OPINION:We argued and now it's over – we must concentrate on our real opponents: the Government, writes ENDA KENNY
THERE WAS a lot of passion. There was some emotion. People spoke with conviction and from the heart.
My Fine Gael colleagues at our meeting on Thursday spoke about Fine Gael’s proud history and our recent years of renewal. They also spoke of the challenges our party faces today at a time of economic upheaval and political instability and how we all, all, must be ready to go the extra mile to ensure that Fine Gael leads the next government.
And rest assured, after securing the approval of my party to lead Fine Gael into the next election, the sole focus of our efforts will be to make sure that we win that election. The introspection is over. The wobbling is done. A confident, united Fine Gael Party is going to push ahead now with one collective goal in mind: form a new government with the radical plans our country needs to get back to work and back on track.
It was undoubtedly a dramatic, tension-filled week for Fine Gael. The spotlight unhappily came on our party at a time when the Government and its handling of the economy should have been the target of our energies. While it was a tough week for any Fine Gael politician, it is our supporters and friends around the country who I felt worst for.
I have apologised to so many of our 600,000 supporters over the last five days who have rung, written and texted to say “Stop. What are you all doing?”
They didn’t understand why this leadership challenge materialised and they didn’t understand the timing of the move. They didn’t want us questioning ourselves when we should have been challenging the Government.
It does seem to be a historic Fine Gael trait that we take on board our opponents’ criticisms of us individually or collectively, and turn those criticisms into sticks to beat ourselves with.
Opinion polls that go up and down from period to period are over-interpreted and often misunderstood. Instead of standing tall and arguing our case, too often self doubt and lack of faith undermines.
After this week though, we change. From this week on the era of self doubt and self recrimination can come to an end. This week, after the party voted confidence in me, I am confident that that we have broken a cycle. It is a cycle or a pattern that is one consistent feature of Irish politics. Every leader of Fine Gael going back a generation has had to deal with this. Demonised in the job, eulogised once gone. And it’s usually our opponents who do both jobs!
But I am determined to break that pattern. And that is what I told my party colleagues this week. I have always aspired to lead a Fine Gael that is strong and vibrant and secure in its identity and that has the confidence of its convictions, people and its policies. It was with that type of ambition that I announced my ambition eight years ago of making Fine Gael the largest party in the State.
Opponents scoffed and commentators smirked. But it was with this approach that we built the party back up from the demoralised shadow of itself left after defeat in 2002. And it was with this approach that I led my party into three national elections over the last six years – local and European elections in 2004 and 2009 and the general election in 2007.
We won a record 20 extra seats in 2007 and are also now the largest party in the State in local government and in the European Parliament. We defeated Fianna Fáil in a national election in the popular vote for the first time in 70 years. These are real votes in real elections. The currency of our political system. Not polls or comment pieces.
The message is clear. A united, professional, focused and confident Fine Gael can and, I believe, will achieve our objectives. In my years as leader we have come so far. Following on from this week I am increasingly confident that we can now push on again and become the largest party in the next Dáil. Of course, this is not an end in itself. This is just a means to ensure that our radical policy agenda can be implemented. That includes our plans to transform our political system, introduce the best elements of the Dutch model of healthcare to Ireland and crucially to get our people back to work with a massive new investment programme in 21st century infrastructure.
My colleagues this week pointed out how we can make sure we can realise these ambitions for our party. Sustained and simple communication of our policies. The development of new policies and plans that connect with the public in an easily understood manner. Use of the Dáil as a means of holding this Government to account and as a platform to promote our new ideas. A strong and professional organisation that is responsive to the needs and challenges of the politicians and candidates that they are there to support. And in all of this you have to have the thread of fairness throughout.
This is not rocket science. But executing and delivering on these core elements of a successful political party requires non-stop attention and commitment. The party has developed these capabilities during my time at the helm with the electoral benefits evident after each polling day.
However, any distraction can derail the best of plans. This week was an extreme case in point, but not many people got to hear about our FairCare plans for the health service or about our NewERA plan for a jobs stimulus programme. We cannot afford to waste our energy and abandon our ideas on the back of occasional blips in opinion polls. The same polls, as it turns out, that show Fine Gael as the largest party in the State in 25 consecutive polls.
Unity of purpose and a singularity of focus are now key. Both for our party and for our country. We can achieve any goals if we adopt this approach. But we cannot afford to be deflected or distracted. I want all the talents in the party available to contribute to the next phase of our growth.
United we achieve our ambitions, divided we realise our opponents’.
Enda Kenny is leader of Fine Gael