Madam, – The challenge of Richard Bruton to the leadership of Enda Kenny is both justified and necessary. It would be foolish to allow a man who has been previously rejected by the electorate in 2007, lead the party into another election campaign. Mr Kenny has done a good job in unifying the Fine Gael party and moving it to a position of strength where it provides a real alternative to Fianna Fáil. However, the same pitfall remains, that burning doubt as to whether Mr Kenny would make a good Taoiseach. His inability to shake this doubt is holding the Fine Gael party back.
In Richard Bruton we have a politician who possesses strong leadership qualities and whom the Irish people can have faith in to lead Ireland through the years of economic challenge which lie ahead. Indeed it seems just one question arises. Is this the Enda Kenny? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Last week we were given two reports which attributed considerable blame to the Taoiseach; your paper published a poll which stated that 12 per cent of the electorate are happy with the Government. The same poll puts a resurgent Labour ahead of Fine Gael, with Fianna Fáil at 17 per cent.
While the “soldiers of insolvency” cower in their bunker, consoling themselves that they are still 60 per cent more popular than Sinn Féin, the media turn their sights elsewhere. On Sunday, all mainstream papers turn on disquiet within Fine Gael, (who should not have risen to the bait) for want of a story for the week. Fine Gael delivers, and your cup runneth over.
Starting in 2002, Enda rebuilt a broken party, resulting in a 60 per cent uplift in seats in 2007. There were further gains in the local elections in 2009.
Whatever concerns we, as a nation, may have regarding his ability as a future taoiseach, they dwarf our well-documented concerns regarding Brian Cowen’s track record. This should be a sufficient story for media attention. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, for Enda Kenny to lose one economics expert may be regarded as misfortune, to lose two looks like carelessness. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The current debate within Fine Gael is very difficult for many party members, especially as even his doubters will now admit Enda Kenny was exactly the right fit for the task of saving the party from 2002 on; but as we should remember, Moses never got to the Promised Land.
To those who say we must support Mr Kenny as leader above all other considerations, I would ask two simple questions.
1. Do they accept there is a problem with the public’s perception of his abilities – not with his actual abilities but with the public’s perception of them? I think most people will answer yes.
2. To those who accept there is a problem with that perception, what do we do about it? There are three options: i) demonstrate immediately a convincing plan to right the public’s misconceptions of Mr Kenny and explain why this has not happened before now, ii) accept stagnation of the party’s support, or iii) remove the perception problem entirely by removing the very man who is the subject of the incorrect perception.
Is this outcome fair to Mr Kenny? No. Does Mr Kenny deserve this fate after all he has done for the party? Absolutely not. But in politics and in life, people do not get what they deserve. The country has made up its mind, it’s time the party did too.
Madam, – I am not a member of Fine Gael but have voted for Fine Gael candidates for as long as I can remember. Up until now I’ve also strongly supported Enda Kenny. I believe he has done a great job in bringing the party to where it is now. However, he lacks that indefinable something which is needed to get to the next level, ie into government. This calls for a change in leadership and I believe Richard Bruton is the right man for the job. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Has Fine Gael pressed the self-destruct button, was this blood-letting media-induced, or are there dirty tricks originating in other political parties to divert attention from them? This is otherwise incomprehensible at a time when Fine Gael put down a motion of no-confidence in its political opponents! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – “Et tu, Bruton” – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I believe in common decency. A person who has done the hard graft work for the Fine Gael party should not be shafted by others who would now like to bask in the glory of what was his hard work over many years. I know politicians are good at that, but I personally would prefer to see earned leadership.
I am not a Fine Gael voter, but I think Mr Kenny put too much work into this to be disposed of in this way. I hope fair play prevails. Mr Kenny has earned this right to lead the party into the next election. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – Dr Elaine Byrne’s thesis (Opinion, June 15th) that the power struggle within Fine Gael runs along an urban/rural fault is simplistic. Defence counsel for Mr Kenny submit that under his stewardship the party have made consecutive electoral gains (albeit no “wins”) and that the reorganisation of the party since 2002 is to his credit. Prosecution counsel argue that he fails to achieve that je ne sais quoi in respect of connecting with the electorate.
Whatever weighting of each side’s affidavit; the real fault line is between “2002 to the present” and “2010 to the future”. Adopting a Shannon-divide analysis fails to grasp the complexities of politicking, simpliciter. – Is mise,