It was more a shambles than a leadership challenge. No planning, little organisation and even less follow-through were involved.

It seemed that Austin Deasy had decided it was time for John Bruton to go. So he put down a motion of no confidence in his party leader. Just like that.

Of course it didn't work. After 3 1/2 hours of discussion in overheated party rooms at Leinster House yesterday, Mr Deasy conceded the leader had been confirmed in office by "a handsome majority".

And while precise figures were not available, Mr Bruton's supporters claimed a victory by a ratio of five to one. His opponents, however, maintained it was closer to three to one.

The bumbling approach reflected the ills afflicting Fine Gael. Infighting over the selection of candidates has broken out in several areas. There is residual anger over the handling of an internal inquiry into payments to politicians.

And the party is failing to capitalise on the Coalition's failures.

It had been thought that Fine Gael's strong performance in the Tipperary South by-election in June had buried any challenge to Mr Bruton's leadership. In the weeks leading up to that contest, party dissidents had insisted that if Tom Hayes did badly, the leader would have to go.

In the event, Mr Hayes beat the Fianna Fail candidate into third place. And John Bruton acquired a Teflon coat.

To say there was bewilderment in the parliamentary party on Wednesday would understate the position. After an initial flurry of activity to establish just who was backing the Deasy challenge and whether an alternative leader was on offer, the tension imploded.

Bruton troops dropped into standby mode: it was only Austin doing his solitary thing.

Still, they were taking no chances. After all, the Waterford TD and former minister for agriculture was long in the political tooth. In his day, he had undermined the leadership of both Garret FitzGerald and Alan Dukes through votes of no confidence.

Perhaps this motion was intended as a wake-up call to people with leadership ambitions within the party. The next challenge might be the real thing. So the order went out: kill it dead.

Mr Deasy had asked for a meeting "at the earliest possible date" to express no confidence in Mr Bruton. Phil Hogan and Charlie Flanagan offered to take the motion on the following day - unheard-of speed - to minimise damage to the party. And the Waterford TD accepted.

To make assurance doubly sure, an emergency meeting of the front bench was called within hours of the motion being put down. There Mr Bruton sought - and was provided with - a unanimous vote of confidence in his leadership. With alternative leaders pledging fealty, the challenge was going nowhere. In political terms, it was a superb piece of work.

It didn't stop there. As the hours ticked by to yesterday's meeting, misinformation was spread to the effect that Fianna Fail was preparing for a spring election. Advertising hoardings had been booked by the party for January, people were assured, with the ardfheis to be held in February. Not the time for a leadership change!

On the other side, an effort was made to give substance to the Deasy solo run. Details of an opinion poll, commissioned in the expectation of a leadership heave in the aftermath of the Tipperary South by-election, were leaked to the press.

It showed that Labour and Green Party supporters would be more likely to vote for a coalition arrangement if it wasn't led by Mr Bruton. But without a specific name on the ticket, the poll was going nowhere.

Austin himself adopted a minor role. Having put down the motion, he seemed to feel his job was done. It took insistent pressure from journalists to encourage him to be interviewed.

He had no alternative leader in mind. He himself was about to retire. And his action had sprung from a belief that Mr Bruton had no charisma as party leader and was a liability.

It takes real political hunger and hard work to change a party leader. Leaders don't just walk off the stage when the going gets tough. And while backbenchers may moan over failure to fulfil the party's potential, the final judgment is based on their own political careers.

When it came down to a choice between Mr Bruton and an unidentified other, they embraced safety. And, adopting the terms of the cautionary rhyme, they kept tight hold of nurse, for fear of finding something worse.

Last night the chairman of Fine Gael, Mr Phil Hogan, introduced a triumphant Mr Bruton as "the leader of Fine Gael into the next general election." And Mr Bruton maintained the little exercise had actually strengthened the party.

He believed he would be the next Taoiseach, the man who would make things work in this country, the man who would provide people with a higher quality of life. Perhaps. Perhaps.