Kenny tries to defuse November election speculation

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has sought to defuse speculation that a general election is imminent amid a spate of rumours it will take place in November.

Responding on Tuesday to a prediction by broadcaster Ivan Yates that the election will take place on November 20th, Mr Kenny told reporters: “You can tell Ivan Yates I’ll have a bet with him – and he will lose.”

However, in Brussels Ireland’s EU commissioner Phil Hogan told a group of Fine Gael activists on Monday they should be prepared for an election on November 20th.

Key Fine Gael activists from a number of constituencies travelled to Brussels for meetings over the past two days in preparation for the election campaign.

During the visit they had meetings with Mr Hogan, Fine Gael MEPs and colleagues from Fine Gael’s sister parties in the European People’s Party group in the European Parliament.

Budget

Mr Hogan is one of a number of senior Fine Gael figures in favour of a November election. Minister for Finance Michael Noonan is believed to share the view that the best time for the Coalition to go to the country would be shortly after the budget on October 13th.

Mr Kenny has said on a number of occasions that the election will take place next year and he repeated this in the Dáil last week. This commitment is widely regarded in the political world as a holding position which could change quickly in the light of circumstances.

“The truth is that nobody except Enda knows when the election date will be, and he may not have made up his mind yet,” one senior Fine Gael source said yesterday.

Strategists

He added Mr Kenny had told Fine Gael strategists to have everything in place from the middle of this month so the party will be ready for an election any time from November onwards.

The Taoiseach’s own constituency convention in Mayo is scheduled for Monday, October 19th. It will be the last of the Fine Gael conventions and the timing has prompted speculation Mr Kenny will announce an election once it is out of the way.

Budget 2016 is due to be unveiled on October 13th, and will be debated in the Dáil over the following few days.

The Finance Bill which gives effect to the budget is usually published a few weeks later and takes some time to go through the Dáil and Seanad.

However, a slimmed down version of the Finance Bill could be produced quickly and passed by the Dáil before the end of the month if Mr Kenny decided to go ahead with an election in November.

Tánaiste Joan Burton has said the Labour Party would like to see the Government running its full term into the spring but acknowledged that under the terms of the Constitution the Taoiseach of the day has the final decision on the election date.