HOW ENDA PLANS HIS FIGHTBACK

Taoiseach appoints Justice Minister as head of re-election strategy, but plan to target Sinn Féin and trumpet economy alienates young

ENDA Kenny’s ‘ grand plan’ to revive the fortunes of the Coalition in advance of the General Election by highlighting a rising economy and attacking Sinn Féin has been dismissed by colleagues as ‘ morally redundant and vacuous’.

However, with the Taoiseach’s authority rapidly diminishing, instead of Mr Kenny’s favoured return to partnership with Labour, many in Fine Gael last week have turned their minds towards coalition with Fianna Fáil as the only practical route back to government.

Meanwhile the MoS can reveal that Fine Gael have established a new high-powered committee to start into the process of getting the party re-elected at the next general election.

Frances Fitzgerald is taking what is known as the ‘Phil Hogan role’, heading a larger strategy committee that includes members of the socalled officer class such as Paul Kehoe and Patrick O’Donovan.

According to party sources other sub-committees have been formed, with Leo Varadkar heading a communications committee, Simon Coveney, policy, and James Reilly, membership and the role of membership.

On each of the committees there are representatives of the parliamentary party elected by the party.

Younger TDs such as Helen McEntee and Martin Hayden are on subcommittees .

There are also seven regional rallies being held around the country.

But in the immediate term Enda’s efforts to generate a comeback ‘plan’ have hit a bum note with the party. Mr Kenny’s loyalists have told Fine Gael backbenchers that the twin-pronged strategy will be to further revive the economy and to ‘spread fear about Sinn Féin’.

With Labour floundering, Fine Gael will try everything to maximise their vote in the wake of the water charge debacle and hope to choose a coalition partner from whoever remains standing after the election, according to party sources.

However, Fine Gael ministers and TDs, particularly younger TDs, expressed dismay last week that all attempts at public sector reform and competent management of the economy have been jettisoned in favour of a crude bid to scrape back into power.

‘There has been a lot of talk about what the traditional Fine Gael voter wants, but in my opinion the Fine Gael loyalist prides themselves on the party being more competent than Fianna Fáil.

‘Our voters and party members take

‘Frankly, it’s not a plan.

It’s utterly vacuous’

pride in us being competent, they are so p****d off with us seeming incompetent. And rightly so,’ said a Fine Gael minister.

‘There is no plan bar hoping the economy improves and starting to dish the dirt on Sinn Féin. The Mairia Cahill issue, though over a very serious cause on behalf of Mairia, was the first salvo in that.

‘Wait to see Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour unify to attack the Shinners,’ he added.

Some of the older members accept that the water debacle means that all principles must be cast aside in an attempt to secure as many votes as they can. However, it is not going down well with some newer TDs who are surprised at the rapidity with which the Government has started to come apart.

Young Fine Gael TDs have become openly critical of the lack of progress by the Government, and of Enda Kenny himself in recent weeks.

Dublin East TD Eoghan Murphy and Kerry North TD Brendan Griffin, close friends, have been particularly critical of the party leadership in recent weeks.

‘Frankly it’s not a plan. It’s utterly vacuous, and, though you can’t not expect it in Irish politics, all hope of reform or doing something different in office have gone out the window,’ said a Fine Gael backbencher last week.

‘We all knew Enda was an old- time politician but we are all a bit surprised at how cynical it has all become. The water thing is not recoverable.’

Meanwhile comments by Health Minister Leo Varadkar in last week’s Irish Mail on Sunday have intensified talks about coalition with the old enemy.

‘The Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil coalition has become a very live possibility now.

‘Leo may have articulated it last week but many more of them are now thinking of it.

‘If you look at things, there is a real right/left policy thing taking shape and you only have to look at some of

the exchanges in the Dáil lately, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are often speaking off the same script.’

Younger members of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are not marked by the battles of the past and are not necessarily opposed to joining forces.

Many in Leinster House last week commented on a Twitter exchange between Fine Gael minister Simon Harris and Fianna Fáil senator Thomas Byrne after the minister’s appearance in the Seanad to discuss the Valuations Bill last week.

Mr Byrne praised Mr Harris volubly. Mr Byrne tweeted ‘Simon Harris a revelation as a Minister’. Mr Harris replied: ‘Thanks for good, constructive debate on this important piece of legislation.’

Many also remarked on the unity of purpose displayed by Mr Harris and Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath at the Finance Committee during the week.

These TDs would be seen as the new generation of Dáil representatives. Last week it was revealed in the Mail that Mr Varadkar told a meeting of Young Fine Gael members at UCD, after a specific question about coalition with Fianna Fáil, ‘Labour is a marriage made in heaven, I don’t want to change Government partners.

‘I want us to get re-elected as a partnership with Labour.

‘But coalition with Fianna Fáil would be a little like a same-sex marriage, it would seem wrong at first but would probably work out fine in the end,’ he said.