Kenny’s position as FG leader secure for ‘foreseeable future’

Enda Kenny’s position as Fine Gael leader remains secure for “the foreseeable future” despite strong criticism of the party leadership’s performance voiced at an post-election meeting at the weekend.

The party’s director of elections, Dublin MEP Brian Hayes, and general secretary Tom Curran faced angry directors of elections from members across the country who complained of a gulf in understanding between head office and the party grassroots.

Tom Garvey, director of elections for Mayo where Fine Gael lost one of its three seats, said “voices were raised” during the meeting at a hotel in Dublin on Saturday as contributors “got things off their chests”.

He said the meeting was told that senior Ministers should have played a more prominent role “on the airwaves” during the campaign.

There were complaints that while the economic recovery was being felt in Dublin there appeared to be little understanding among senior Fine Gael strategists that rural Ireland had not benefitted to anything like the same extent.

No favours

The decision to characterise British prime minister David Cameron’s eve of election good wishes to Mr Kenny as coming close to endorsing the Taoiseach was described as a move that did the party no favours with the electorate.

However, Mr Garvey insisted the mood of the meeting remained “positive”, and most in attendance remained well-disposed towards Mr Kenny.

“I don’t think any leader ever has 100 per cent backing in any organisation but after the meeting I think he still has the support of the grassroots,” he said.

A number of those who attended told The Irish Times they believed Fine Gael had been too hasty to change leaders in the past.

John Hanlon, director of elections for Waterford where John Deasy took the last seat for Fine Gael but Minister of State Paudie Coffey lost out, said health and housing issues dominated the meeting, along with the problems of rural Ireland.

Grey vote

“I did ask some questions. I said we had lost the grey vote. A lot of the elderly people felt they weren’t appreciated by the last administration. With the health cuts and the €3 on the pension it wasn’t even paper money what they got.”

However, Mr Hanlon also said Mr Kenny was well-received at the meeting, and there was widespread acknowledgment that his job was not an easy one. “I think Enda Kenny is the best man there for the present time.”

The meeting heard a retrospective report on Fine Gael’s performance in the election and analysis of voting patterns would be carried out by former Galway Mayo Institute of Technology president Marion Coy.

Ms Coy is chairwoman of the Collins Institute, a think tank established by Fine Gael to produce policy ideas and papers independently from the party.