Fianna Fail Seeks Northern Exposure

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Fianna Fail Seeks Northern Exposure

September 24, 2007

By Barry McCaffrey

NATIONALIST politics saw the introduction of a major new force this week with Fianna Fail’s announcement that it will now stand for election north of the border.

On Monday Fianna Fail leader and Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern announced that for the first time in the party’s 81 year history it will stand for election on both sides of the border.

“This moves reflects the dramatic changes we have seen across the island,” he said.

Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern, who will chair a special committee to oversee Fianna Fail’s introduction to the North, insisted that the party wouldn’t stand in any election to the British parliament.

“We wouldn’t be interested in going to the House of Commons as a political party,” he said. “That is for others to do.

“We feel we should have representation in Northern Ireland as a political party.”

While a Fianna Fail branch was established in Derry city a number of years ago it was always thought highly unlikely that the southern party would ever stand for election north of the border.

Former Belfast Lord Mayor Martin Morgan, who was once seen as a possible future leader of the SDLP party, has been linked with Fianna Fail in the past after he left the northern Nationalist party in 2005 in acrimonious circumstances.

The existing northern parties both gave cautious support to the announcement.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan welcomed the Fianna Fail decision to expand its organization northwards.

“As a true Republican party, we believe that the social and economic interests of the people of the entire island are best served by ever-deepening cooperation between north and south,” he said.

“We anticipate a healthy and forward-looking debate as a means to forging a new political path for the whole country.”

Sinn Fein’s John O’Dowd also gave the announcement a guarded welcome.

“Unfortunately, it has taken Fianna Fail this long to embrace the positive aspects of developing its party throughout the 32 counties,” he said.

“But we are encouraged that the taoiseach has now finally acknowledged the importance of such a move.”

However, it remains unclear what effect the Fianna Fail move will

actually have on either Sinn Fein or the SDLP.

Privately, northern Republicans see the move as Fianna Fail’s effort to capitalize on Sinn Fein’s poor performance in the southern elections earlier this year when the party failed to make predicted advances.

However, there are also some within the SDLP who will regard the southern party’s move across the border as ominous, believing that the SDLP would be forced to accept only a minor role in any future merger with Fianna Fail.

The Fianna Fail announcement received a less than welcome reaction from within northern Unionism.

Ulster Unionist leader Reg Empey described the announcement as “unwise” and “unhelpful.”

“The last thing we need is another abstentionist party organizing here,” he said.

“Bertie Ahern at a stroke has transformed himself from a potential partner in the process of normalization, to a rival.”

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