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FIANNA FÁIL LEADER Micheál Martin said his views on Bertie Ahern returning to the party haven’t changed.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of his party’s Ard Fheis in the RDS in Dublin this evening, Martin ruled out a return by Ahern.
The former taoiseach’s old cumann wants him to be given a distinguished services award by the party he led into government three times.
Martin called the letter issued by the cumann yesterday “a mischievous letter”, stating that those awards are for grassroots volunteers only.
He said they are for people who have given their service “loyally” to the party.
“Those of us, including Bertie, who have had the honour of serving the party in high office, that is our award. It is a great privilege to serve in office,” he added.
Last year, Martin made it clear that he did not anticipate Ahern coming back as a party member, despite reports Ahern had said he would be willing to rejoin if his local organisation approved.
At the time, Martin said his views had not changed since he moved to expel Ahern from the party following the report of the Mahon Tribunal. Ahern resigned in 2012.
Abortion
Over 4,000 Fianna Fáil delegates are gathering in Dublin this weekend to debate a range of party motions.
There are two opposing motions on abortion and the Eighth Amendment. The London cumann of the party want members to endorse a woman’s right to choose, while the Kildare cumann want the party to back the rights of the unborn.
Martin said the issue remains a matter for the individual conscience of each party member.
“Every parliamentary party member will have freedom of conscience to vote when a decision eventually comes before the Oireachtas. That has been a position since a number of years ago,” he said.
“The fact there are two different motions illustrates the position across society. What I will be calling for in the first instance is that the tolerance of divergent opinions be the touchstone of our debate on this, not just here, but across society. That is absolutely essential,” he said, adding that there is good work being done by the Oireachtas committee examining the Citizens’ Assembly report on the Eighth Amendment.
Martin said he has been watching committee proceedings and will be reading the transcripts of the expert opinions, adding that he will be making his position on the Eighth Amendment clear after the committee delivers its report in December.
He reiterated that he is in favour of a referendum on the issue being held to allow the public have their say.
Abortion is not the only issue up for debate at the Ard Fheis this year. Housing, health, and the party organisation are due to be discussed.
A motion, due to be voted on tonight, calls for the party to rule out going into coalition with Sinn Féin. There has been much to and fro between Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin and whether there would ever be a possibility of them going into government together.
This evening, Martin said he would “of course” be supporting the motion that rules out the two parties teaming up.
“I have repeatedly said that I will not be going into coalition with them, the Fianna Fáil party will not be. I said that before the last general election,” he said.
He added that a confidence and supply agreement with Sinn Féin has also been ruled out.
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From the sample pages here, it looks like a lovely, well-produced book:
https://andalus.ie/books/1588-the-spanish-armada-and-the-24-ships-lost-on-irelands-shores/
Saw it in my local bookshop the other day. Looked good. I was tempted! I might treat myself at Christmas.
Our own romantic version of the shipwrected Spanish sailors being protected by the people in the West is another fib.
The locals butchered them as they were washed ashore robbed, stripped them, then claimed the bounties from the local British governor.
@H Woo: True about Mayo, Sligo and Kerry but there was a major exception in Donegal where the McSweeney clan did welcome the Armada survivors and gave them a haven in Killybegs.
The McSweeneys territory was independent of the British and so was that of the O’Rourke’s and neither of them had British governors to worry about but thevO’Rourke territory was not maritime and had a merely peripheral link with the Armada.
By the way, a great number of the sailors were not Spanish or Portuguese bu mercenary Slavs from Ragusa (now Dubrovnik in Croatia).
It’s not widely known that in 1589 the English gathered an Armada of their and sailed to Portugal and Spain where they got their ar5es handed to them.
@brendan hackett: Yes: ‘The English Armada was larger than the Spanish, and from many points of view it was an even greater disaster. This fact, however, is completely overlooked. It is never mentioned in the history courses taught in British schools and a majority of British history teachers have never even heard of it.’
@brendan hackett:
Known as the white armada.
Not widely known about in England
It was a most ferocious battle. Many sailor’s lives lost unfortunately against the merciless Spanish barbarians.
@Buster Lawless: You forgot to insert woke into the sentence.
@Clare Power: he/it is also totally clueless on the subject, obviously.
@Dermot Blaine: it’s like every time he says, “Woke on the journal, he gets paid 10 cent…
@Clare Power: leave politics and your silly wokism out of this piece of history please.
The McSweeney territory in Donegal was an exception to your suggestion that Armada survivors were slaughtered. The McSweeneys gave refuge to the survivors, and Killybegs became a haven for Armada ships. They stayed there to repair their damaged ships, some of them then set out for Scotland, which was then independent of England.
There is a tradition in three families in the area of descent from Armada survivors but not necessarily dark-haired Spaniards. Many of the sailors were Slavic mercenaries from Ragusa (modern-day Dubrovnik).
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