Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated 2.30pm
JOHN DEASY HAS never been a fan of Enda Kenny so no one was particularly surprised when the Fine Gael backbencher took a swipe at the Taoiseach in September.
The Waterford deputy said people in Fine Gael were “disgusted” with the way the party was being run, claiming any dissent was punished and that there is an atmosphere of total non-criticism within the party.
“If you don’t tow the line then you will be punished,” was Deasy’s assessment. Only Cavan-Monaghan deputy Seán Conlan, who feels he has been persecuted by the leadership, came out publicly to agree with Deasy.
But privately several party backbenchers agreed with what Deasy (below) said. They ranged from those who were part of the failed heave in 2010 to the ambitious, but slapped down, ‘five-a-side’ group of first-time deputies who have been scathing of the government’s lack of political reform.
These are all the usual awkward suspects who are not fans of Enda Kenny. They are in the minority in the Fine Gael party which is why right now the Taoiseach’s leadership is not under immediate threat.
Every now and then a few anti-Kenny elements within Fine Gael crunch the numbers and assess where each member of the parliamentary party stands on the leadership question. A recent analysis showed there would not be sufficient support to mount a successful heave.
But how long that remains the case is now a big question being asked within Fine Gael following this morning’s Ipsos MRBI poll in the Irish Times which has frightened quite a few of those who occupy the party’s middle ground.
One party insider noted that a dozen backbench TDs are in Brussels to meet Phil Hogan and MEPs today. “I’d say Kenny’s glad [Paul] Kehoe went with them,” they said, referring to the Taoiseach’s fiercely loyal chief whip.
It also hasn’t gone unnoticed that Jim Daly, a first-time TD from Cork and normally a staunch defender of the government, has come out in the Irish Times today talking about a lack of political reform within Fine Gael.
The conventional wisdom amongst those who back Kenny, and even those on the fence, is that a leadership change would be politically disastrous and Fine Gael would still be finding its feet under a new leader come election time. There are also questions about who exactly would mount that challenge and be that new leader.
The usual names mentioned are ministers Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar but some believe that Coveney doesn’t have what it takes while Varadkar may be playing a longer game and wouldn’t be ready to go for the leadership. There is some consensus around Frances Fitzgerald (below) but she is fiercely loyal to Kenny and would be very unlikely to challenge him.
Fianna Fáil TDs now gleefully claim that Kenny is at Brian Cowen levels of unpopularity and the party believes that a strategy of painting Kenny as out of touch and deluded will appeal to voters.
Up and down the country they’re hearing it on the doorsteps that people really just don’t like the Taoiseach. Kenny is coming across it himself as he faces water protesters everywhere he goes.
The Taoiseach is consistently talking about the benefits of the economic recovery and of more tax cuts ahead. But right now lots of voters are struggling to keep their head above water and even with the changes are dreading their Irish Water bill landing next year.
A Fine Gael minister who is a big supporter of Kenny privately admitted to us this morning that the party is not effectively communicating its best selling point: the economic recovery.
We’re going around like robots talking about 70,000 jobs and falling bond yields. We need to be explaining how what we’ve done is going to positively affect ‘John and Mary’.
Both government parties hope that when people start to feel the benefit of the Budget tax changes in January of next year there will be an upswing in their support. But will that be enough?
If the polls don’t start heading in an upward direction for both coalition parties by February at the latest then there will be serious questions being asked about Kenny’s future as Fine Gael leader.
All of that is without even considering what possible implications there could be for Kenny from the publication of the interim report into the circumstances surrounding Martin Callinan’s departure as garda commissioner.
Negative findings against Kenny in that report, due early next year, combined with bad poll numbers could create a perfect storm and make his position untenable.
For now, Kenny is safe. But the coming months are crucial.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I wonder who’ll be liable to pay the penalties if they don’t keep budgets balanced. I’m guessing it won’t be deducted from their own salaries anyway!
Certainly recommend this. It be a step in the right direction.
I agree MC. However if councils are required by statute to balance their books, why not national governments?
Cannot understand why they don’t balance their budgets as it is . Surely they have to account for every cent spent ? The figures they produce I assume are given to the government to be part of their budgeted figures . So if the government accept non budgeted figures how can they get the total economy’s figures correct ?
The mind boggles !
The degree of intrusion into how we run our country is staggering. Humiliating. And 21% of you would vote the party that invited this on us back into power.
Didn’t FG and indeed SF also ‘invite’ them in by voting in favor of the bank guarantee? They’re all as bad as each other in reality, and once they get into power all doubt about that is removed.
Ah Vincent stop,isn’t Enda fawning with happiness everytime he announces with exceeded Troika targets.FG are continuing FF’s policies no difference,just two very regressive budgets(the poorest pays most each time)
@mart- why did a bank guarantee arise, again?
@norman- the more targets hit, the greater the prospect of a return to the market, the faster we bid the Troika farewell….
Vincent even as you say if we return to the markets,we will only bid farewell to 1/3 of the Troika.The Fiscal Treaty FG coerced the country into accepting has made the other 2/3 ‘s a permanant feature here.
The Councils also need to provide justification and value for money on spending. They budget published by Kildare CC shows a spend of some €750,000 for parks cleaning and refuse collection….The largest park to me is around 10-20 acres, has about 5 bins which are always overflowing and never seem to be collected. If this is characteristic of all towns in the county how in the name can they be spending the money?
Great idea on paper, but its going to cost more to merge than the savings will generate.
Another FG/Labour spend a million to save 50,000
Funny how in the last few days with some degree of entry back to the market, possible sale of government interest in aib , a good Christmas for the domestic economy the troika decide to speak out . Confidence seemed to be lifting slightly. The eu presidency and kenny in my opinion seeming to perform well in Europe we get kicked back into our box. The economist prints an editorial recommeding help for ireland. we meet the vast majority of targets set for us. We dont do a greece and have debt write off and second bailout.Then Just in case you think of asking for a deal on bank debt remember you are still bad boys and girls…time will pass and eventually we will get out of this but we need to never forget this …remember we held a grudge and contempt for the Brits for 800 years time to swap the contempt
Looks like a deal on bank debt is off the cards.
@ciaran- and you extrapolated that from….?
The European Commission in principal recommending our councils to balance their books is not unreasonable ,we do owe the troika a lot of money.but if a european policy of fines is created as a result of the councils inability to reform their services then we should be very worried and at all costs easiest this.this would be the equivalent of a money lender calling to your door and saying he wants two grand next week because HE didn’t come get his 500 last week,does that make sense,Europe must understand that the Irish as citizens cannot be expected to pay huge daily fines because of the incompetence of our leaders,in Ireland we have no control of services like councils or hospitals or transport because our leaders ,or management have their positions cemented in place with a system of no responsibility which has been created under the watchful eye of Europe.the European Commission has failed the Irish people in allowing our very intelligent population be gradually disenfranchised by a long established fraternity of characters that would make George Orwells pigs look good.( maybe that’s harsh ,but those pigs were organized!!) So Europe ,if the services that we pay for don’t deliver in terms of value for money ,then the councils will be fined alright,but they’ll be fined by us the people or not at all.
Resist it not easiest it ,damn you technology!
Yes master ! Lets tip our hats to the European gentry.
Altho i dont like the way the troika are poking their nose in almost everything in every article on journal today
I do agree with them on this we should be running balanced budgets at council level its just a shame it takes a boom and bust and a a bailout for the country to be spoon fed basics like this why could t this be all done 2000-2008
I wonder if they are telling the Commission that they are increasing the number of Councillors in Dublin by 50…..
have your say