Taoiseach defends his leadership after criticism from party over fuel protests

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has defended his leadership amid criticism from party colleagues over the Government’s handling of the fuel protests.

Mr Martin said he does not “feel under threat” as leader of Fianna Fail, as the political fallout from the demonstrations continues.

Senior party members have taken to the airwaves to criticise the Government’s handling of fuel protests and blockades after the three youngest Fianna Fail TDs issued a letter voicing their “deep concern”.

Mr Martin met with the three TDs on Wednesday night, before travelling to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.

Asked about his leadership while in Berlin, he said he does not “in any shape or form, feel under threat in that respect”.

He added: “I do acknowledge the extraordinary pressure on families and people across the country in terms of the rising oil prices as a result of the war in the Middle East, and Government was faced with a very significant dilemma last week in terms of vital critical infrastructure being blockaded.”

He said “no-one anticipated the nature and scale of the protests”, and the Government had “an obligation” to end blockades to Ireland’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork.

Some Fianna Fail members have previously criticised what they said is an issue with collaboration and transparency between the parliamentary party and its leadership.

After the party’s presidential election candidate Jim Gavin dramatically withdrew three weeks before polling day, Fianna Fail members said they did not have enough input in the candidate selection process.

Mr Martin in particular was criticised for championing Mr Gavin.

On Thursday, party members continued to voice their criticism after hearing from constituents unhappy with the Government’s handling of the fuel protests.

Fianna Fail TD for Wicklow-Wexford Malcolm Byrne said the Taoiseach and some ministers could have shown “more empathy” and “more understanding” when speaking about the demonstrations last week.

“I think some of the tone in some of the language that was used last week didn’t help,” he told RTE Radio.

“I spoke to the Taoiseach, he totally gets it, and he understands the pain and pressure that people are facing.”

Mr Byrne said issues around the social contract raised by the three TDs need to be addressed, and said a meeting should be held in the next two weeks to discuss the party’s direction.

But he added “it can never just be about a particular individual” and said he would not sign a form of no confidence in Mr Martin.

“I think the package that was certainly announced – and we’ve now seen three-quarters of a billion in terms of supports that were there – I think there was a concern that, from a Fianna Fail perspective, we didn’t feel we had enough input into some of the discussion,” Mr Byrne said.

“There’s times that I get really annoyed over the fact that I’m sent the statement ‘This is the Government statement, this is the message that you have to deliver’ and I don’t feel that I’ve had an input into it.”

John McGuinness, the Fianna Fail TD for Carlow-Kilkenny and a long-time critic of Mr Martin, called for a new leader of the party.

He said he was at the fuel protests and he met many people whose “backs were to the wall”, and said Fianna Fail members did not have a chance to have “direct input” into how matters were dealt with.

“The finger of blame, if you like, is pointed fairly and squarely at the Cabinet, and those that represented the Cabinet in public discourse did not do so in a way that recognised the legitimate efforts of people at a local level to get their point across,” he told Newstalk radio.

“My blame is directed at the Cabinet generally in terms of how things happened. We have a separate issue in Fianna Fail.

“We need new leadership, quite frankly, and we need a new direction focused on the social issues of our day and based on the old values of the Fianna Fail party.”

On Wednesday, James O’Connor of Cork East, Albert Dolan of Galway East and Ryan O’Meara of Tipperary North said it should not take protests for the Government to “listen and to act”.

“We must face that reality that the social contract is strained to breaking point,” they said, while noting it was not about “challenging any individual”.

Hours after their statement, former Fianna Fail minister Willie O’Dea, the longest serving current TD, and former Ceann Comhairle Sean O’Fearghail also voiced their concerns.

Mr O’Fearghail said he had seen anger building among the public “for quite some time”, and leaving out measures on agri diesel in the first financial package from the Government on the fuel crisis – worth around 250 million euro – “absolutely incensed” farm families and the level of rage “was contagious and it spread”.

He said there was “no cohesive” line of communication between Government and the Fianna Fail parliamentary party, and backbench TDs had been treated like “lobby fodder”.

He called for the future leadership of the party to be discussed in the next two weeks.

Mr O’Dea said being in Government is not about “explaining the Government’s problems to people”, but instead about “explaining the people’s problems to the Government” and getting action.

“We seem to have lost the one virtue on which every democracy depends, namely the ability to hear anger before it turns into rebellion,” Mr O’Dea said.

“I think we’ve taken our eye off the ball. The leadership, the party and the Government have become too detached from ordinary people.”