ENDA KENNY’S future as Fine Gael leader will hinge on the support he gets at a meeting of the party front bench in Leinster House today, following the sensational decision by George Lee to resign.
Mr Lee’s decision to step down from the party and the Dáil only eight months after his election as Fine Gael TD for Dublin South has thrown the party into turmoil and raised question marks about Mr Kenny’s leadership.
While Fine Gael TDs rallied around Mr Kenny in public yesterday, a number of them conceded privately that his future depended on the continued support of his deputy leader, Richard Bruton.
“If Bruton challenged him, it would be all over for Kenny,” said one senior figure, and his views were echoed by some members of the front bench.
Another prominent frontbench member took a different attitude and said there would be no immediate threat to Mr Kenny’s position. “The instinct of the party will be to pull together and not to be seen to overreact to one event.” He pointed to Mr Bruton’s unwavering loyalty and said he would only become leader if everybody approached him and asked him to serve in the position.
Fine Gael spokesman on energy and communications Simon Coveney said people in the party were annoyed at the way George Lee had left. “The consequences of what he has done have caused and will continue to cause real problems for Fine Gael.” He added the issue would be discussed today. “Obviously we need to discuss that in the frontbench meeting. I would like to hear Enda’s take on what happened and why. I feel it has no real implications for his leadership,” said Mr Coveney.
Mr Kenny did not turn up last night at a public meeting in his home town, Castlebar, which he had been scheduled to address.
One of his constituency organisers, councillor Ger Deere, said Mr Kenny would not be attending the meeting, called to discuss the proliferation of “head shops”, because he had changed his plans and travelled to Dublin.
Despite the considerable sympathy among Fine Gael TDs for Mr Kenny yesterday, and anger at the behaviour of Mr Lee, a significant number took the view that the resignation had brought the leadership issue to the fore.
Mr Lee referred to the leadership issue on his departure. “There are certainly lots of large mutterings at the moment in relation to the leader’s position. It’s not something I’m involved with... It’s for other people to say how that will play out,” he told journalists.
Acknowledging that his resignation could be a catalyst for a leadership challenge, Mr Lee said: “I said that if I were a catalyst that would be one thing but that would not make me the cause. The mutterings that have been going on have been going on regardless of what decision I made today. The people muttering had no idea that I would make a decision.”
Mr Kenny said in a statement that he had been greatly saddened by Mr Lee’s decision to resign from Fine Gael and politics just eight months into his new Dáil career. He pointed to the role he had given Mr Lee as chair of the party’s economic and business affairs committee.
Later Mr Kenny’s spokesman was adamant that Mr Lee’s resignation would not have any implications for the leader’s position and he cited the endorsement of Mr Kenny by 20 TDs last weekend.
He said Mr Kenny had met Mr Lee last Tuesday and offered him a front-bench position as spokesman on economic planning. The two men met again last Friday but at 12.30pm Mr Lee telephoned the party leader to say he was resigning.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen refused to speculate last night on the implications for Fine Gael of Mr Lee’s resignation. “I have no comment on internal matters that affect other parties. As far as I am concerned a member of the Oireachtas has decided to resign. I wish him well,” he said.