Major rows expected at FG gathering

Disgruntled TDs to press Enda to stand aside as party licks election wounds

FINE Gael sources say the party’s think-in next month will be ‘uproarious’. Rebel TDs say they plan to raise the issue of embattled Enda Kenny’s leadership.

FINE Gael faces an uproarious autumn think-in, senior sources revealed last night – with three reports into the party’s disastrous election, and Enda Kenny’s future as leader expected to top the agenda.

The annual Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting takes place from September 12-13 in the Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

Rebel TDs have told the Irish Mail on Sunday that they intend to raise the issue of Mr Kenny’s continued leadership. They will also ask Mr Kenny to name a date for his retirement as Fine Gael leader – a post he has held since 2002.

‘Kenny will have to name a date, otherwise this whole Dáil term will be dominated by speculation about his position,’ said a Fine Gael TD.

Ministers have expressed concern about the impending row.

‘One or two of the rebels will cause trouble at the think-in. If this happens then it will be a very unwelcome start to the Dáil term,’ said a minister. ‘I understand there will be calls for the Taoiseach to name a date for his retirement,’ he added.

Some Fine Gael party members believe Mr Kenny will introduce three reports on the party’s election performance.

These include an independent report by academic Marion Coy; a report by Fine Gael TDs, and a report from the party’s national executive, which always reports on general elections.

Fine Gael sources claim Mr Kenny has had the Coy and TDs’ reports since July.

‘The official independent report has been produced by Marion Coy. She was a former Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology head. An independent woman – not a woman, I suspect, who’d take kindly if her report was filleted or changed in substance to suit the leadership,’ said a source. ‘My understand- ing is that he has had the report for the last six, seven or eight weeks and that they deliberately decided not to produce it before the summer,’ the source added.

‘Enda wants to have one wrapall session where all three reports are meshed in together. It makes sense from his perspective. If they produce them in advance they would get too much attention.’

Fine Gael members believe Mr Kenny will encourage a thorough discussion of the reports at the think-in to deflect attention from his own awful performance.

‘There was a deliberate strategy to have a discussion and close it down,’ said a source.

A TD agreed that Mr Kenny would use the think-in to muddy the waters: ‘If there is a big discussion about these reports it takes the focus off the next steps – when there is going to be a new leader.

‘There was an assumption that the Taoiseach would give some indicative timeframe about when he was going to move on but my understanding is that he will do no such thing at the September meeting.

‘He’s going to give no such indication, good, bad or indifferent. This is deflection.’

Mr Kenny’s media performances have been deemed extremely weak by colleagues. He also had a number of bizarre public performances during the final stages of the general election campaign.

His colleagues were particularly annoyed when he called people in his own Mayo constituency ‘whingers’.

A senior Fine Gael strategist blamed Mr Kenny’s substandard performances for the party’s loss of support in the election campaign.

‘A lot of it is down to the leader and his inability to perform. He’s also terrible on the telly.’

It is believed that Mr Kenny intends staying on as leader of Fine Gael and as Taoiseach for as long as he can.

‘I believe that he is there for the medium or long haul. It suits the ministers if he stays on,’ said a source.

‘She won’t take kindly to report being filleted’ ‘Reports will take focus off new leader’