FIANNA FÁIL’S strong grassroots organisation across the country, and particularly in rural areas, will save it from oblivion in the next election, Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cuív has said.
Mr Ó Cuív, whose grandfather Éamon de Valera founded the party, has also hinted he may contest a future Fianna Fáil leadership contest if a vacancy arises.
“I never rule anything out in politics. I don’t think my family heritage has anything to do with it. I think whatever you do in politics you do because you believe in what you are doing,” said Mr Ó Cuív when asked if he would like to become Fianna Fáil leader.
He said his full support lay with Brian Cowen as Taoiseach and party leader for as long as he decided to stay. But he pointedly refused to rule out contesting a future leadership contest, saying his enthusiasm for politics, his energy and health were all good.
“I’m interested in politics and believe I have a contribution to make,” he said in an interview.
Mr Ó Cuív, who was byelection campaign manager for Fianna Fáil in Donegal South, said the party was at a “low ebb electorally” because people were hurting over what had happened to the economy. But he said talk of the decimation of Fianna Fáil was overblown. “Contrary to the popular view my belief is the strength of parties are in their grassroots. There is an obsession with leadership which tends to be short-term.
“No matter what role we are given in the party we are merely passing through. The real question is the transferability or sustainability of the grassroots of the party,” he said. The big challenge for Fianna Fáil is in the cities, particularly Dublin, where the cumann system is already breaking down, he added. Mr Ó Cuív said the Government had taken all the hard decisions while the Opposition proposed “handy solutions” that could have catastrophic economic consequences.
“I am utterly convinced that the proposal to create risk products out of our of senior bonds could have consequences that a lot of people aren’t aware of . . . and in my view would have led to a high risk of catastrophic knock-on effects which people cannot predict,” he said.