1/6 Thank you to everyone who tweeted support of or interest in mine and Stephen’s forthcoming book. It’s much appreciated. I note that there were some queries about the title and framing, so I thought I’d clarify.

2/6 Firstly, the title is not a judgement or pronouncement on the part of the authors. It’s taken from FG’s own view, at various points in its history, that it was saving or defending the state (see also tweet 4/6 for more on this).

3/6 Secondly, we know that Collins wasn’t a Fine Gael leader. The book doesn’t claim he was. And answering why him and not Arthur Griffith as our starting point addresses both points one and two (see next tweet).

4/6 As you’ll see from the blurb, the book is as much about exploring members’ and supporters’ perceptions as it is the party’s actual history - and we critically review those perceptions.

5/6 We haven’t minimised or skipped over the Eoin O’Duffy and Blueshirt era. There’s a chapter on that phase in the party’s history and we’re clear that O’Duffy can’t be ignored as the first president of Fine Gael. We also look at why that has happened.

6/6 So, there you have it. Beyond that, you’ll have to read the book when it’s available, as they say, in all good bookstores in October. In the meantime, you could always pre-order a copy https://www.dubraybooks.ie/Saving-the-State-Fine-Gael-from-Collins-to-Varadkar_9780717189731 Thanks for reading (this thread - and hopefully the book!)