More rumblings over Kenny leadership

More rumblings over Kenny leadership
03 October 2010 By Niamh Connolly Political Correspondent

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny faces another difficult parliamentary party meeting this Wednesday after the party’s poor showings in opinion polls, with some insiders insisting that questions over his leadership have returned.

The leader’s critics claim that a growing number of members, including Kenny loyalists in the heave before the summer, now believe he should stand down but don’t want a public bloodletting.

His opponents insist that Kenny lacks the credibility required to stem what is described as ‘‘the march of the Red Army’’, with support for the Labour Party and its leader Eamon Gilmore soaring.

Since Kenny has insisted he will not resign, his opponents say pressure must now come from the party’s membership, council representatives and key figures, rather than from inside the parliamentary party.

Former Fine Gael minister Gemma Hussey called for Kenny to resign last Friday. In Waterford, 16 Fine Gael councillors called on Kenny to step aside.

The issue of Kenny’s credibility as leader refuses to go away. Last week’s Ipsos MRBI poll showed Fine Gael support dropping to the same level as Fianna Fáil at 24 per cent, with Labour at 33 per cent.

But Kenny’s supporters, including frontbench heavyweights James Reilly, Phil Hogan and Michael Noonan, are adamant that the poll was a blip due to changes of methodology. If replicated in a general election the latest Ipsos/ MRBI poll could mean Fine Gael seat losses despite the worst economic crisis in the country’s history.

It contrasts with The Sunday Business Post’s Red C poll last Sunday, which showed Fine Gael at 31 per cent (down two points), Fianna Fáil the same at 24 per cent and the Labour Party down four points to 23 per cent. Kenny loyalists rode to his defence after last week’s poll, with frontbench TDs insisting his leadership was not in question.

‘‘We’ve been down that road - been there, done that and look where it got us," said one TD who came out against Kenny before the summer.

The leader’s most forthright critics believe those TDs and senators who are now closest to the leader will not urge him to stand down, as it would put their future career ambitions in jeopardy.

With a second public heave ruled out for now, other avenues are being explored to force the leader to ‘‘face reality’’, a source told this newspaper.

Kenny’s opponents still believe that former finance spokesman Richard Bruton is the best person to lead Fine Gael into the next general election.

Last week’s Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting discussed Labour’s tactical upstaging of Fine Gael in providing ‘pairs’ for Dáil votes to allow the Tánaiste, Mary Coughlan, travel abroad on a trade mission.

Fine Gael sources said its refusal to pair was designed to ‘‘make the party look strong’’ ahead of the polls later in the week