Middle ground faces conundrum on referendum’s big moral issue

Earlier this week, there was a tweet that looked like it came from a national newspaper; it claimed that a group of Fianna Fáil TDs intended to mount a challenge against party leader Micheál Martin after his dramatic volte face on abortion last week. It quickly emerged that this was a hoax site and it was fake news; but that did not stop a lot of people from being duped.

The reality is that abortion is one of those issues that divides opinion, families, and political parties like no other.

While the prospect of a leadership heave in Fianna Fáil is fanciful, that is not to say that the party has got over the ructions caused by his abortion speech last week.

A substantial residue of bitterness still lingers strongly among some of Martin's colleagues over the out-of-the-blue manner in which he disclosed his views to the Dáil – particularly given that he had said nothing about how his views had evolved or developed at the parliamentary party meeting the night before.

Over the course of the weekend and into this week, we have heard some of that displeasure accentuated by the likes of John McGuinness, Bobby Aylward and Mary Butler.

The internal politics of this are complicated. Certainly, the Damascene conversion will endear him with most younger members and the liberal wing of the parliamentary party.

However, those who oppose the repeal of the Eighth Amendment within the party have felt, if not betrayed, then at least of having been ignored.

They have argued that Martin as leader represent the party in its entirety, and knows how sensitive this issue has been.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.