In spite of recent rumblings about Enda Kenny’s leadership of Fine Gael and his suitability as Taoiseach, Fine Gael General Election candidate Senator Nicky McFadden has insisted that her party is united behind its leader.
Speaking to the Advertiser this week, she credited Deputy Kenny with building Fine Gael up from a poor performance in the 2002 General Election to the strong force it is on the current political scene.
“Enda Kenny is extraordinarily tenacious. He has brought the party from nothing after the 2002 election to where we are now, it is all thanks to him,” said Senator McFadden.
Earlier this week, she issued a call to the electorate to reflect on the qualities that make him the right choice for Taoiseach.
“Enda Kenny is honest, forward-looking, inspiring, intelligent, and fair-minded. He is a person of exemplary character and lives his life through honesty and integrity, bringing out the best in the people around him.
“At the 2002 General Election Fine Gael suffered its worst electoral performance ever. Enda faced an unenviable task as a demoralised party faced into the new Dáil term. Under his leadership Fine Gael's membership has increased. We out-performed expectations at the local elections in 2004 and increased the number of our MEPs to five, the first time Fine Gael beat Fianna Fáil in a national election since 1927.
“In the 2007 General Election, Fine Gael increased its number of seats from 31 to 51. In 2009, in the both the European and local elections, we became the biggest party in a national election for the first time. All this happened under the leadership of Enda Kenny.
“I have every confidence that Enda Kenny will turn around the fortunes of the country just as he has turned around the fortunes of Fine Gael,” she said.
“Fine Gael faces this election as a team with a resolute leader. Our team is recognised by many people as having talent in abundance and the ability to make things better for our people. With the co-ordination and encouragement of Enda Kenny this will happen.”
