First faller in the Treaty Hurdles

So Éamon Ó Cuiv is the first casualty in the referendum campaign for the Fiscal Union Compact Treaty (FUCT).

I was watching Vincent Browne last night and thinking “why on earth are Fianna Fail sticking their neck out on this treaty?” There is nothing in this for them politically. If it gets through Kenny gets the benefit. If it falls FF are losers again. And yet there was the FF spokesman defending it while FG failed to provide a spokesman. And now they’ve split the party.

Eamon O Cuiv represented the last hope for many old time Fianna Failers – socially conservative, nervous about Brussels encroachments. Michael Martin was foolish to come out so strongly in support of this treaty.  He should have waited until the party had time to take a view;  he should have looked at the other related issues around write-offs.  And he should have thought about the politics of things instead of runnning headlong into supporting the Government.