Fianna Fail backbenchers do not want Brian Cowen to lead the party into the next general election, after last week’s opinion poll showed the government’s popularity at a record low.
Several Fianna Fail TDs believe that Cowen’s lack of leadership and low visibility is partly responsible for the dramatic contraction in support for the party, which now stands at 17% in the polls.
“Obviously, whoever is in power would not be popular, but I think anyone would do a better job than the current leader,” one said. “I don’t think we can change leaders immediately, but equally I don’t think that Cowen could lead us into another election. That would be a huge mistake. Could you imagine having his face on posters for us, after everything that has happened? A lot of people in the party have already given up on him. We’re basically running ourselves without a leader.”
Another backbencher said he did not believe it would be “credible” for Cowen to lead the party into an election. “I would have serious concerns about it,” he said. “He would need to be much more assertive and visible than he is now. But we’ve been saying that for a year and nothing has changed.”
Mattie McGrath, Tipperary South TD, called on the taoiseach to “shape up or ship out”, adding it was time for him to deliver his long-promised change of leadership style.
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“We are talking about 12 months and it hasn’t happened, so it is endgame time now. I am not going to go looking for his head but I want him to change radically,” said McGrath. “In fairness to Brian Lenihan, he is there all summer and all year, grappling with Nama [National Asset Management Agency] and the financial crisis, but Cowen has been missing from the stage and he can’t be.”
Michael Moynihan, Cork Northwest TD, said: “I was totally taken aback by it [the poll], I thought we’d had a good week. There was a general sense that Lenihan was on top of his game and I felt it was becoming clear to people that we actually have a plan.
“When you take that into account, I think the poll is frightening. I honestly don’t know what to do about it. It’s certainly going to take a lot of discussion [at the Fianna Fail parliamentary meeting] in Athlone [on September 14]. That’s if we even make it that far. It’s really very worrying.”
Charlie O’Connor, Dublin Southwest TD, agreed discussions at the parliamentary party meeting would be critical. “There will be a lot of tough talking at that meeting,” he said. “I would hope the taoiseach will use the intervening time as an opportunity to get out to every constituency in the country and talk to the people.”
Michael Kennedy, Dublin North TD, said: “He [Cowen] is a very intelligent man but there is still a big problem in how he is communicating with people. The messages are just not getting across.”
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Jim McDaid, Donegal Northeast TD, said: “We need to get Nama, Lisbon and the budget out of the way first, but I think the taoiseach should give a public commitment now to hold a general election next February.We need to let the people see that we’re not ogres, clinging to power at all costs.”