CABINET MEETING:A NUMBER of senior Fianna Fáil Ministers, led by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, rounded on the two Green Ministers at yesterday's Cabinet meeting.
One source with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr Lenihan expressed his fury at the decision by the junior Coalition partner to announce on Monday that it was pulling out of Government.
“They got a couple of home truths today at the Cabinet meeting,” said the Fianna Fáil source.
“There was anger and great concern expressed about the uncertainty and chaos that the Greens’ announcement had caused.
“They were told that their announcement on Monday could have undermined the strong position and calm that the Government had achieved by Sunday night.”
Anger at the Green Party’s move was also expressed at the emergency meeting of Fianna Fáil Ministers on Monday evening, with several senior figures calling for the junior ministers to be sacked from Government.
Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe argued for the Government to move on without the two Green Ministers.
He got strong support from Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan and Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.
“Everybody was furious at the Greens at the meeting and some Ministers accused the junior party of treachery,” said another source.
“That was understandable given the fact that the two Green Ministers had known all weekend that they were going to make that announcement, or something similar, on Monday.
“Yet, they said nothing to any of their colleagues.
“There have been ups and downs in the past few years but they have worked together. There were some Ministers who regarded that as betrayal.”
Minister for Social Protection Éamon Ó Cuív, who has become a more influential figure in Cabinet since moving from community affairs, argued that Taoiseach Brian Cowen should go immediately to Áras an Uachtaráin seeking a dissolution of the Dáil and then call a general election.
However, the prevailing view of the meeting was that the seriousness of the national question obliged the Government to do all in its means to ensure that both the four-year plan and the budget was passed.
That argument was made by Ministers Micheál Martin, Mary Hanafin and Dermot Ahern as well as by Mr Cowen himself.
Shortly after 6pm, the Fianna Fáil Ministers agreed on a statement which argued for the budget and the four-year plan to be passed, at which juncture a general election would then be called.