Griffin takes a stand on Enda’s future

KERRY Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin has hit out at party colleagues who won’t go public on their desire to see Enda Kenny replaced as party leader and Taoiseach.

On Monday Deputy Griffin sent shock waves through Fine Gael when he became the first – and so far only – party TD to make a direct call for Mr Kenny to be replaced as leader.

In a strongly worded statement Deputy Griffin said it was imperative that Kenny step down soon and that a new leader be installed if the party is to avoid a major loss to Fianna Fáil.

Deputy Griffin said Fine Gael cannot go into the summer without confronting the leadership issue and he said the vast majority of party members he has spoken to want it dealt with quickly.

He added that he fears Fianna Fáil may “manufacture a reason for a general election during budget negotiations, most likely on an issue that would make Fine Gael look as bad as possible.”

In the wake of Deputy Griffin’s statement a number of senior ministers rallied to Enda Kenny’s support dashing a plan to table a motion of no confidence in Mr Kenny at Fine Gael’s Parliamentary Party on Wednesday.

Though he is the only Fine Gael TD to publicly call for a change of leader Deputy Griffin said there are serious concerns among at least 12 TDs and several ministers about Enda Kenny’s leadership. He called on them to break their silence for the good of the party and country.

“I wouldn’t be saying names, but if people, ministers, are saying off the record that he should leave then they should have the courage to say the same on the record,” he said.

“There is a lot more at stake here than being held in high esteem by the current Taoiseach. What this requires now is for people who want to be leader to make their views known publicly,” Deputy Griffin said.

He added that TDs and ministers should be “true to what they really think.”