Murphy calls on taoiseach to consider his position as FF leader

Former Fianna Fáil TD, senator and councillor Eugene Murphy has called on Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Fianna Fáil General Secretary Sean Dorgan to consider standing aside in the coming weeks. He was also critical of FF's Director of Elections Jack Chambers.

Mr Murphy’s calls come after the party’s disastrous presidential campaign and the huge number of spoiled votes.

He said that the behaviour of his former party’s senior figures had been “embarrassing" during the party’s selection process.

“We now have up to 13% spoiled votes nationally with deep dissatisfaction among the electorate with the way the Government parties tried to control the number of candidates that could run, or so that is the way many people interpreted it,” he said. “A major gulf has been continually developing between our Oireachtas politicians and the people, and the gap is widening.

“This is a very serious development for any democracy.” He said he was also very critical of the way the party treated him in last year’s general election, describing it as “scandalous”.

“I had worked for FF in a voluntary capacity since I was 15 years of age. From 2009 right up to 2016, the party was very weak throughout Roscommon/Galway and I remember when only six to eight people were attending Comhairle Ceantair meetings, and it was so difficult to keep the organisation ticking over,” he said.

While he said that the taoiseach had his good points, FF now had one chance, "a new leader, new ideas, and removing the role of HQ in over interference in constituency matters".