KENNY, Enda Leader FG
The Political Interview
Michael Duffy michaelduffy@mayonews.ie ENDA Kenny’s time is now. Thirty-two years after he first took his seat in the hallowed surroundings of Dáil Éireann, as a bright and energetic 24-year-old, the Holy Grail is now within his grasp.
Since the disastrous 2002 General Election campaign, Kenny has guided Fine Gael back to the business end of the Irish political landscape. After five years of hard graft, he has overcome a host of obstacles and now has genuine claims to become Mayo’s first ever Taoiseach.
“The reality was we were starting from rock bottom, wanting to climb Mount Everest. Before the last election, things were difficult. There were internal tensions within the party, there wasn’t any alliance with any other party and we were slap bang in the middle of an economic boom. People were saying, ‘hold on a minute, there is no need for a change here’.
“But circumstances have changed, people are now faced with a viable alternative, and as I said at the ard fheis, leaders may lead but it is the people who govern, they are in total charge, and I hope they choose me to govern this country for the next five years.”
His role in politics has come full circle. Halfway through the count in the TF Hotel in 2002, he looked down and out.
“That was a really difficult count for me, and my colleague Jim Higgins, because we were at the end of the pile all day, which is not the place you want to be. Also, I lost 23 colleagues from all over the country during that count. It wasn’t easy, I was getting phone calls all day, all with bad news of another loss.
“But thankfully, it all came right for me in Mayo. And then Michael Noonan decided to step down as leader that very night and as one of the longest-serving deputies in the party, I decided to go for the leadership. Thankfully the party chose me and you just get on with the job from there.”
Enda Kenny may have risen to the very top of the political game but he maintains this was not part of any ‘master plan’. He actually had never even considered entering political life until the death of his father Henry from cancer in 1975. He was happy as a national school teacher, firstly at Carrakennedy and then Knockrooskey schools, but the temptation to follow in his father’s footsteps was too much to turn his back on.
“I was reared in a political household, my father was a TD for 21 years and after winning the by-election, I found myself in Leinster House. Of course, politics was a very different game at that time. There were no mobiles, there were no Blackberries. Public meetings and church gate speaking were the order of the day. Thirty years ago you had to be in people’s faces because otherwise they did not know who you were or what you were saying. But the same premise still exists. Politics is about people, if they want to see you, they have a right to see you, you are their representative.”
Having the leader of one of the main parties running in the constituency has brought added focus to Mayo. If Fine Gael are to regain power, then surely the party leader and the party’s leading votegetter, Michael Ring, can bring home a third candidate?
“Of course people all over the country will be looking at how the party does here. So far indications are good, polls in the constituency have us at between 50 and 53 per cent. We have the votes to win three seats at least, so it is a case of shoving that around, and we will do that.
“Michelle Mulherin and John O’Mahony make up a great quartet with Michael Ring and myself, but it’s a case of having a strategy that is very clear. This is not about re-electing Enda Kenny or Michael Ring, this is about getting into government, this is about winning three seats.”
In their attempt to win an unprecedented three seats, Fine Gael have not been shy in saying that during the term of the last Government, Mayo did not get its share of the pie. We’ve all heard about the supposed €600 million underspend in the BMW region, we’ve heard about the lack of ‘clout’ at the ministerial table. Fine Gael are dangling the carrot. Mayo will benefit with the Taoiseach in our midst.
“It’s not a case of favouritism. I am a firm believer in balanced regional development, every part of the country should get its fair share. It’s as simple as that.
“Let’s put it in a political context. If Fianna Fáil are returned by the people into power, it’s most unlikely, with respect to them, that they will have any Minister in this county. If Fine Gael get into power, the Taoiseach will be living in the county for the first time ever. So purely from that point of view, the west of Ireland is faced with an opportunity which it may not get again for a very long time.”
One of the disadvantages of living in Castlebar and working in Dublin is the time spent away from the family home. Enda Kenny makes no secret of the fact that he is very much ‘a family man’. Despite working 18-hour days, he makes time for his wife Fionnuala and children, Aoibheann (14), Ferdia (12) and Naoise (10).
“It’s a difficult balancing act but I have a few fundamental rules. I speak to my children every morning on the phone before they go to school, and I speak to them again in the evening. I feel the thing about children is, they don’t mind how far away you are, as long as they know where you are, be it in Galway, Brussels or America. Some people in politics get carried away about the demands of the career, but fundamentally who are we? I’m the same as most people. I have a job to do, it is an important job in terms of trust, but you do have to stand up for the things that are important, and one of those things is my family.”
There can be no doubting that Enda Kenny has grown into his role as leader of the Opposition. The only way was up when he became party leader but, after initial scepticism about his ability to lead in the face of adversity, he has won over the doubters. He heads into Election 2007 full of confidence that he will be the eleventh Taoiseach of this country. He’s prepared to lead. He believes his time is now.
