QUIT, SIMON!
(And that’s the message from his own team)
SIMON Coveney’s campaign team descended into chaos last night as the Housing Minister rejected pleas from at least three senior colleagues to accept reality and withdraw from the Fine Gael leadership battle.
His defiant stance came after rival Leo Varadkar told a jubilant press conference that Mr Coveney is the only minister who would be guaranteed a place in his new Cabinet.
The Social Protection Minister has also promised a massive €3.7bn investment package to include the Metro North, a motorway between Cork and
Limerick and road upgrades to the northwest. Mr Varadkar’s press conference, at which two more ministers announced support for him, finished at around 1.30pm.
In contrast, a press conference that Minister Coveney scheduled for 2pm was cancelled. A spokewoman admitted the decision was made at 1pm, after the start of Mr Varadkar’s rally.
With 45 members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party now pledged to Mr Varadkar, Minister Coveney needs to attract more than 70% of the votes from the 21,000 party councillors and membership combined if he is to win.
The Irish Mail on Sunday understands that senior figures in the Coveney camp had contacted him to recommend he withdraw from the campaign, given that victory looks virtually impossible.
When he cancelled yesterday’s afternoon press conference in his own constituency of Carrigaline, there was intense speculation that he would throw in the towel. And there was a febrile two hours of chaos in the afternoon as some Fine Gael TDs urged Mr Coveney to withdraw, while others bolstered him to fight on.
Ministers and TDs who had backed him believed their careers could be damaged if he did not withdraw to ensure party peace and unity.
Meanwhile, leading Varadkar supporter, and hot tip for Cabinet, John Deasy told the MoS Mr Coveney should withdraw to avoid a divisive contest. He said they should not ‘waste time, energy and money’ as the result was inevitable.
However, Mr Coveney insisted later yesterday evening that he was not having second thoughts.
Before a rally at the new Capitol Building in Cork city centre, he stressed he was ‘feeling good’.
He added: ‘This is the start of a process that I am looking forward to. I think we are going to make a very strong statement this evening that this process is just getting underway and the 21,000 people who will have a vote in two weeks time are going to get involved from now on. I am looking forward to facilitating that. No second thoughts, I am afraid. That is not my style.’
At Mr Varadkar’s press conference he confirmed he would keep Mr Coveney in Cabinet, saying: ‘I would hope that he would be available to be on my team.’
But he refused to confirm whether he would keep anyone else, including Frances Fitzgerald at Justice, who had just declared for him, or Health Minister Simon Harris. Mr Harris is the only cabinet minister to back Mr Coveney so far.
Just after the announcement of the cancellation of the Mr Coveney’s press conference, a senior member of his team contacted the Irish Mail on Sunday.
He said: ‘I think he should withdraw, I think he has to. But let’s see if there could be a peace negotiated. But he could ring me in a few minutes and say “you’re wrong”. Still, that’s my sense of where he will go, he’ll withdraw. But I can’t guarantee that. I just don’t want to jump the gun on him,’ said the politician.
When it was pointed out that Mr Varadkar had offered Mr Coveney a place at Cabinet, the source said that it was now perceived that the Social Protection Minister had threatened to ‘sack Simon Harris’.
This belief threw the Coveney camp into chaos and confusion, though it abated later in the day. Mr Coveney was then urged to concede by at least three senior politicians who had publicly pledged support for him. One of his team told him if he offered to withdraw, and ‘save Leo a two-week campaign’ the opponent would be ‘gracious’.
They could then ensure a Cabinet place for Minister Harris.
‘I think Leo will be quite gracious here if Coveney agrees to call the contest off,’ one TD said. ‘There are only two members of the cabinet, Harris and Coveney, here, not a huge price.’
It became clear the Coveney team did not want to see Mr Harris, and perhaps junior ministers Damian English and Dara Murphy demoted. The source said: ‘Harris is not likely to accept a demotion to a junior minister, so for the sake of peace and unity and to look gracious he should keep him in. What we can do in return is spare him a two-week campaign, and four hustings. ‘But it is Coveney’s call.’ However Mr Coveney’s team made it clear they would back him whatever. One said: ‘I told him, “I’m very clear, once I declare for you I declare for you to the end.”’
The senior member of the team
Some allies urged Coveney to withdraw
They wanted to ensure a place for Simon Harris
who urged him most vehemently to withdraw, sent a text to colleagues at 3.56pm, saying: ‘He’s staying in.’
The MoS understands that before confirming his 8pm campaign rally in Cork would go ahead, Mr Coveney spoke to his family, Minister Harris, Minister English, Senator Tim Lombard, Kate O’Connell TD and his brother Patrick Coveney. Special adviser Caitríona Fitzpatrick and PR consultant Ciaran Conlon were also consulted. It is understood there was also a phone all between Mr Coveney and Finance Minister Michael Noonan.
Mr English confirmed just after 5pm that it was ‘full steam ahead’ for Campaign Coveney.
‘We realise that the numbers, the declarations aren’t helpful to us anyway,’ said Mr English.
‘They’re still only declarations but we’ll still pursue every other vote and Simon will still make his case. He will have his rally in Cork here tonight,’ he added. ‘And then it is on the road to the members and the councillors try and to put in as big an effort as he can. Simon is a realist and he knows the challenge is very hard, and it will be hard to do it. He is still looking forward to the hustings, it will be good for him and good for Leo.’ Another TD in the Coveney camp said that he had rejected all advice to withdraw.
The Dáil deputy said: ‘Simon has this very strong view and conviction that the rules are there for a reason, you’re meant to have a debate, the candidates must be put through their paces and the people should know what they are voting for. And he owes it to the members and the councillors who should have their right to vote.’
The Coveney campaign rally went ahead at 8pm – with Minister Coveney insisting he is going to ‘finish what he started’.
However, seasoned Fine Gael members of the faithful were not impressed. One said: ‘Varadkar started his campaign 18 months ago, he has been working at it for that long. You’ve got to hand it to him, his is a sleek operation. It’s just silence from Coveney’s camp and I think that says it all.
‘Leo has been promising everyone everything they wanted but the core people around him are a vengeful lot. And there will be a blood bath because a lot of people are going to be left disappointed because he can’t possibly deliver on all the promises he has given to people,’ said the insider.