PARTY MEETING:FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny faced "implicit criticism" from senior colleagues over poor public performances recently but the issue of his leadership was not directly broached during the course of yesterday's meeting of the party's front bench.
At the first meeting of the shadow cabinet following George Lee’s resignation from the party and from the Dáil, the Fine Gael leader won unanimous support and sympathy from his colleagues for the manner in which he had dealt with the Dublin South TD in the run-up to his departure.
Mr Lee’s dramatic announcement threw the party into turmoil. It also led to some TDs and Senators questioning Mr Kenny’s leadership after eight years at the helm.
However, no challenge to his position materialised at the meeting, according to official party sources and to six TDs who attended, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.
There was also consensus that the prospect of a motion of confidence being tabled at today’s parliamentary party meeting has receded, although the possibility was not fully discounted.
“His vulnerability has lessened somewhat,” said one member. “It was a very frank and honest front-bench meeting. People were being more honest with him about his performance than they have been before.”
Another concluded that following the meeting, there “were no questions in relation to his leadership for the foreseeable future. Yes, there were concerns and mutterings. I think that George Lee brought those to a head in a way that allowed him [Mr Kenny] to deal with them,” he said.
The meeting, which lasted for less than two hours, was variously described as “open” and “honest”, but accounts of the criticisms made of Mr Kenny varied.
Stronger supporters of the leader said it was never more than implied, but some of those who would be perceived as admirers of deputy leader Richard Bruton said it was more direct and brave.
All agreed that the leader “took all the criticism on board”.
One said that the contribution of Mr Bruton was crucial to this.
According to a colleague, Mr Bruton told the meeting that the bigger issue was that Fine Gael needed to lead transformational change in the country.
He said that would require dramatic changes from Mr Kenny and from everybody else.
The meeting then opened into a discussion on Mr Lee’s resignation, Mr Kenny’s handling of it and the repercussions for the party.
Those who were prominent in a debate that was described as frank and candid included education spokesman Brian Hayes and energy spokesman Simon Coveney.
Among the specific issues addressed, according to those present, was the need for Mr Kenny to introduce more focus to diary commitments, to improve his performances at set events like leaders questions and radio and TV interviews.
The issue of his communication skills and his grasp of policy detail were referred to, they said.
Those who spoke to The Irish Times all agreed that the party would suffer damage but that the crisis did not touch on Mr Kenny’s leadership.
“The instinct was to defend the party,” said one TD. “If anybody saw it as an opportunity to bring down Enda Kenny, that was not the sense that I had. We recognised that the party and Enda had been damaged by it but we were not going back to the silly nonsense of before.”
Another TD said: “To jettison Enda at this time and in these circumstances would be grossly unfair to him.”
However this deputy also said that with the Dáil looking like running the full term until 2012, questions over the leadership had not been fully settled.
“His satisfaction ratings have not been good; the jury is out. He needs to be a lot more determined and to up his game.”
Some of the exchanges at the meeting were said to be robust.
“He took it on board. It was very constructive conversation, a level of honesty that was not heard in Fine Gael for a while,” said another member of the front bench.
