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FORMER TÁNAISTE MARY Coughlan has said that a lot of people both inside and outside Fianna Fáil would like her to get back into politics, but has admitted she is not sure what she will do.
The former Fianna Fáil TD, who lost her Donegal South West seat in the 2011 general election, said that it is not a matter for her whether she runs in the next election, saying she is a great believer in whatever the party decides.
“I’d have a lot of people who’d like me to go back,” she told Today with Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ this morning. “A lot of people in my party and more so outside of the party.”
Coughlan said that current party leader Micheál Martin is “doing quite well considering he’s a very difficult job”.
In a wide-ranging interview on the fringes of the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Coughlan admitted that “a lot of people thought” she was out of her depth as Tánaiste during the tumultuous years of 2008 and 2011, but she insisted she worked hard.
Of the financial crisis and the final days of the Fianna Fáil government she said it was “a very tough time”.
“The tsunami that hit us was not on the radar at the time because if it was we would have been far more prepared,” she said.
Of the decision to issue a blanket bank guarantee in September 2008, Coughlan said the government had to take a decision because not doing so could have had more serious consequences.
“At the time we were left with no decision or a decision and we had to make a decision,” she said.
Coughlan said she didn’t think she would have much to tell the Oireachtas banking inquiry but added: “If I am asked to be there I’ll be there.”
She also said that the passing of her husband David in September 2012 had been “very tough” describing him as the “backbone of my career”.
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Sure nobody is to be going outside so it’s fine.
Stay in, watch some tv, read a book, stay warm.
The English is ur opening paragraph is really poor.
@Gina Carroll: People in glasshouses……
@Gina Carroll: I can’t see anything wrong with the English in the opening paragraph.
And by the way, you should really spell check your comments before you send them. Especially when criticising other people.
You have a great day now.
@Karl Lyons: In the heading there is no full stop after days.
In the first paragraph the first 3 words are all capitalised.
@Gina Carroll: It’s in English! Maybe you meant to say the grammar? Oh and it’s your not “UR” text talk makes me batty, the phones have predictive text, it couldn’t be simpler
@Melina Roberts: people are so picky on here!
@Melina Roberts: people are so picky on here!
@Gina Carroll: I tink its all spelt just fine
@Karl Lyons: I would have grave concerns over the use of the word “Especially” at the beginning of a sentence. It is certainly not acceptable in formal or academic writing. There should also be no space before a comma. The only ending punctuation mark that sometimes needs to be preceded by a space is a dash.
@David Connell: A heading doesn’t need a full stop as it’s a heading.
And the capitalisation at the start of a paragraph is to emphasise or signal the beginning of an article for the reader.
@Gina Carroll: lol! The irony.
@Kevin Arnold: You should look bit closer and you’ll see that there is no space before the comma. It just seems that way because of the letter y.
Hands up to my grammatical error with the word especially.
@David Connell: It’s a heading and fullstops don’t tend to be used in headings. The capitalization of the first 3 words tends to be a standard in many newspaper articles and book chapters if you ever pick them up.
@Gina Carroll: ur englush noot grate eithur.
@Melina Roberts: F All else to do !
@Gina Carroll: I agwee
Any chance the weathermen could give us some sun? What did we do to them?
I saw a UFO for 10 seconds this morning somebody said it was the Sun
Dublin got its fair share of rain this morning all the same.
have your say