Pre-election retirements cost party seats - Martin

FIANNA FÁIL:FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin said his party would have secured more seats if fewer TDs had announced their retirement ahead of the general election.

Politics, Mr Martin accepted, was a very difficult profession with a huge impact on TDs’ personal lives, and people were entitled to retire. “But that said there is no doubt that when some of your premiership players pull out of the team it does weaken you in terms of the subsequent games and in this case the elections in certain constituencies,” he added.

“I think there is no doubt that in certain areas we would’ve retained seats if people had stayed on.” Of the 38 deputies who did not seek re-election to the 31st Dáil for a variety of reasons, 23 came from Fianna Fáil.

Mr Martin also said either his deputy leader Mary Hanafin or Minister of State Barry Andrews should have “faced up” to the problem of having two Fianna Fáil candidates in the crowded Dún Laoghaire constituency.

“Six months ago, 12 months ago, one or the other should have faced up to that issue,” he said.

However, he acknowledged Ms Hanafin’s comment that a one-person Fianna Fáil ticket might not have yielded a different result for the party.

Asked if he regretted not being tougher about the number of candidates on the ticket, he said: “I was only four days elected leader before the election so one has to be realistic and particularly when you’ve outgoing TDs who are entitled to defend their seats”.

Mr Martin said he was very disappointed that the general election had ended with “the worst result the party has experienced since its foundation”. He added: “Obviously the tide went out for us in this election”.

However, speaking in Dublin yesterday he expressed determination to engage very proactively in a programme of renewal. He said he would be touring the country to meet members of the organisation in every constituency.

“We feel that the prospects are there in terms of recovering a lot of lost ground.”

Mr Martin said he recognised the enormous challenge ahead but was committed to his role as party leader over the next decade. He said his natural disposition was to be optimistic, “so I tend to look on the fact that this is also an opportunity for us to bring in young people, to bring in women, people who will be hungry, who want to progress and advance”.

Asked how the party would raise money in future, he said Fianna Fáil would draw on the membership of the party, having committed itself to support legislation banning corporate donations.

Mr Martin said Fianna Fáil secretary general Seán Dorgan had his full confidence, when asked about criticism of Mr Dorgan by outspoken national executive member Jerry Beades at the weekend.

Mr Martin described Mr Beades’s comments as unfair and regrettable. He described Mr Dorgan as an effective and strong general secretary.

“He will be staying on,” Mr Martin confirmed.

Speaking earlier, Mr Martin claimed he had received a lot of representations since he became leader from people asking Fianna Fáil to expand into Northern Ireland.

“It’s not an SDLP merger. It’s something we have to reflect on but it’s something that’s certainly up for consideration,” he told RTÉ Radio One.