Long, long gone are the glory days when Bertie Ahern would come among us and a battalion of Fianna Fail councillors – not to mention the local TDs – would all but beat each other off with sticks to touch the hem of his garment and be there for the ph
oto opportunity.
Going a little further back, who could forget the fuss over Charlie Haughey's visit to West Limerick for the grand opening of a milking parlour? Mr Cowen addressed rank and file members of his party at various locations in the county. He will have noticed the Fianna Fail posters around County Limerick, the ones where the party's logo is printed so small it might as well be absent altogether (which is of course the whole point).
Perhaps, on his way through West Limerick, he spotted the posters put up by the man who was cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council last year, Cllr Kevin Sheahan. Cllr Sheahan would appear to see no percentage in advertising his affiliation – there is no space at all on his sizeable posters for the name of the party he represents. Posters are one thing, however, and ballot papers quite another. The party name cannot be airbrushed away on the sheet of paper handed to the electorate, much as some Fianna Fail candidates might wish it.
Bar a private visit to the widow of the late Paddy Kiely, there was no sign of Mr Cowen in the city this week, so perhaps he did not hear the stories of Fianna Fail candidates who are having doors banged in the faces and insults thrown at them. A few months back, Minister Willie O'Dea surveyed the candidates selected to fight the City Council elections for Fianna Fail and commented sagely that they were a brave bunch of people, because there were in for the toughest political campaign fought by the party in recent memory. Even the proven poll-topper himself, however, could not have anticipated just how tough it was going to get for the chosen ones.
Speaking in Kilmallock this week, Mr Cowen said: "If there is any criticism of me in recent months – and I take it on the chin – it's that I haven't communicated properly. I haven't the most sophisticated communication method. I'm using this campaign to do so now." He is trying, certainly – and the man's absolute sincerity is in no doubt – but it isn't working. Everywhere you go in the Mid-West there is deep unhappiness and anger everywhere over Fianna Fail's performance in Government. Ordinary people are being handed the tab for the reckless mismanagement of the economy and there is no question but that they will take this anger out on those who seek to represent Mr Cowen's party.
Elsewhere in the Leader this week Eddie Wade, a Fianna Fail candidate in the Castleconnell electoral area, says the party's organisation locally is "non-existent". But there are, of course, some very good Fianna Fail candidates out there, people who have worked hard at local level over the years, as well as other, newer faces with good credentials.
They know full well themselves that if they are elected it will be largely inspite of their party allegiance: it will be an impressive demonstration that they have a strong grasp of local issues, the personality to win over Limerick's discerning voters in hugely testing circumstances - and the work ethic to get things done for their constituents. The question remains: how many of them will there be?
