Decisive decision will make party 'stronger'

FINE GAEL has suffered short-term damage as a result of events culminating in yesterday’s confidence motion in leader Enda Kenny, party chairman Pádraic McCormack said.

Mr McCormack and parliamentary party secretary Senator Paschal Donohoe know the breakdown of the secret ballot, but have said they will not disclose it.

Mr Donohoe said he shredded the ballot papers in an office in Leinster House. Some Fine Gael staff in the Kenny camp claimed Mr Kenny won by six votes – 38 to 32 – but sources on Richard Bruton’s side said this was not true.

Mr Donohoe had been in Mr Bruton’s camp. Mr McCormack had not revealed an allegiance in advance of the vote.

“In the short term, the party is damaged, as in any fight, whether it’s over anything . . . a fight in a house or a fight in a parliament. The party is damaged in the short term, but I’ve no doubt whatsoever that we’ll recover from that,” Mr McCormack said.

“We hope within the next couple of months we will come stronger out of this, I think, because a decisive decision has been made.”

Mr McCormack said the leadership issue “had been put to bed”. Mr Kenny and Mr Bruton “were chatting in a very amicable manner” before the meeting started, and shook hands afterwards. A “very thorough and full debate” had taken place.

Asked whether Mr Bruton should serve on Mr Kenny’s new front bench, Mr McCormack said: “Of course Richard Bruton should be on the front bench and should take a position in my view, because he will be the next minister for finance.”

Mr Donohoe said a decision had been made by the party, and that would be respected. Asked whether, as a Bruton supporter, he was disappointed with the result, Mr Donohoe said he was a Fine Gael member “above all”.