Many people “do not have a clear idea” of what Fine Gael is about, what it has achieved and what it stands for, according to the findings of an internal report on the party’s future.
The report of the Commission for Renewal of the party, which has been circulated to members in advance of this weekend’s ardfheis, recommends that Fine Gael offers “a clear and shared understanding of why it exists, what it seeks to achieve, the Ireland it wants to help create and the principles that should guide its choices and actions”.
“The first requirement of renewal is, therefore, clarity,” the report states. “Fine Gael needs to show it has a clear purpose and articulate more precisely to the public the Ireland it wants to shape.
“Fine Gael must ensure its values are visible in the policies it develops, the choices it makes and the way in which it communicates.”
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The commission was set up by Simon Harris when he became Fine Gael leader in 2024 and was chaired by Mark FitzGerald, founder of estate agents Sherry FitzGerald and son of the former taoiseach and party leader, Garret FitzGerald.
More than 30 members of the commission were organised in to three workstreams under the leadership of former minister Charlie Flanagan, former TD Olwyn Enright and current TD Grace Boland. Its work included 50 meetings and workshops; 200 individual interviews; seven surveys of members, the public and staff; and a national opinion poll conducted among 3,500 respondents.
In a note sent to party members, Harris said the commission recommended 62 changes “to how we operate, engage and communicate”.
“As party leader,” he said, “I have accepted them all.”
In his introduction, FitzGerald says: “In 2011, more than one in three voters gave Fine Gael their first preference. By 2016, that had fallen to around one in four, and in 2020 and 2024 to around one in five.
“Irish politics has fragmented, and support is now spread across more parties and independents than ever before ... Organisations grow by stretching themselves. We are setting a clear target: to win the first-preference vote of 25 per cent of voters at the next general election.”
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The report repeatedly stresses the need for the party to communicate better. It says the “research and interviews identified a clear issue with how Fine Gael currently communicates”.
“The party has developed a tone that projects competence, responsibility and economic stewardship. While this can be reassuring in some circumstances, it can also come across as detached, managerial or defensive when people are frustrated about issues such as housing, healthcare and the cost of living. Many people do not have a clear idea of what Fine Gael is about.”
The report also says that there are two strands to Fine Gael’s identity: stability and reform.
“Fine Gael needs to make these two strands work in tandem as a coherent political proposition for Ireland today: stability and reform, together.”
