FIANNA FÁIL TDs and Senators meet tomorrow night amid growing unease over the Taoiseach’s leadership style, concern at the Government’s narrowing majority and apprehension at the party’s general election prospects.
Dissident Cork North-Central TD Noel O’Flynn said he would be challenging Mr Cowen directly: “I want to know how the Taoiseach is going to lift his own popularity and the popularity of the party.”
The weekly meeting of the parliamentary party is scheduled to hear a presentation from general secretary Seán Dorgan on the state of the organisation on the ground, along with analysis of recent unfavourable opinion polls.
Following his expulsion from the parliamentary party for voting against the stag hunting Bill, Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath has publicly criticised the Taoiseach and his Green Party coalition colleague John Gormley as “weak leaders”.
But perhaps the most serious development for the Taoiseach is the emergence of Kildare TD Sean Power as a critic of his leadership when he and other TDs and Senators were invited to a breakfast meeting with Mr Cowen in Government Buildings last week.
Mr Power told the Taoiseach that when he took over in 2008 there was great hope for him in the parliamentary party and in the country at large, but two years later, “people are disappointed to varying degrees and some are very disappointed indeed”.
He said Mr Cowen had chosen to do his job “despite” the media rather than taking a positive approach to coverage, and he contrasted his approach unfavourably with that of Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.
The Taoiseach’s style of communication had given rise to “disastrous” results for the party in the 2009 local and European elections and it would be “the same in the general election”.
Mr Power concluded by saying: “The country never needed leadership and hope as much as now and the Taoiseach isn’t providing them.”
Others at the meeting reportedly intervened to praise a “marked improvement” in the Taoiseach’s style of communication.
Dublin South-Central TD Michael Mulcahy denied last night there was a leadership crisis: “What you are seeing is end-of-term jitters and fatigue at what has been an extremely difficult parliamentary season.”
As of now, four TDs and three Senators have lost the party whip and by Friday the total is expected to rise to at least 10 with Senators Labhrás Ó Murchú, Jim Walsh and John Hanafin seen as likely to vote against the Civil Partnership Bill.
In addition, Cork TD Christy O’Sullivan has indicated he may vote against the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill. However, neither of the Bills is in jeopardy as Fine Gael and the Labour Party are backing civil partnership and Labour is also expected to support the dog breeding legislation.
Dublin Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews has tabled a motion for the parliamentary party meeting opposing proposals for a property tax.