Bertie Ahern clearly saw the signs that his own party would grow increasingly restless with him as leader in the run-up to the local government and EU elections next year. He is stepping down in the short term to avoid a heave and an internal battle in Fianna Fáil. He will be gone as Taoiseach and as leader of Fianna Fáil in the wake of his address to the US Congress. Such an outcome was predicted by An Phoblacht at the start of this year. Free article