Frank Flannery

Frank Flannery
Director of Organisation and Strategy
In office 2002–2014
Personal details
Political party	Fine Gael

Frank Flannery is a political consultant and Fine Gael's former Director of Organisations and Strategy.^[1][2] He is currently under investigation (2016) for offshore accounts as he was exposed in the Panama Papers.

Born and raised in Kiltullagh in County Galway, he studied at University College Galway, where he joined Fine Gael. He served as President of the Union of Students in Ireland between 1971 to 1972. After he finished his degree, he worked for The Rehab Group, a non-governmental organisation, involved with providing care and education for people with disabilities. He became Chief Executive Officer of the group in 1981. He retired from the position in 2006.^[3]

Originally working as an activist within Fine Gael, he became one of Garret FitzGerald's handlers and chief strategists during the three elections between 1981 and 1982.^[4]

In the aftermath of the 2002 general election, which was a disastrous election for Fine Gael, he authored the Flannery Report which proposed a series of changes in the organisation and structure of the party.^[5] In 2002 he was made Fine Gael's director of Organisation and Strategy and was charged with implementing the report. The restructuring bore fruit for Fine Gael in the 2004 local elections and the 2007 general election, both of which saw gains for Fine Gael.

He served as National Director of Elections for Fine Gael in the 2009 local elections, which resulted in the party becoming the largest party of local government for the first time in its history. In June 2009 in the run up to the European and local elections, he caused controversy when he stated that Fine Gael would be willing to take part in a coalition government which would include Sinn Féin in order put Fianna Fáil out of government, a comment which was criticised within the party and led to his temporary demotion by party leader Enda Kenny.^[6]

In March 2014, Flannery confirmed his departure from his role as director of elections with Fine Gael, amid the fallout from the controversy about salaries at the Rehab Group in which he was a director before also leaving this role.^[7][8][9] At the height of the Rehab controversy it emerged that he had received payments of more than €409,000 from Rehab for consultancy work which included political lobbying on their behalf when he was a part of Fine Gael hierarchy. He declined to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the payments.

His name also appeared in the Panama Papers as having used the services of an offshore law office.^[10]

Personal life

Frank Flannery is the brother of the priest Tony Flannery.

References

1. "Senior FG officials accused of urging Cox support". The Irish Times. 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
2. "Frank Flannery quits Fine Gael roles and Rehab board". The Irish Independent. 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
3. "Frank Flannery To Retire As CEO Of The Rehab Group". Rehab Group. 2006-01-25. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
4. "Garret was not your normal political animal". The Irish Independent. 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
5. "The men behind the parties". The Examiner. 2011-02-21. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
6. "Politics » Fine Gael pulls a stroke to zilch FF's Ryan". Irish Times. 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
7. "Setback for Kenny as key FG adviser quits". Irish Independent. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
8. "Frank Flannery quits Fine Gael roles and Rehab board". Irish Independent. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
9. "Who is Frank Flannery and why is everyone talking about him?". The Journal. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
10. Quinlan, Ronald; Ryan, Philip. "Former strategist reveals Taoiseach called him first to discuss his possible return to Fine Gael". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 11 January 2015.