INDEPENDENT TDs Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy-Rae yesterday backed Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
Mr Healy-Rae, of Kerry South, said yesterday he would prefer to continue to deal with Mr Cowen as Taoiseach and “would not support the new fellow”.
“The position is I’d prefer to have Cowen there. A slip-up on radio is no very serious matter.”
A former director of elections for Fianna Fáil in Kerry South, Mr Healy-Rae also said he and Mr Lowry had made their deal with “Bertie Ahern” initially and Mr Cowen had honoured that.
In a statement, Tipperary TD Mr Lowry said the leadership of Fianna Fail was an internal matter and should be dealt with by its own membership. “Because of the current public debate, I want to make it clear, in the event of Fianna Fail putting forward an alternative candidate for taoiseach, I will not vote for that nominee.
“It is unfair and undemocratic of the FF party to expect the Dáil to change taoiseach three times in the lifespan of one term of Government,” he added.
Mr Lowry said there should only be a change of taoiseach “after the public have the opportunity to vote in a general election”.
He said it was a “sad reflection on the way that our political system works, that spokespersons for the ‘government in waiting’ are able to say without contradiction that they cannot offer considered budgetary proposals because of lack of information and solid fact available to them from the Department of Finance. Effectively the Opposition are shooting in the dark”.
He said Ireland was at risk of “losing our economic independence” and called on Mr Cowen to convene a conference between all the main political party leaders and their economic spokespersons.
“This conference . . . would share a full, frank, open and honest presentation from key Department of Finance officials.”