Future of Micheal Martin

Yes. he'll take the Tainiste gig and retire from politics at the next general election.

Would make you nostalgic for Biffo!!!!

Well MM might not be that great as an inspirational leader but I'd rather him than someone like that lying, egotistical toerag BJ.

Can't see him becoming Tánaiste once his term is up. Serve out his term on the backbenches like so many before him. I do think he would make a fine FF candidate for President.

What particular qualities would you like to see in a leader?

Great analysis.

You make a good point — I do think he is very much “what you see is what you get” and as you say, that is a rarity in politics. I guess you are also right that he does seem likeable, though perhaps it’s also true to say that being ”likeable“ in the political sphere can (sometimes) be seen in the same way as calling someone “harmless” in the social sphere — they’re grand but you don’t necessarily want to hang out with them. It seems similar in a way to how things fared for the UUP and SDLP in the North, on the whole more likeable people than their SF/DUP counterparts and yet still having lost swathes of ground to them.

The problem Micheal has is that there isn’t really much ideological difference between him and Varadkar, so beyond ideology there would have to be something about him that sets him apart from Varadkar etc. More likeable perhaps and almost inarguably more genuine, but he also smacks of the past while offering no real vista of what he is trying to achieve. He’s not selling a hugely different product from Varadkar et al politically, but Varadkar is just a better salesman. Fine Gael just come across savvier, more commercially-minded, more modern, and with a clearer sense of purpose. Then there is Sinn Fein, who have charismatic people and seem to offer something different at least, and at most the prospect of taking a wrecking ball to an outdated Irish political establishment. Micheal and Fíanna Fáil just scream insipidness and if Sinn Féin’s rise continues then FF are going to find themselves as an irrelevant ‘meh’ party stuck between SF and FG.

For decades FF had the votes of a large percentage of the population and GE time was all about getting a few undecided with them to get over the line to get the Mercs and perks.

The country has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. The GAA moved with the times, but FF didn’t. (Chickens came home to roost in the RC cult).

They sold out the country and destroyed the lives of a generation of young people who by and large have since ignored the party.

There is no talent coming through. MM may have made sure he wasn’t the first FF leader not to get the big job, but he has failed to win back those young people and as a result he could be the last FF taoiseach for some time.

Then again, how could he win back that generation given that he had helped destroy the country? Yet there’ll be people feeling sorry for him as he heads off in to the sunset with a platinum pension that they’ve subsidised.

At least with FG in 2020 you thought that Leo had a spine, every time MM slunks up to the podium you'd feel a strong breeze would knock him over. Entire FF backbench seems like spineless yes men, completely out of their depth.