Too much focus on Enda Kenny as leader is fundamentally flawed tactic, says Flannery
FORMER Fine Gael strategist Frank Flannery believes there has been an over-reliance on the Taoiseach by the Fine Gael election machine.
The ex-director of elections – who masterminded Fine Gael’s return from the wilderness after political meltdown in 2002 – told the Irish Mail on Sunday that the leader-heavy strategy was ‘fundamentally flawed’.
‘I think there was an overreliance on the Taoiseach in the first half of the election. I think the rest of the team have to go out and win the game themselves, the Government needs to be sparking on all cylinders. And he’ll play his role, but his role is he’s not the team but he’s the captain of the team.
‘So that’s the way to see that, I think that maybe they got into that habit of being over-dependant, and it is a fundamentally flawed policy when you are thinking of elections. It is worldwide, the presidential model is very important. It’s partly media driven because the media tend to hone in on the top guy, or the top girl and use that as the model.
‘I think that this government happens to have some hugely talented people which are very valuable. And their voices need to be heard loudly and clearly and very eloquently for the next six days. The real true leadership core of any party is going to emerge in the next four or five days when people stand up because it is delivery in the next few days that is going to count. This election is going to be won and lost in the next few days.
Asked if he had been involved with the campaign, Flannery, who served under five party leaders, said: ‘No. They planned this election without me.’ He added: ‘I think the election
generally has not taken the shape that people tended to expect from it. I think a lot of people have been taken by surprise. We have gone beyond the middle of the election. In sporting parlance we’re definitely in the second half now and we’re moving quietly towards the final quarter.
‘I think Fine Gael and Labour still have a right chance of winning this election,’ said Mr Flannery.
‘It will call for tremendous coherence, it will call for all of their leading players to go fully into the breach.
‘Using a hurling analogy, it will call for the real championship players to perform on the big day. And that was always the difference between the talented hurler and the real championship star. The top star performed on the top level on the big day.’