A Mayo View: The car crash election campaign
by Dr. Richard Martin
I was relaxing on the couch, listening to music, chatting on WhatsApp, winding down after a long day. And then the bombshell broke. A WhatsApp message - Jim Gavin is gone.
WhatsApp was lit up. People in SF, FG and FF. What the hell is going on?
By that point his campaign was lumbering and blundering from one gaffe to the next. A total car crash. Watching it all unfold reminded me at times of a Connemara pony trying to run the Aintree Grand National.
Horses for courses and Jim Gavin wasn’t able for the course, the fences or the distance. The bottom line is he had to go.
There are two crucial elements to a successful political campaign. Momentum and own goals, and both are intertwined. An own goal kills momentum, and enough of them will kill the campaign.
Given the level of public scrutiny, any misdemeanour or hint of scandal from the past will surface. And sure enough the fatal blow was landed in the Irish Independent.
An article by Fionnán Sheehan in the Irish Independent broke the story which claimed that Jim Gavin had inadvertently received €3,300 from a tenant in 2009 that he’d never repaid.
When the tenant discovered that monies had left his account via direct debit in error he rightfully sought reimbursement. Jim Gavin ignored and rebuffed repeated attempts at contact via phone and email.
Letters were sent to Casement Aerodrome where Jim Gavin was employed and to his parents’ house in Clondalkin. Solicitors letters were sent. No reply. Nada. Nothing.
When Jim Gavin finally made contact, he promised to return the €3,300. In the end he didn’t. He kept the money for himself.
FF released a statement denying the story: “In relation to the tenant, he does not have any recollection or records of any such dispute, and they have reviewed all the records they have from 16 years ago." A hole was being dug.
The tenant contacted FF on the Saturday, and confirmed that he did have the records to prove his claims.
The tenant turned out to be the highly respected journalist Niall Donald who is the current deputy editor of the Sunday World. The hole was getter deeper.
Jack Chambers and the FF hierarchy were now aware that they were caught in a web. Why did they not take pre-emptive action before the disastrous The Week in Politics debate?
The inevitable question was asked by Áine Lawlor. Now, his story changed.
He squirmed and shifted evasively and said: “That matter was over 16 years ago. It was a very stressful time for myself and my family. Like a lot of families and couples, we came into financial difficulty at that time.”
Which sounded like he was looking for sympathy. It’s not my fault. Béal bocht. But what about the poor tenant?
He added that: “If it happened, I’m very sorry that it happened. I’m looking into it and I will deal with it with urgency.”
Game over. He was goosed. The hole was now a crater.
In renting the apartment he’d also broken the law by not registering it with the RTB. One of the primary functions of the presidential role is to sign legislation into law.
His credibility was shattered. Here was a man seeking the highest office in the land, hoping to reside in the Aras (a palatial residence), become our ‘first citizen’, who refused to pay a tenant his due.
Bear in mind we are in the midst of a rental and housing crisis. I felt intense anger watching it.
In the end FF had to act. The car crash campaign had come to an ignominious end. FF were left with two choices - allow this farce to continue for another two weeks or call a halt.
Then the blame game started. Jack Chambers and Micheál Martin deflected and refused to accept the blame.
Micheál Martin said that “very comprehensive due diligence” had taken place in selecting Jim Gavin to represent FF in the presidential race and that questions had been repeatedly asked before the campaign started about his rental property. Jim Gavin had said “absolutely not."
But surely, aside from the rental issue, the FF selection committee must’ve realised that the nature of presidential campaigns are completely different to the way in which local elections, general election and European elections are fought.
Presidential campaigns are fought mainly on TV debates and national radio. General elections are fought on the ground. He was never suitable as a presidential candidate.
Put simply, the man was totally out of his depth. And deep down as the days and weeks progressed he must’ve surely came to the same conclusion.
Watery phrases like ‘it speaks to the constitution’ rang hollow, next to a barrister like Catherine Connolly, who knows the constitution inside out and can quote articles and sub-articles in her sleep. It compounded the dire situation he found himself in.
His communication skills were poor, which really surprised me as his career in the GAA as a leader of the greatest football team of all time would suggest that he can speak and communicate effectively.
No matter how Micheál Martin tries to run from this fiasco, he has nowhere to hide. It is the beginning of the end. Multiple leading FF TDs, MEPs and luminaries have gone on the record describing it as a total disaster. Billy Kelleher, Barry Andrews, Cynthia Ní Murchú, Mary Hanafin, Eamonn Ó Cuiv.
The likely departure of Micheál Martin is when he stands down as Taoiseach. The knifes have been sharpened and there is a deep longing within the republican wing of FF to return to their republican roots. The decade long pact with FG was meant only ever to be a temporary little arrangement.
Perhaps, there are some parallels with the 1990 presidential election. Brian Lenihan Sr was heavily tipped to win. Unbackable.
His past came back to haunt him, his campaign derailed, his credibility was tarnished and in the finish he was beaten. It was the end of his career and spelled the beginning of the end for Haughey also.
Who are future contenders for the leadership of FF? Jim O’Callaghan is already the front runner with Paddy Power. Dara Calleary could challenge also. In the end what do the bookies know? Jim Gavin was unbackable a few weeks back, now his campaign has collapsed.
Another fascinating thing about the Jim Gavin departure is that we have now entered a new phase of Irish politics. For the first time ever in the history of the State we have a straight shoot-out.
A candidate which has galvanised the left voting block and a candidate from a traditional old money civil war party. An anti-establishment candidate versus a pro-establishment candidate.
Irish politics is changing and the old order has been smashed. When Mary Robinson was elected in 1990, she did so on the back of Austin Currie transfers. FG pushed her for home.
Our first ‘left’ president made it on the back of FG – a right of centre, conservative Christian party.
Catherine Connolly is bidding to become a real ‘left’ president without the backing of FF or FG.
Ireland has changed. Fundamentally changed.