All views are my own and do not reflect the views of Westmeath Fianna Fail.
SUNSET AND SUNRISE
As I sit here at the end of what was a beautiful day,
looking at a gorgeous sunset, I am contemplating the events of the past number
of days in relation to the findings of the Mahon Report and their impact on our
party, Fianna Fail.
Sunsets, as is their nature, come at the end of a day, and
bring an end to the days activities. So it is with the findings of the Mahon
Tribunal. Fianna Fail has come to the end of our unfortunate association with
Corruption and dodgy Practices.
Grassroots members, such as myself, have been horrified and disturbed by the drip of allegations and stories about
some of our elected members. Many Grassroot members have questioned their very
membership of the Party over the last number of days, such is the seriousness
of the allegations levelled at Senior members of our Party, over many years.
The Grassroots of the Party will no longer accept the
actions of the very few, who were engaged in unsavoury practices in the past.
Never again will this be allowed within our Party. Over the past number of
days, our Party and its leadership has moved swiftly and steadily to eradicate
the Culture of Corruption that was accepted in the past.
The vast majority of our Public Representatives are decent,
honourable people who work hard. They come from each Community in our great
Country, and are at the forefront of Representational Politics, striving to
give their Constituents the best possible help in the various needs that they
have. The members of the Fianna Fail Party are normal, decent, Honest to God people. They want the best for
the Communities in which they live and work. So do our Public Representatives.
In a way, the Mahon Tribunal may well end up being a turning
point for our Party. We need to regain the trust of the people that we serve.
That will not be easy, and will, in all probability, take quite some time.
Fianna Fail is here for the long term. We will not retreat in the face of this
adversity that some of our own members have landed at our door. The Media will
not hound us out of existence. We will rationally, calmly and with open minds
look to the future.
Our membership is diverse and comes from all walks of life,
all age groups young and old and every Community in this Land. We have great
experience, fantastic ideas and a wealth of knowledge within our ranks. At our
recent Ard Fheis we introduced One
Member One Vote. This will allow each of our members to be involved in all
aspects of our Party. We will use this to assist our Parliamentary team and our
Local Representatives in the formulation of Policy that will ensure that Fianna
Fail are representative of the vast majority
of the people of this Country.
Yes, we have made mistakes and we take full responsibility
for our share of the blame. We have been decisive, open and honest in our
response to the Mahon Report and its findings. This is in stark contrast to
Fine Gael, who have not been open and transparent in their affairs in regards
to both the Mahon Report and indeed the Moriarty Tribunal, which poses real questions
as to the awarding of the most lucrative licence in the History of the State.
After the sunset
comes Night, followed by a bright Sunrise. We are currently in the dark space
of night, looking forward to the bright rays of the Sunrise and all the promise
that a new day brings.
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