John McGuinness: 'We also have to question the leadership team'
Fianna Fáil's presidential election campaign was a "shambles" and the party needs to "reinvent itself for the future", including a change of leader "in due course", according to one of its TDs.
Fianna Fáil Carlow-Kilkenny TD John McGuinness - who has been a long-time critic of party leader, Taoiseach Micheál Martin - also confirmed on Sunday that he voted for Catherine Connolly, the left-wing Independent TD who won the presidential election.
Fianna Fáil had a disastrous presidential election with its candidate, former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin, halting his campaign after controversy arose over his failure to refund €3,300 in overpaid rent to a former tenant.
Mr Gavin - who subsequently repaid the sum - stopped campaigning on October 5th but his name remained on the ballot paper.
He received 7.18 per cent of the vote in an election that saw Ms Connolly romp home to victory on 63.36 per cent.
Mr Gavin had been Mr Martin's preferred candidate.
Critics in the party later accused the leadership of pressurising TDs and Senators to back Mr Gavin over MEP Billy Kelleher, a party stalwart who went up against him in an internal contest for the candidacy.
Mr Gavin emerged the winner in September - though by a closer margin than many expected.
During an interview on RTÉ Radio on Sunday, Mr McGuinness, the Dáil's Leas-Cheann Comhairle, said Fianna Fáil members are "extremely disappointed" at "the lack of selection process because they were not consulted". He said, "As a result of that inaction we have arrived at a situation where the campaign itself turned into a shambles."
[ Presidential election result was as expected and yet remarkableOpens in new window ]
Mr McGuinness said Fianna Fáil has to "look at the structures in the party, but we also have to question the leadership team which is made up of the Taoiseach's unelected advisers and Fianna Fáil headquarters".
He said: "The presidential election has underlined the need for Fianna Fáil to reinvent itself for the future. The policies that have been pursued by the party are gone by their sell-by date."
He added, "we have stopped responding to the public need" and stopped "representing those who are less well-off in society".
He said: "We now have to go back to supporting people in their difficulty, setting out a policy for the future, not being afraid to challenge Europe on the decisions that they are making that are impacting on our national policy.
"And that is what Catherine Connolly did. That was her appeal right across the board. I voted for Catherine Connolly and I believe she will be a good president."
Asked if Fianna Fáil needs a new leader, Mr McGuinness replied "in due course yes". He did not specify a timeline but suggested the leadership of the party should form part of discussions "within the next 10 days".
[ Momentum that boosted Catherine Connolly spells trouble for Fine Gael and Fianna FáilOpens in new window ]
Mr Martin has expressed an intention to lead the party into the next general election. However, there are some in Fianna Fáil who believe this is unlikely to happen and that 2027 might be the time for a change in leadership after Ireland's European Union presidency next year.
Mr McGuinness said: "I think the party must reflect immediately on what happened and take the appropriate steps ... We should have an open discussion within the next 10 days of what needs to be done for the future, to correct what has happened, to prepare us for the future and to better represent the country that has elected us to do the business for them in Leinster House."
Asked if Mr Martin's leadership is part of what he meant by 'appropriate steps', he said: "Of course it is. We can't talk about the future or about what happened in the presidential election without discussing the type of leadership that brought us to that point.
"We must discuss what type of leadership will bring us to greater success with the electorate for the future.
"To ignore those two questions would be sticking our heads in the sand and would be causing further detrimental problems for the party itself."