Bruton to seek nominations to join race for FG leadership
EDUCATION Minister Richard Bruton will try to enter the race for Fine Gael leadership with his only impediment being his ability to get the required number of nominations.
A prospective candidate to succeed Taoiseach Enda Kenny must secure the support of at least eight members of the parliamentary party. Should Mr Bruton do this, he will enter the race as by far the most experienced and accomplished candidate. Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Simon Coveney have both said they will stand. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said she would like to enter the race, but her handling of a slew of Garda scandals seems to have scuppered her chances. Even her protégé, Health Minister Simon Harris, is backing Coveney.
The rules of the party say a candidate must receive the nomination of 10% of the parliamentary party. Mr Kenny said last week he will clarify his future as party leader at next Wednesday’s Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting.
Mr Bruton led an abortive heave against Kenny in 2010, after he had been Mr Kenny’s deputy leader and finance spokesman since 2002.
‘Richard, strangely, loves debating and expressing his views on all subjects, he’s an intellectual and he believes he would play a very important role in the party hustings to choose the leader,’ said a Fine Gael ministerial colleague.
‘Of course, he believes he could win. He is a canny politician, too. By entering the race, he doesn’t have to publicly declare his backing for either Leo or Simon.’ At 64, Mr Bruton first became a junior minister over 30 years ago, under Fine Gael Taoiseach Garrett Fitz-Gerald. He was the Minister for Enterprise and Employment in the 1994-1997 Government led by his brother John. In 2010, he was being groomed to eventually succeed Mr Kenny but everything fell apart following the heave.
He returned to the Department of Jobs where he shepherded us towards full employment. Now, at Education, he is perhaps the best performing minister. Meanwhile Fine Gael sources say Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has pledged his support to Mr Varadkar.
In return, sources say he has been promised stewardship of a new realigned Department of Finance. The department was split in 2011 into Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform to deal with the crisis. A realignment would send the signal the crisis is over and indicate Mr Donohoe is Mr Varadkar’s heir apparent.
If Mr Kenny announces on Wednesday, there will be three days for contenders to gather the required eight signatures. The following weekend would see four party hustings take place, and there is speculation a prominent journalist, such as RTÉ’s former political correspondent David Davin Power, could chair these. Voting for rank and file members and councillors would take place the following weekend, while the key meeting of the parliamentary party to vote may occur on Tuesday, June 6 with the result out that evening.
‘Richard, strangely, loves debating’