MINISTER FOR Finance Brian Lenihan has rejected a claim by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny that Taoiseach Brian Cowen is a "control freak" with his party but has a problem controlling himself.
Interviewed on TV3's The Political Party yesterday, Mr Kenny said: "Brian Cowen is having a problem being in control of himself and wants to set out to prove that he is a freak in control of the leadership of the party."
Asked what was the "single biggest difference" between former taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his successor, Mr Kenny said: "I think that it is probably control. I would say that Bertie Ahern was a person who was fully in control of himself and was flexible with the leadership of the party."
Commenting that Mr Cowen's performance in the Dáil last week was "quite astonishing", Mr Kenny said: " I have never seen any Taoiseach in my years in the house lose control the way that Brian Cowen did . . . and that's after 13 days in office."
Asked if there was a deliberate Fine Gael strategy to goad the Taoiseach into over-reacting, Mr Kenny said the real point was that, "the Taoiseach of the country in the most democratic forum in the land, the floor of Dáil Éireann, said, 'I can organise that you will be silenced'."
He continued: "Well, I have news for Brian - the Fine Gael party are well able to handle the rough and the smooth of politics. We're not going to be silenced by anybody."
Asked if he was going to lead Fine Gael into the next general election, he replied: "Yes, I am. I am going to make Fine Gael the largest party in the next Dáil and set out on the road for back-to-back governments for Fine Gael. The people out there want a change, they are tired of this Government already - my total focus is on getting to that point.
Responding to Mr Kenny, Mr Lenihan told The Irish Times: "That has not been my experience of Brian Cowen in the few weeks I've been working with him as his Minister for Finance in this Government.
"Far from being a control freak, he has very much given me my head and I have been working in the department briefing myself on the issues, making my views known at Cabinet.
"But I think he is anxious that Government in this country should work in an orthodox way, that Ministers should debate issues among themselves, come to decisions and stick by them."
Asked about Mr Kenny's claim that the Taoiseach lacked self-control, Mr Lenihan replied: "I just don't accept that. Clearly Brian Cowen has always been a very vigorous debater but certainly his rhetoric, his language, is always very controlled, if anything."
When it was put to him on TV3 that his star was "falling all the time", Mr Kenny said: "My star is not falling. I am very happy with the quality of the people that we have in the Fine Gael party at the moment.
"I am very happy with the quality of the organisation and I am very happy with the focus that we have for the future."