“Power never takes a back step - only in the face of more power,” said Malcolm X and his words are apt to describe what is happening in Fine Gael at the moment.
Will Enda Kenny have enough power on his side to force back Richard Bruton and his allies, or will the momentum be with ‘the pretender’ and force the Mayoman off his perch?
For a majority of Fine Gael members in Galway, the timing of Bruton’s challenge could not be worse - FG puts down a motion of no confidence in Taoiseach Brian Cowen and when it is being discussed in the Dáil, everyone knows a similar motion looms over Enda Kenny.
Fianna Fáil have done everything imaginable to make themselves voter poison in advance of the next election, but what do FG do in front of an open goal? It is World Cup time so the affair does remind me of Diana Ross’ ‘penalty kick’ attempt at the opening ceremony of USA 94 (“Ain’t no goalposts wide enough” laughed the following days headlines ).
The affair has worried some in the party. They feel the eruption into public of internal division will place doubts in voters’ minds over Fine Gael’s fitness for office, and also jeopardise the best chance FG have had since 1982 to take office through an election victory.
“I would have preferred if this had not come into the public domain,” said FG Galway East TD Ulick Burke. “It would have been better if both men could have sat down and resolved their differences in private. You go out and you do your best but because of this people will ask the party, ‘What are you up to?’. It will do damage and take time to repair.”
Oranmore based senator Fidelma Healy Eames is more optimistic and believes the situation reflects questions that are arising in the public mind.
“For the past two years we have been bashing Fianna Fáil for what they have done to country,” she said, “so people know nobody has any faith in Brian Cowen. In the poll in The Irish Times Fine Gael slipped behind Labour and that is of concern to many people. I often hear it from members of the public, they don’t want Fianna Fáil back in power and they don’t want a Labour led Government, so this debate does reflect where the Irish people’s minds are at.”
In this light the debate can be seen as posing the question, who do Fine Gael believe will be best equipped to lead it into Government.
Although she has not publicly declared who she will be backing, Sen Healy Eames said the last week has unveiled to the public a steely determination in Enda Kenny, and that this will do him no harm when the confidence motion is voted on.
“Enda Kenny is very smart and he has handled the situation with skill,” she said. “I think he will be very strong. We have yet to see Richard Bruton in that kind of space. Enda is extremely decisive and we in the party have seen that privately, and the public are seeing it now.”
