Enda Kenny under pressure - again

Enda Kenny under pressure - again


Rowan Gallagher

FINE Gael TDs have remained tight-lipped about a possible heave against Enda Kenny but recent opinion polls showing a weakening Fine Gael, a strengthening Labour and flat out refusals to voice support or other wise by Fine Gael TDs has led to much speculation.
Though there has been much coverage of a possible heave, no TDs from within the party have come out in opposition to the leader at present. When contacted by The Mayo News, Waterford TD John Deasy refused to comment whether he supported or didn’t support the current leader.
Unwavering support for the leader came from Deputy Michael Ring who condemned the recent media portrayal of any leadership battle.
“If a paper has quotes they don’t attribute they didn’t talk to anyone in my opinion. The only poll that matters is the election, and Kenny has won that every time. We can’t have a new leader every time there is a new poll out there.
“If people within the party want to voice their problems there is a party meeting in the week which they can do so. No political journalist will dictate the agenda for a party, if they want to they can stand for election, they can. Some of them have and haven’t lasted very long,” the Westport TD told The Mayo News.
Dublin South West TD Brian Hayes confirmed to The Mayo News that it is an issue within the party, but that he supported the leader. When asked who would succeed Kenny if a heave was successful he refused to suggest a person.
“I couldn’t possibly speculate on such matters, and I couldn’t comment on what my colleagues may be saying. People should maintain their virtue and discuss any issues within the confines of the party,” Deputy Hayes said.
Deputy John O’Mahony was disappointed at the recent poll results but remained in support of the leader.
“It would be no secret to say there is disappointment at the polls - we need to send out a more clear message. These polls have also been seen to be very volatile,” he said.
When it was put to Deputy O’Mahony that Fine Gael could be in coalition with Labour but with a Labour Taoiseach he claimed he couldn’t contemplate it.
Richard Bruton, who spearheaded a failed coup just four months ago, is seen as the obvious contender in any leadership battle but younger TDs may see this as an opportunity to throw their hat into the ring.
After discussing a suicide item on the ‘Tonight with Vincent Browne’ last week it was suggested by the host that Enda Kenny should go into a dark room with a gun and a bottle of whiskey, a remark that sparked outrage on online forums and Twitter but slipped under the radar of the national media who failed to report the incident.
Fine Gael Senator Paddy Burke from Castlebar subsequently made a complaint to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
Vincent Browne has made a public apology, a move which Deputy John O’Mahony claims isn’t enough.
“If the government or opposition made a comment like that it would be seen as libelous, an apology just isn’t good enough,” concluded Deputy O’Mahony.
An opinion poll by The Sunday Independent and Quantum Research showed that 71 per cent of the public wanted Deputy Kenny to stand down as leader of Fine Gael and that only 68 per cent wanted Taoiseach Brian Cowen to stand down. The validity of the poll was questioned by Deputy John O’Mahony who claimed that they were probably contacting the same 100 people every time to fill in their pie charts.