LEADERSHIP IS not about age, but about substance, policy and capacity, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said last night.
Speaking in University College Cork last night before a conference on the history of Irish foreign policy, Mr Martin recalled the dynamic leadership of Seán Lemass, who was 40 years in politics before he was elected leader of the Fianna Fáil party.
“The issue with leadership is always substance, it is not just about a shallow issue like presentation or age. The Fine Gael leader, for example, is leading the opinion polls at the moment and he is with the party since 1975.
“Leadership is not about age, it’s about substance, policy, platform, capacity to unite the different strands, across the ages, across the urban-rural divide and to pull together to give direction and drive,” the Minister said.
The party is focused on the upcoming election and not on the leadership issue and any new leader post-election would require a radical outlook, he added.
“Any leader at any time has to have a number of strengths – the most important being the capacity to unite and to give drive and direction.”