Micheal Martin’s ‘always do right by party’ vow as Taoiseach faces questions over leadership amid cost-of-living crisis

MICHEAL Martin has said he will “always do right by” his party Fianna Fail as he faced questions over his leadership today.

Mr Martin delivered the keynote address at the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in Dublin today.

He is now the longest-serving leader of the party since Eamon De Valera, and will be 69 by the time of the next general election.

But his reign has been marred by issues within the party, as well as ongoing crises affecting the country such as housing and the cost of living.

Martin was questioned about his political future during an appearance on RTE’s Week in Politics today.

Addressing questions about how long he would remain as Taoiseach, he said instability leads to a “lack of focus and lack of delivery in government.”

And he added that Ireland “needs to avoid” the political turmoil occurring in the UK – which is “potentially on the cusp” of a seventh prime minister in a decade as PM Keir Starmer faces a leadership heave.

He told RTE: “I am 16 months as Taoiseach. The Government was only formed 16 months ago.

“I think there is an issue here in terms of how we do politics and how we do government.

“We were elected in as a government 16 months ago, we have an obligation and a function to focus on the issues, it is not all about politics, who is up, who is down, who is moving and all of that, people get fed up of that and get annoyed with that, if they think politicians are inward- looking and just thinking about themselves and positioning.

“What the people want actually are politicians that are focused on the issues that matter to their sons and daughters and that matter to them, that is the issue for us as a party.

“I will always do right by the party, of that be under no illusion.

“It is about fulfilling the mandate I received in the last general election.”

The Taoiseach added: “We need to avoid what has happened in the United Kingdom where we are now potentially on the cusp of a seventh prime minister in as many years which creates instability, lack of focus and lack of delivery in government.

“We are in government and we have to deliver in government.”

Mr Martin also revealed that when he first became Fianna Fail leader in 2011 following a general election defeat, many doubted that he would ever be Taoiseach.

He said: “I felt we would come back but it was an open question as to whether I would be Taoiseach or not.

“Everybody around me, everybody commentating said you’ll be the first leader of Fianna Fail that will never become a Taoiseach, that was the common refrain at the time.

“I always had a sense though that there was a deep well within the party, that the membership was intact and that if we could develop newer and younger candidates, target the local elections in 2014, which we did, I was surprised in 2014 that we did so well, becoming the largest party in local government again in a more fragmented world, and that was a tremendous fillip to us which then led to candidates in the 2016 general election.

“I think the party is now well positioned for the future given the cohort of parliamentarians that we have the resilient organisation across the country.”