Right said Ned…
… I’m off! Effectively what happened yesterday with respect to Fianna Fail TD Ned O’Keefe when he was told in true Fianna Fail democratic style to vote the same way as the party had chosen to and not express his own views. The context: Yesterday Mary Harney faced a vote of no confidence with respect to her position as health minister. Ned O’Keefe was openly critical of the government for failing to provide a good health system and was in favour of change. He was told however that the party stance was that they would support Harney and that he would have to tow the line. The result: For the first time that I can recall right now, a Fianna Fail politician has shown that he has a mind of his own. Ned chose to resign his position in the government rather than put up with the nonsense party politics that avoid any change at all. Fair play Ned, sorry to hear that your own party wouldn’t stand by you but nice to know that you stood by your views and didn’t buckle under the lack of democracy in Fianna Fail.
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FF TDs have not towed the party line on a few other occasions that I can remember - O’Dea for the Barringtons Hospital issue, Beverly Flynn on the vote against Padraig Flynn. Even most of the PD party came from FF as a result of standing up for principle.
However, in every case, they have all come back into the fold and been welcomed back by FF. It’s just a matter of time for Ned.