April 28, 2005
Paid tha price to be tha boss
Speaking of efforts to revive decades-old infrastructure in the west, attempts by Beverly Cooper Flynn to re-establish herself on the political scene in Mayo (and ensure that the Flynn political dynasty survives another generation) have gone off the rails a bit. Beverly has the dubious distinction as a politician of having the Supreme Court confirm that she couldn't tell right from wrong when she was working as a financial consultant. But she wouldn't be the first Fianna Fáil to spend some time in the wilderness* before making a triumphant return.
The first step is to get re-elected, and to do that, she needs to do the circuit of local cumanna in Mayo, making speeches, pressing the flesh and building up support. The High Command in Dublin were not impressed. Even though the next general election is at least another year away, the last thing they want is an inependent FF candidate competing (or worse, beating) their official one. Last week, a cumann in Ballinrobe that had invited Bev to speak was dissolved, and the members were, ahem, invited to join another cumann in Castlebar. Clearly, the 'defenders of the faith' at headquarters are hoping that Bev will just go away, and that might still happen if she cannot pay her legal bill for her unsuccessful court appeal - bankrupts cannot be elected (I am, of course, only talking about financial bankrupts - I'm sure there will be the usual plentiful supply of moral bankrupts to vote for at the next election).
The name of now deceased cumann is (was) Mícheál Ó Moráin Cumann. He was the Minister for Justice when the Arms Crisis began. The then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, was informed by the leader of the Opposition that guns were being imported into Dublin to be used by nationalists in Northern Ireland, and that the effort had been organized by elements within the government. Since this happened on Moráin's watch, Lynch fired him and replaced him by Des O'Malley. The minister for Finance eventually was tried and acquitted (his defence - "I know nothing") and spent years in the political wilderness himself before returning in triumph to lead both Fianna Fáil and the country. His name - Charles Haughey. Don't give up on Bev yet.
*No jokes about living in Mayo, ok?
Posted by Monasette at April 28, 2005 08:41 PM