Search Results for 'Fianna Fáil Party'

The Dermot Flanagan nomination debacle that upset the Fianna Fáil party in Mayo this week was due to be thrashed out at a Mayo Dáil Ceantair meeting in the Welcome Inn Hotel in Castlebar last night (Thursday). Mr Flanagan himself was due to appear at the meeting and personally explain how it was he had canvassed for four days in the county to garner support as a potential candidate for the party, following which he announced on Friday January 14 that he intended to seek a nomination, before suddenly withdrawing entirely from the campaign 48 hours later.

In the most momentous week of his political career, as he resigned from the Fianna Fáil party and declared his independent candidature for the forthcoming General Election, poll-topping local councillor Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran has gone to ground and become uncontactable.

Mayo Fianna Fail TD Beverley Cooper Flynn was due to announce last night (Thursday) that she will not be running for election in the upcoming 2011 general election as she has decided to quit national politics due to family reasons.

The much maligned Fianna Fáil ‘drink-in’ think-in held in Galway this week proved more memorable for what happened outside the confines of the Ardilaun Hotel than inside, concluding with An Taoiseach Brian Cowen becoming an international figure of ridicule.

A “dictator” is a head of state who exercises arbitrary authority over the lives of his citizens and who cannot be removed from power through legal means. Kim Jong-Il of North Korea, Than Shew of Burma and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe are all dictators. They rule not because they have the approval of their citizens but because they want to rule. Brian Cowen’s democratic credentials are becoming increasingly suspect in this regard. This is a worrying development because the Taoiseach should be committed to democracy by its definition and not just on his own terms.

“I might have appointed somebody but I appointed them because they were friends, not because of anything they had given me...”

I have received some correspondence over the last few months telling me that I am unbalanced in my column because I have an anti-Fianna Fail agenda. This would be one of the more moderate and considered communications. Others have not been quite so polite. To set the record straight here is my personal position.

Towards the end of the 19th century Colman Greene came from Carna to Galway to work, mostly as a fisherman. He married Julia McGrath from Newcastle and they opened a pub near the Spanish Arch. They also sold tea and sugar and candles, etc, often as provisions to boatmen going out to fish. They had trawlers and fishing boats of their own at the Claddagh, and were fish merchants also.

It’s typical of the media in this country - we pick an issue, focus on it, give it endless column inches and time on the airwaves, while other equally damning issues get swept under the carpet.

It’s been a busy few weeks. It was always going to heat up in the world of politics at some stage before the local elections, but I thought it might hold off until after Christmas, but recent events have ensured that this will not be the case.