FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny got a standing ovation lasting several minutes when he arrived at the Carlow-Kilkenny selection convention for Dáil candidates in the general election last night.
During the stormy parliamentary party meeting last week, the Opposition leader was told by Kilkenny Senator John Paul Phelan that he had not met anyone in his area who supported Mr Kenny’s leadership.
The Fine Gael leader replied that he was “astounded” and that he would be attending the selection convention in Carlow shortly where he would show Senator Phelan that he did have support in the area.
Mr Phelan was one of the first to greet Mr Kenny at the door of the Dolmen Hotel and he stood with the leader and his principal lieutenant, Deputy Phil Hogan, for a “family photograph” before the meeting began.
Tipperary TD Tom Hayes, who was chairing the convention, told the largely Kilkenny-based crowd that the cheer reminded him of “Tipperary scoring another goal in the All-Ireland Hurling Final”.
“Never before was there more spoken and written about the Fine Gael party,” Mr Hayes said, referring to the events of last week. “I believe that we can be at one,” he added, and that was under the leadership of Enda Kenny. Mr Kenny said: “For me the Fine Gael party went through one of its defining moments last week. This constituency did not fulfil its ambitions on the last occasion. Your job is to do the business on the next occasion.”
Fine Gael was “going to sort out the rot and the corruption” in the country. “We did so before and we will do it again,” he said.
The Government had made the Dáil chamber “irrelevant” because Ministers didn’t want to answer questions, he said.
Mr Kenny was attending his first official party function since he won the vote of confidence in his leadership. Three candidates were selected unopposed for Carlow-Kilkenny: sitting TD Mr Hogan, Mr Phelan and Cllr Pat Deering. Mr Phelan, who opposed Mr Kenny in the recent internal party dispute, said: “There are two different types of political family. There are those who sit quietly around the table together, avoiding direct contact, never disagreeing but not caring much either, threatened and cowed they then disperse to the corners to whisper poison.
“Then there are families who look each other in the eye, who have occasional rows, who even hammer the table the odd time and shout and roar. But they do this in the sure knowledge of reciprocal respect and long-standing affection, bound as they are by ties of love and service to the party and the country.” He pledged that “no one will fight harder, work longer or serve better for Enda Kenny and Fine Gael from now to the election day than John Paul Phelan.”
Mr Hogan said: “We have had a difficult week, there’s no denying that.” But there was “mutual respect” among the Fine Gael parliamentarians. “Everybody in the Fine Gael parliamentary party is moving on to get rid of this discredited Government,” he said.
Quoting Winston Churchill, Mr Hogan said: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” He told delegates: “Let’s be optimists. Let’s talk ourselves up. Let’s have a massive respect for and pride in the party. Let’s see the opportunities. And by God, there are many.”