TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen told Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators last night that the party required radical modernisation to make it “fit for purpose” for the 21st century.
At the first parliamentary party meeting after what he conceded was a poor election for his party, Mr Cowen referred to the manner in which Seán Lemass and Jack Lynch had reorganised and modernised the party during their terms as leader.
The marathon meeting, which lasted for four and a half hours, was attended by 93 TDs and Senators and was addressed by 36 speakers. Mr Cowen gave a brief address at the outset and a longer summing-up at the end, during which he also promised to meet TDs and Senators individually.
Speaking after the meeting Government Chief Whip Pat Carey said that Mr Cowen had acknowledged it was a difficult election and that there was a lot of anger out there. “We are down but not out and going to develop a party that is fit for purpose and that will be responsible for the needs of the next generation.
“He acknowledged that people like Lemass and Jack Lynch had realised the need to modernise the party during their time and he will spend the next weeks and months doing it with Fianna Fáil.”
In his address, Mr Cowen said that the Government’s term had three years to run. In that period it could recover from the poor results which saw it lose over 80 council seats, lose one European Parliament seat, and finish second behind Fine Gael in a national election for the first time.
The meeting, which began at 5.30pm, concluded just before 10pm. The meeting was interrupted for 20 minutes to allow TDs go back to the Dáil chamber after Fine Gael called for a quorum (necessitating the presence of 20 Government deputies) during the course of the debate on a motion of confidence in the Government.
According to those who attended the meeting, the mood was subdued and conciliatory. The only member of the parliamentary party who openly called for a Cabinet reshuffle was backbencher Mattie McGrath. The deputy for Tipperary South told the meeting that there was a need for new faces and also a complete reorientation of Government. He also said that the Government needed to admit that it had made mistakes.
Speaking in advance of the meeting six other deputies, many of them newly elected since 2007, also said that Mr Cowen’s first priority must be a reshuffle of the cabinet. However, all the TDs spoke on the condition of anonymity and did not repeat those sentiments openly at the meeting.
“We need a reshuffle urgently,” said one deputy. “There are at least three ministers there who have been there too long and are doing nothing. They are effectively bed-blockers. The Taoiseach needs to be bold and promote some of the newer and younger TDs.
“Brian [Cowen] also needs to get his act together. He needs a vast improvement in his performance.” The sentiment was shared by several other TDs who blamed poor communication, a lack of consistency and what one described as “basic blunders” for the poor election results.
The Green Party also held a parliamentary party meeting last night involving its six TDs and two Senators. A spokesman said that the meeting had decided to hold a series of regional meetings to obtain feedback from the party’s 1,900 members. A separate meeting is also to be arranged with the party’s councillors, former councillors and candidates. It is expected to be held within weeks.
Meanwhile, a former Fianna Fail director of elections has accused the partys Cabinet members of arrogance and of failing to listen to its foot soldiers ahead of the local elections. Seamus Kilgannon, a former member of the partys national executive was one of three Fianna Fáil councillors to lose a seat on Sligo County Council.