The country must brace itself for the return of Bertie Ahern under FF – D’Arcy

The country must brace itself for the return of Bertie Ahern if Fianna Fáil are in Government after the General Election, a Fine Gael Minister has warned.

Minister of State Michael D’Arcy said, “What we have learned since this election was called is Bertie Ahernis on the verge of making a return to the national stage through Micheál Martin and Fianna Fáil.

“We have seen more of Bertie Ahern in recent weeks than any reasonable person would expect for an ex-leader who is happy to accept his day is done – clearly Bertie believes he still has a role to play in Irish politics.

“And despite years of FF trying to distance itself from its former leader, it seems all is forgiven when it comes to the man who lay the foundations for the worst recession we ever experienced.

“Micheál Martin has already said he will accept advice from Bertie on Brexit and now we see the ex-TD describing a possible Sinn Féin-Fianna Fáil coalition after the election as a talking point.

“This is something many Fianna Fáilers speak about privately but it is worrying to hear it articulated by Micheál’s future advisor.

“Under the current leadership, Fianna Fáil is at pains to airbrush its own history. To listen to Micheál Martin you would think his party is a fully refreshed version compared to the one that drove this country into a devastating recession, but this just does not stack up.

“More than a fifth of the candidates running for election for FF were in Dáil Éireann when the FF-led Government led this country to ruin, four of them – Micheál Martin, Willie O’Dea, Mary Hanafin and Éamon Ó’Cuív – sat at the Cabinet table.

“And now it seems clearer by the day that the influence of Bertie Ahern remains strong in the Fianna Fáil party and he will soon be back to advise his former Government colleagues.

“Micheál Martin wants the public to believe everything has changed but as each day goes by this fiction is unravelled – the Fianna Fáil of old is still with us in more ways than one,” Minister D’Arcy concluded.