Fianna Fáil Have A Succession Crisis

Who will Replace Micheál Martin?

No one expected Micheál Martin to be Taoiseach. Even the most optimistic Fianna Fáiler would concede at the time that he would be an interim leader; at best, he would be remembered for bringing in the smoking ban in public places while he was Minister for Health. But after the 2016 general election, Fianna Fáil more than doubled its number of Dáil seats from 20 to 44. Micheál Martin was no longer the stopgap but the real deal in terms of national politics and leadership of Fianna Fáil. Everyone knows what happened next. The confidence-and-supply deal with Fine Gael followed by the grand coalition. Which has not been so grand in the Irish sense. Covid, a housing crisis, and the members of his party kicking and biting him at every twist and turn.

Micheál Martin has had to juggle a lot during his time as Taoiseach. He has had to navigate the country through a pandemic and a housing crisis, while also balancing the demands of the moon-bats in his party and the other two parties in the coal…