Fine Gael is holding a parliamentary party meeting tonight to discuss the fallout over the resignation of George Lee.
There was strong support expressed for the leadership of Enda Kenny in advance of the meeting at Leinster House combined with an anxiety to move on from the affair.
Chairman of the parliamentary party Tom Hayes said: “We are very open to allowing people to express their views. We will make it very free for anyone to stand up and say whatever is on their mind.”
Any issues surrounding the resignation of George Lee would be discussed: “Hopefully when the meeting is over tonight, we will move on from there, address those issues and prepare for the next general election.”
Asked if he had detected any rumblings or dissatisfaction with the party leader in advance of the meeting, he said: “There will be always a few, I don’t think it is anything major. I think that Enda Kenny will lead us into the next election, I have no doubt about it.”
The meeting was continuing late this evening.
Mr Kenny emerged from a meeting of his party’s front bench yesterday with unanimous backing after giving his colleagues an undertaking to improve his performance.
Speaking today, Fine Gael energy spokesman Simon Coveney defended Mr Kenny but hinted that he may be on borrowed time.
“He doesn’t always lead from the front. He allows his articulate, talented people often to speak for the party,” Mr Coveney said today. “But I think that different style of leadership, which isn’t about ego, is something that will appeal to people in time.
“That’s the challenge for Enda. He needs to step up to that mark and if he can’t achieve it, then there are obvious consequences of that.”
There was “a robust” exchange of views about Mr Kenny’s leadership performance at yesterday's front bench meeting, according to senior party sources. However, the prevailing mood of the front bench was to support Mr Kenny in the wake of the criticism levelled by the departing George Lee.
After the meeting, Mr Kenny conceded that the departure of Mr Lee had been damaging but he maintained that Fine Gael had come through “a hell of a lot worse” in the past.
"What I'm going to do now is be myself and I'm going to speak out from my heart on the issues that I believe Ireland needs for change," he said in an interview on RTÉ Radio's News at One.
Mr Kenny insisted that he would lead Fine Gael into government at the next election. “This party has never been more united. Of course there are people who don’t like Enda Kenny. I understand that. This is politics.”
He said the first he heard of Mr Lee’s disillusionment and unhappiness was on Tuesday of last week, when the former Dublin South deputy first said he intended to resign. At no time since his election in June had Mr Lee said anything to that effect. Mr Kenny said he reminded Mr Lee that he had told him after his election last June that he would “come down off an emotional Everest into a trough”, as all byelection candidates do, and he would be there to help.
He insisted that Mr Lee had been given a unique position in the party. A specific economics committee was created for him. Its remit was to drive the party’s economic policy and it had the opportunity to meet every Tuesday.
The party’s deputy leader, Richard Bruton, said there had not been any criticism of Mr Kenny at yesterday's meeting. “I think the front bench have confidence in Enda Kenny. This is a problem thrown up. I think Enda handled the issue with George Lee very honourably and I think that’s the broad belief. Clearly, we have a problem and Enda has a challenge to manage that problem and I’m absolutely convinced he’s up to it,” Mr Bruton told journalists at Leinster House.
Asked if he should have challenged for the leadership yesterday he said: “I am very loyal to Enda Kenny as the leader of this party. Myself and my colleagues, we’re determined to make this work. The issue of heaves or rumblings, that didn’t come into it. This was a discussion about how we move forward from here. Clearly there is a huge responsibility on Enda’s shoulders to deal with this and that’s what he will do.”