Stephen Collins: Kenny sees off the rebels with ease

The mini-revolt against Enda Kenny by a few disgruntled Fine Gael TDs fizzled out almost as quickly as it began. The bulk of the parliamentary party sensibly decided that the last thing they or the country needed at this time of huge uncertainty was a family squabble that could have brought the minority Government crashing down.

If the handful of rebels thought Kenny was going to be forced into showing his hand about his planned departure date they got a rude awakening. Internal challenges have brought out the fighter in him before, and it was the same again this time around.

It was hardly a surprise that most of his TDs and Senators recoiled from a politically dangerous bout of blood-letting with no obvious outcome.

When the leader stood his ground the majority rallied around him and the rebels found themselves isolated.

Some of them had to grit their teeth and endure the indignity of being dragged over to the Dáil canteen in full public view to have their tea with the leader while he explained to them just why he had no intention of setting a date for his departure.

Kenny is on record as saying he will not lead Fine Gael into the next election, but the paradox is that his departure from office could precipitate the election that most in Leinster House don't want for at least two or three years.

Added to the normal desire not to pull the house down on top of themselves, most Fine Gael TD are also acutely aware that Ireland is now in a precarious position following the British decision to exit the EU.

If an example is needed of how the personal ambitions of individual politicians can put a country's welfare at risk, just look at events in the UK. The appointment of Boris Johnson as foreign secretary personifies the contempt with which the British Conservative Party now regards the rest of the world, and is prepared to put its own interests ahead of everything else.

Despite his outrageous statements over the years, Johnson may be the best hope of a reasonable compromise between the EU and the UK, but whatever happens there are dangerous times ahead for this country.

The wily Kerry Senator Paul Coghlan warned his Fine Gael colleagues on Wednesday night that this was not the time to be changing the captain of the team just when things were getting so difficult on the international front.

He also made the point that Fine Gael was in danger of undermining its core self-image as the party that puts the country first regardless of the political cost.

On top of that there is the practical consideration that the early departure of Kenny could undermine the deal with Fianna Fáil that is keeping the partnership Government in place.

In the event, the bulk of the parliamentary party did not need much convincing, and Kenny has been given the room to make his own decision about the best time to announce his departure, whether that be sooner or later.

Office-holders

One of the reasons the Taoiseach has a secure majority in the parliamentary party is that more than half of the TDs are office-holders of one kind or another. Yet this is also the reason why there is such disgruntlement among the minority.

In the past there were usually far more backbenchers than ministers so people who were left out by the leader had the consolation that other talented people had been passed over for one reason or another. Now that most are actually Ministers some of those overlooked have genuine reasons for feeling aggrieved.

“It really is galling to see people who you know have less ability than you being promoted for no obvious reason,” said one TD who was not involved with the rebels.

Some of Kenny's ministerial appointments defied logic, and the reappointment of James Reilly, who is now a Senator, as deputy leader acted as the catalyst for the revolt.

An important factor in the equation is the suspicion that the rebels may be in league with some more senior figures who want to force an early leadership contest.

During his speech to the parliamentary party Kenny questioned the loyalty of some who were trying to undermine him. Louth TD Fergus O'Dowd objected strongly to having his loyalty to the party questioned for raising the leadership issue.

Kenny assured O’Dowd that he was not referring to him but it left open the question as to whom he was alluding.

Some people close to Kenny believe the rebel backbenchers are pawns in the next leadership contest, but none of the potential contenders put their heads above the parapet last week.

Fearful

One of the reasons why TDs are fearful of an early leadership contest is that Kenny’s successor will be elected by a complicated electoral college in which the backbenchers have 65 per cent of the vote, the party members 20 per cent and local councillors 10 per cent.

The Fine Gael process is not quite as absurd as the system which allowed for the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour Party, but the decision should never have been taken out of the hands of the parliamentary party.

The people in the best position to judge the relative merits of leadership candidates are their parliamentary colleagues.

Ironically, the elaborate system helps to protect Kenny’s position because triggering it will simply add another layer of complication to an already difficult political situation.

For a variety of reasons the safest course for Fine Gael and for the country at the moment is to follow Hilaire Belloc’s injunction: “Always keep a-hold of nurse, for fear of finding something worse.”