Copyright irishmirror
As the country has a new president Fianna Fail needs a new leader, veteran TD John McGuinness claimed. The Carlow-Kilkenny deputy said the party made "serious errors" in the presidential election campaign which ultimately saw Jim Gavin drop out of the race in what he described as a “shambles”. Mr McGuinness said party members are "extremely disappointed by the lack of selection process" in the election. He said: "They were not consulted, councillors were not consulted, TDs were not consulted, the national executive was not consulted - so as a result of that inaction, we have arrived at a situation where the campaign itself turned into a shambles." He added: "We do have to look at the structures within the party, but we also have to question the leadership team, which is made up of the Taoiseach, some unelected advisers and Fianna Fail headquarters." Speaking on RTÉ 's This Week, Mr McGuinness said the presidential election has underlined the need for Fianna Fáil to "reinvent itself for the future". Asked whether that meant a new leader, he said: "In due course, yes." Pressed on when that should happen, Mr McGuinness replied: "Firstly we have to examine what happened in this election - but I think it's quite clear what happened - and I think it's quite clear what needs to be done some time in the not too distant future." Separately, Maria Steen, who tried but failed to get a presidential nomination, claimed that the amount of spoiled votes in the presidential election is a "big rebuke to the political establishment". The barrister and campaigner came closest of the other prospective candidates to getting her name on the ballot paper but was ultimately unsuccessful. Speaking on the same RTE radio programme, she said: "The really big story is the spoiled votes. It is unprecedented, 10 times the size of the last spoiled vote count in the last presidential election. "I think it's fair to say that it is a big rebuke to the political establishment who sought to prevent any competition in this election. I think it's clear that there are a lot of people in this country who feel unrepresented." Ms Steen said she was "really very grateful and humbled" to all the people who wrote in her name. However, she said: "I don't think that the spoiled vote can be taken as a vote for me. There were lots of other issues that people mentioned on their ballot papers, and they should not be ignored." In another development Fianna Fail TD John Lahart told RTÉ News that he agreed with Deputy McGuinness that there must be a discussion about the party’s leadership. "It is a conversation that the party needs to have. The events of the last few weeks, the result yesterday, and the outcome of the result have brought that conversation forward," he said. He added that while there is great respect for the Taoiseach the Presidential election result reflected an error of judgement that will have consequences and that a left-right divide has been created in Irish politics for the first time. He said: "I don't think Fianna Fáil can just sit back and observe that." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here .
