The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has insisted he will not retire voluntarily from the Cabinet before next month's reshuffle but said he will accept whatever decision is made by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
Mr Smith's remarks confirm the statements of sources close to him who said in recent days that Mr Ahern will have to "take him out" if he wished to demote him.
"Nothing has ever shown me to be a quitter," he said on RTÉ last night. While denying he was campaigning to stay as Minister for Defence, he said he was merely doing his job. However, the Minister would not say whether he believed he would retain his Cabinet seat.
"That's a matter entirely for the Taoiseach. He will do his best for the country, that's his business. I will accept any decision he makes."
His remarks in Kilkenny came ahead of a Fianna Fáil meeting in Dublin today at which the party will begin efforts to boost its support base after a major setback in the June elections.
Mr Ahern will attend the first meeting of a group set up to reform the party, which will meet in all-day session at the Merrion Hotel.
The Taoiseach has made no public statement yet on criticisms of his reshuffle strategy from the camp of Mr Smith.
A Fianna Fáil councillor, based in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, circulated an open letter to Mr Ahern yesterday in which he claimed the party had become "arrogant". Mr Niall Dennehy said Fianna Fáil should "quite rightly be worried about the Sinn Féiners and other radicals". He said the party was being strangled by "mé féiners", nepotism and the retention of family dynasties.
With many TDs fearful of the emergence of Sinn Féin south of the Border, the party will also seek to redefine Fianna Fáil's republican ethos.
