Tributes for Frances as FG gets in election mode
FINE Gael TDs and senators queued up to pay tribute to former tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald at last night’s Parliamentary Party meeting.
Minister Simon Harris described the meeting as ‘not quite a eulogy’ and insisted ‘there was no need to lay wreaths quite yet’, but a number of members expressed regret at the events that had befallen Ms Fitzgerald.
The Taoiseach strongly hinted that he saw a political future ahead for her, insisting ‘her time at the top level of politics could come again’. Leo Varadkar said that ‘we need to have a system more like the UK, where people can resign but come back in the future’.
He highlighted that he felt the Charlton Tribunal would ‘vindicate’ Ms Fitzgerald, and when that happened, she might ‘make it back to the top level’, sources say.
Mr Varadkar also revealed that replacements for Ms Fitzgerald’s vacated positions as tánaiste and Enterprise Minister would be announced today – with Simon Coveney and Josepha Madigan the favourites for the respective roles. Given the lack of backbenchers willing to publicly defend Ms Fitzgerald on Monday night and Tuesday morning, the number of speakers who added their voice to over an hour-and-a-half of praise for the former tánaiste was striking.
One backbencher described it as ‘fairly hypocritical’. However, the general feeling in the ranks may have been more accurately reflected by Bernard Durkan’s comments.
The TD said that the party was ‘angry because we were ambushed’, that it was ‘on the cards what Fianna Fáil were at with the motion’, and that it was clear from Friday that there was ‘something brewing’.
However, it was the scripted contribution from Health Minister Mr Harris that sparked the most interest. He took a swipe at Fianna Fáil by mentioning its recent WhatsApp leaking woes, noting: ‘We now aren’t the only ones with WhatsApp group chat problems – once again they may follow Leo’s lead and shut that down’, to laughter from the party.
He said the ‘vultures downstairs want a head’ – a sentiment echoed by Catherine Byrne and Fergus O’Dowd amongst others.
Surprisingly, given the amount of frustration expressed privately ahead of the meeting, no criticism of Mr Varadkar or his advisers was voiced at the meeting – although the surprising absence of new party strategist Alan Holmes seemed a source of confusion.
Mr Varadkar’s speech also touched on election preparedness. He said that about half of the selection conventions had been held and that most of the necessary nuts and bolts were in place. However, he said the events of the past week revealed several areas where preparation was not sufficient.
Given the events that have prompted the party to prepare for an election, Ms Fitzgerald was given the last word at the meeting. Beginning with a quivering voice, she spoke plainly about what got her into politics and how grateful she was to have the full support of the Taoiseach – who, she said, hadn’t abandoned her for political expediency. She received a standing ovation.
‘Fairly hypocritical’ said one backbencher