Editorials

The Irish Times view on Fianna Fáil: a party in search of an identity

Micheál Martin benefits from the fact that internal malcontents remain a somewhat marginal and ideologically incoherent group

Despite his internal critics Micheál Martin’s leadership is probably the best thing the party has going for it. Photograph: Julien Behal/PA Wire

Fri Sep 10 2021 - 19:30

It is a decade since Fianna Fáil lost its status as the dominant political party in the State and it is still searching for a role in a changed Ireland. Although it did scrape back into power last year with Fine Gael and the Greens, no clear strategy for recovery has emerged to date. The annual gathering of the party's TDs and senators in Co Cavan this week provided a forum for those unhappy with the leadership of Taoiseach Micheál Martin to articulate their frustration but beyond that there was little evidence of a vision that can restore the party's fortunes. Of benefit to Martin is the fact that the vocal malcontents remain a somewhat marginal and ideologically incoherent group.

A report into the 2020 election disaster was published earlier in the week just in time for the Cavan think-in. It makes a number of obvious but important points about what went wrong. The management of the election campaign was one area where criticism was well deserved. The unimaginative election slogan and the failure of the manifesto to contain one big proposal to distinguish Fianna Fáil from the other parties were serious mistakes.

There was also criticism in the report of the party’s tendency to attack Sinn Féin rather than promoting a positive message. There was some validity in that, but given that Sinn Féin made no secret of its ambition to eat into the Fianna Fáil vote, a robust response of some kind was required.

One of the big issues identified in the report is the lack of a clear identity and that is something that needs to be addressed. A central aspect of the party’s identity over its history was its focus on the national question. Sinn Féin has now outflanked it on that issue, and Fianna Fáil needs to adjust to that fact of political life.

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Despite his internal critics, Martin's leadership is probably the best thing the party has going for it. He has grown into the role of Taoiseach and has held his nerve in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, the biggest challenge to face the country in decades. In contrast with Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, who is highly attentive to his own personal profile, Martin has shown a real commitment to the national interest and has not allowed himself to be overly distracted with the day to day controversies that dominate political life.

A big part of Fianna Fáil’s appeal down the years was the reputation it acquired for being able to run the country more efficiently than others. On Covid that quality has again been on display, by contrast to the Opposition which has offered opportunistic and contradictory solutions. If Fianna Fáil can approach other big issues, such as housing and health, with the same urgency, voters might ultimately be persuaded that it does have a continuing role in Irish political life. Worryingly for it, however, that requires progress on problems that have so far proved intractable.

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