Sean Gallagher - The Shrewd Operator

With his Presidential bid heating up it is worth taking a look at what the articulate dragon and what are his personal and possible party aims.

Without doubt his candidacy is doing Michael Martin a tremendous good favour.  Fianna Fail cannot afford to run a reasonable Presidential campaign but cannot go without having their man in the race.  Gallagher gives Martin a relief in embarrassment, embarrassment in not running a candidate for the first time in FF history but relief in that he can support covertly a man of the clan.

A committed member of the Fianna Fail party he appears on a plight to resurrect its fortunes by virtue of being an independent.  He has no-one fooled.  He is the de facto FF candidate.  I know that as a member of a political party and especially if a member has served in some high ranking capacity in that party then that person does not change their stripes overnight.  And especially of a party of the size of Fianna Fail.  As I overheard in the media last week, "one must have their colours nailed to the wall to succeed to such high positions".

And it also seems that his high association did not go unrewarded, only last year Sean was appointed to the Board of FAS.  While he also serves on the Board of InterTrade Ireland and Chairs the Drogheda Port Company.  I don't doubt the competency of Sean but his multiple state board appointments brings into question what was the real reason behind his appointment.

By running in this election he is also building a substantial profile for himself.   All the headlines, newspaper columns, TV debates, Radio interviews his media exposure is exploding.  That is momentum he won’t give up.  Whether he has future political ambitions I’m not sure but one thing I am confident about is that he will take to the speaking circuit faster than a duck to water.  And of course a motivational book or two won’t go astray.

I have met the man personally and could not fault his politeness ans willingness to engage in discussion but I cannot overlook the seemingly obvious objectives of his campaign.  Sean has also done tremendous work in the community projects he has been involved with and with youth work but he is guilty by association with his party, not former party, he never did resign his membership.  With all his now independent stance on his campaign why didn’t he abandon Fianna Fail long before his Presidential bid.

To sum up, Sean Gallagher is not a man you can take at face value but rather a man you have to examine to find out his true aims, and true reasons for standing.

In honest opinion he will not get elected but will make a good standing and it certainly will not be the last we will hear of the dragon from Cavan.