Senior party members play down leadership speculation

Fine Gael TDs, Senators and MEPs have dismissed speculation about the party leadership and have urged members to focus on the coming general election. Their calls follow comments this week from John Deasy TD, who said that there should be a leadership contest if the party failed to win the election.

Deputy leader Richard Bruton described the remarks by Mr Deasy as "depressing" He added: "People who are interested in the country having a proper election, with alternative strategies coherently set out, are quite sickened by this.

"One of the great successes of Enda Kenny is that he rooted out the atmosphere of backbiting that was once in the party, and that is what makes it so depressing for people like myself, who are involved in trying to articulate an alternative, to see John Deasy deliberately doing this."

Michael Ring, a constituency colleague of Enda Kenny, said that any challenges to his leadership amounted to "sabotage".

"There is no support whatsoever within the party for a leadership challenge, either now or after the general election," Mr Ring commented. "The only item on the agenda is the winning of the general election and going into government with Labour. Anyone who suggests otherwise is sabotaging the party."

The party's director of organisation, Phil Hogan TD, said that media speculation about the leadership was a "non-story", as Mr Kenny had the full support of the party.

"Enda Kenny has transformed the fortunes of the Fine Gael party since becoming leader in 2002. He has led us to European, local and byelection successes . . . With party membership, organisation and finances in their healthiest state for many years, we are fully prepared for a successful election in the summer and ready to form a new government with the Labour Party."

Mr Hogan said that recent discussion of a post-election fall-out failed to heed the party's rules, which stipulated that a leader, if he or she did not lead the party into government, had to put themselves before the parliamentary party for a vote of confidence. "This provision was inserted into the party's constitution specifically to remove the need for idle speculation about the future leadership of the party."

MEP Simon Coveney described the controversy as an "unnecessary distraction". He added: "I know John [ Deasy] well on a personal level, but whether he meant to cause this level of publicity is irrelevant. It's something Enda doesn't need. He has brought people together, and the party has never been as united . . . I spoke to John last night. He didn't raise the issue; he answered a question he was asked about after the election. He feels it was taken out of context."

MEP and TD Gay Mitchell said that there were "more serious things" to talk about. "I think they [ John Deasy and Damien English] should look up a dictionary and check the meaning of 'ageism'. If there's ever a change of leader, I think it should be someone over 50 from Dublin with European experience, preferably a former lord mayor!"

Jim O'Keeffe, who was "astonished" by Mr Deasy's remarks, did not believe that they would damage the party. "It has caused a lot of irritation, but I think it won't cause any damage. A lot of people told me it's an irrelevance and we should get on with the business of winning the election and getting this God-forsaken Government out of office."

Frontbenchers Bernard Allen, Olivia Mitchell, Shane McEntee and Paul Kehoe, as well as Senator Michael Finucane, also played down the controversy and said that the party should focus on taking power.