Seán Ó Fearghail, chairman of the Health Committee, said: “Ah sure, John, maybe you should be in the Cabinet.”

Mr McGuinness’s colleagues in Carlow-Kilkenny, M.J. Nolan and Bobby Aylward, expressed confidence in the Taoiseach, but conveyed the concern of their supporters that, despite securing 32,000 votes in the last general election, the party had no Minister in the constituency whereas the Green Party had a Minister of State.

Dublin South West TD Charlie O’Connor said a report on the state of the party organisation in Dublin prepared by former junior minister Chris Flood should be implemented in full.

“If there was an election tomorrow, we’d be wiped out in Dublin.”

Cork South Central deputy Michael McGrath said Fianna Fáil had done the “heavy lifting” on the economy and related matters.

“It would be nonsensical for the party to implode and allow the Opposition to come into power and benefit from decisions the Government had made.”

Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan briefly addressed the meeting on the Government’s latest fiscal measures, and was warmly applauded.