Difficult balancing act for Fianna Fáil and Martin

With the programme for government under way, the party must try to appear different while ring-fencing its policies to appeal to voters

Micheál Martin

Fianna Fáil is often cited as the effective winner of the last election, having come back from the verge of decimation in 2011 to push Fine Gael close for the highest share of the popular first-preference vote across the country.

Having not been able to form a government itself and having made the decision not to go into government with Fine Gael, it set about ensuring that it effectively controlled the government and ...