A review into the “unedifying spectacle” of Fianna Fáil’s presidential campaign is expected to come before Christmas, Minister for Higher and Further Education James Lawless has said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics programme on Sunday, Mr Lawless said a draft of the report has been sent to the party’s presidential candidate, Jim Gavin, for legal review.
Mr Gavin withdrew from the race early after a controversy surrounding his former tenant’s overpaid rent that was not returned until after it emerged during the presidential campaign.
“I don’t want to prejudice the independent group (doing the report), but I would expect by Christmas. Yes, I would be hopeful,” Mr Lawless told the programme.
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Three members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party are leading the review, along with a senior counsel.
Mr Martin’s internal party critics have put great stock in the report amid suggestions it may put his leadership under further pressure in the wake of the election debacle.
However, Mr Lawless defended his party leader’s record in recent elections, despite the “unedifying spectacle” of the collapse of its presidential campaign.
“I think it’s been an unedifying spectacle ... It didn’t work out for us. There’s nobody more disappointed than me and I think every other member of the parliamentary party,” he said.
However, he added: “We’ve won the general election, we won the Seanad election, we won the council elections and we won the European elections in terms of seats gained. Four out of five ain’t bad, if I can put it that way,” he said.
A Fianna Fáil source said the report has not yet been furnished to the Taoiseach, who is due to get it before the parliamentary party meeting.
Mr Lawless also insisted Ireland has the defence capacity to ensure the security of European heads of government who will come here in the second half of next year during Ireland’s presidency of the EU.
His comments come in the wake of a drone operation during last week’s visit by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Five unmanned aerial vehicles violated a no fly-zone around the airport around the time Mr Zelenskiy’s plane landed before the drones travelled out to sea and stationed themselves near a patrolling Irish naval vessel. They were not intercepted or shot down.
The incident has prompted renewed debate about Ireland’s defence capabilities, especially in light of the upcoming EU presidency and because Russian backed actors are suspected of mounting the operation.
Mr Lawless said Ireland “absolutely can” protect visiting dignitaries, and added that he does not expect EU countries would have to second their defence assets to Ireland during high-profile meetings.
“I don’t expect so, but we are part of Europe. We are one of the largest contributors to the European budget, and we are part of that wider European defence position,” he said.
“We have long-standing arrangements with partners, the UK, Europe, wider afield.”
“There may well come a time that they’re invoked and there’s reciprocal arrangements on both sides, we assist in various measures with them as well.”
Mr Lawless welcomed a public debate on the matter saying there is “a very real and present threat” in this area.
