Insecure Fianna Fáil set to suffer the most in Mayo in upcoming elections

by Caoimhín Rowland

The government currently resembles a toxic workplace environment, with several employees having handed in their notice and awaiting the end of term to completely shut up shop for greener pastures.

The blame game remains in full swing, with Senator Lisa Chambers, typically composed, openly chastising fellow Senator and Fine Gael member John McGahon on social media.

This spat hints at the insecurity within Fianna Fáil, a party seemingly losing its identity. This has been further compounded by the fallout from the weekend's referendums.

The days of big tent politics are gone.

No longer can one be all things to all people, as Fianna Fáil has attempted in past generations.

In an era of increasing polarisation driven by social media algorithms that place individuals in echo chambers, the fear of debate is malignant to modern democracy.

This environment has also given rise to fringe elements that seem to dominate the narrative, despite being out of touch with the concerns of everyday people.

Fianna Fáil is set to suffer the most in the upcoming local elections in Mayo, with seat losses across the county almost guaranteed.

The party's trajectory is downward, with very little new blood emerging.

Notably, many are willing to represent their governing partner, Fine Gael.

Unlike Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael members understand their base and have a more pronounced identity, even after 13 years in government. Several figures within Fine Gael have been mooted as potential replacements for Leo Varadkar, from Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to the more down-to-earth Simon Harris.

Once considered Fianna Fáil's next leader, Lisa Chambers is now in the political ‘last chance saloon’. A poor showing in June’s European Parliament ballot could leave the leader of the Seanad at a crossroads.

Fine Gael has selected only one male newcomer to the party in Mayo for the upcoming local elections: Pat Chambers in Tiernaur. The other three candidates are all women, well-educated, and in contention to win seats in their respective races.

Sinn Féin has also introduced fresh faces in Mayo, despite a lack of depth in candidates. Candidates such as Una Morris, Donna Hyland, Rosaleen Lally and Karen Gallagher are making their foray into the political world.

Rather than addressing evident issues such as gender disparity and genuine representation within the party, Fianna Fáil continues to rely on figures like Mary Hanafin.

Hanafin, who was first elected as a councillor for Rathmines and has had a storied career in frontbench politics, remains a councillor representing Blackrock in south Dublin.

Controversy is never far away from the former Education Minister, as she has made life difficult for area representative Cormac Devlin by attempting to challenge him for the party nomination in the general election.

Just 30 years after her first election for Fianna Fáil in the 1984 local elections, Hanafin will once again emerge from her Blackrock slumber to attempt to run for Europe, threatening the standing of her own local TD by seeking a nomination.

Hanafin is the living embodiment of a party too selfish to do everyone the favour of pulling the plug.

Much like Fine Gael, you know what you get with the Green Party; it's in their name and evident in their policies.

However, Ministers Catherine Martin and Roderic O’Gorman are facing criticism.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have effectively shifted responsibility for the RTÉ scandal, which involves a brother of Simon Coveney, onto Martin and O’Gorman.

Martin is criticised for not being aware of every correspondence under her brief, while O’Gorman has been a figurehead of the immigration crisis and a cheerleader for potentially doomed referenda this month.

Nobody can feign surprise; seasoned politicians like Micheal Martin or Leo Varadkar wouldn’t have survived as long as they have in the cut-throat arena of politics without a few tricks up their sleeves and fingers to point towards for public rage and voter dissatisfaction.

It’s what comes after Fianna Fáil found itself in the political vacuum. Sinn Féin, meanwhile, is likely to see boosted numbers, while some of the once-called “small farmers” may now align with Fine Gael.

A cohort that remains may slither towards burgeoning fringe groups and boisterous independents.