Analysis: What’s on the Fine Gael think-in agenda?

Fine Gael TDs, senators and MEPs will discuss the Budget, mental health and homelessness when they meet in Newbridge, Co Kildare at the first of the party think-ins of the new political term.

But three other issues will command at least as much - and probably more - of their attention on Monday and Tuesday.

The first is the breakdown of relations between Fine Gael Ministers and the Independent Minister fo State John Halligan.

The second is the party’s postmortem on its performance in the February general election.

And the third is the subject that comes up sooner or later every time Fine Gael members come together - how long will Enda Kenny remain as party leader and who will replace him.

Fine Gael Ministers and TDs are smarting from an extraordinary interview given by Mr Halligan to the Sunday Independent last weekend in which he threatened to resign, accused his ministerial colleagues of “dirty politics”, said he would “face down anyone” and challenged Taoiseach Enda Kenny to sack him.

“F**k them. Put me out. I don’t care,” Mr Halligan said in response to questions about his campaign to persuade the Government to sanction additional cardiac facilities for Waterford Hospital. A clinical review published last week found that there was no case for the improvements Mr Halligan is seeking, though recommended some extensions of the facilities there. Mr Halligan has rejected the report.

In an interview on Monday morning, Mr Kenny was sharply critical of Mr Halligan, suggesting he should pay attention to his ministerial duties, and said the Government would abide by the recommendations for Waterford contained in the expert report, but not accede to Mr Halligan's demands.

"I am not in a position to direct any medical clinician to change his opinion," Mr Kenny told Pat Kenny in an interview on Newstalk.

Few Fine Gael Ministers believe Mr Halligan can remain in Government.

Worryingly for the Waterford TD, at least some of his Independent colleagues now seem to share that view.

Fine Gael TDs will also discuss two reports into the party's poor general election result, one drawn up by backbench TDs and the other compiled by Marion Coy, a former president of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.

‘Mojo’

However, to the annoyance of many TDs, neither report will be distributed to the meeting in Newbridge. Some Ministers are privately critical of allowing the think-in - traditionally used by the parties to focus on the coming autumn political term - to be taken up by examining the mistakes of the campaign, some six months ago.

Inevitably, the subject of the leadership will be much discussed by ministers and TDs. It always is nowadays.

In his Newstalk interview, Mr Kenny declared “I’ve got my mojo back”, and said that he would not be walking away from his mandate.

However, the truth is that most members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party believe that Mr Kenny is in the final phase of his time as leader, and are looking beyond him to his successor.

From now on, his potential replacements - thought by TDs to include Leo Varadkar, Simon Coveney and Frances Fitzgerald -- will be closely watched, and their every action, statement and quiet word in a corner will be interpreted in the light of their potential candidacy.

The think-in begins at the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge at lunchtime, with the Taoiseach addressing TDs in the early afternoon. Then TDs will hear from the public expenditure minister Paschal Donohoe and finance minister Michael Noonan on the forthcoming budget, before discussing the election result. The think-in concludes on Tuesday.