Varadkar admits
TDs fear the party is now becoming ‘a woke, trendy, lefty outf it’
LEO Varadkar faced down a wave of dissent over the direction the Fine Gael party is taking at this week’s parliamentary party meeting.
A significant number of TDs were critical of Mr Varadkar’s address and, far from settling the party, several slammed the ‘detached’ nature of the leadership, even after the Tánaiste’s attempt to explain the reset of Fine Gael’s direction.
Concerns were raised over forthcoming carbon-tax increases in May and the capacity of Mr Varadkar to regenerate Fine Gael before the next election.
Other concerns were also expressed over Fine Gael’s abandonment of ‘its traditional
‘There was criticism of the culture of the party’
values.’ A TD who attended the meeting said he was struck by the number of people concerned about Fine Gael ‘morphing into a woke, trendy, left party’.
‘What was impressive at the meeting was the amount of people who actually believe that Fine Gael shouldn’t morph into a completely woke, trendy, lefty outfit,’ said the TD.
‘But it was more people criticising the culture of the party rather than people directly criticising the leader,’ said a TD present.
‘What was also impressive was that besides the longer serving TDs like John Paul Phelan, Patrick Donovan and Peter Burke, there were contributions from newer parliamentary party members like Emer Higgins and Mary Seery Kearney.
‘It didn’t break down on a regional basis but was more about Fine
Gael’s policy platform and election preparations. Senator Paddy Burke also said that there has been no election preparation or party reform since the party away-day in Trim last September.
‘Leo was understandably defensive about that.’
Away from the meeting, parliamentary party members are growing increasingly frustrated with what they universally call the ‘triumvirate’ of Leo Varadkar, Simon Coveney and Paschal Donohoe.
They point out that Mr Varadkar and Mr Coveney have availed of 11 years of unbroken service in Cabinet, since Fine Gael was elected to Government in 2011.
Mr Donohoe has been in Cabinet for nine years and has spent eight years in high ministerial office.
During that period, Fine Gael has steadily decreased in popularity. A TD present at last Wednesday’s meeting said that a contribution from Mr Coveney illustrated to them how ‘detached’ the party leadership have become from the rest.
‘Coveney was giving a presentation on party communications that Simon Harris should have been doing but Harris wasn’t there for private reasons.
‘Simon Coveney advised everyone in the parliamentary party that we should spend more time talking to staff in our own offices.
‘This obviously means he doesn’t,’ said the TD. ‘What type of Oireachtas member doesn’t talk to their own secretary? I mean what the f***? It was completely jaw dropping.
‘What that indicates is these people [party leadership] are completely detached from reality.
‘That just summed Simon Coveney up for me.’
Segments of Mr Varadkar’s address did not impress those present either.
‘I thought the bit where he said Paschal was his advisor on economics was just mad,’ said one of those present. ‘Sure on that basis, Stephen Donnelly could say he needed no medical advisors at his Department because he has Jack Chambers alongside him in Cabinet.
‘Paschal isn’t an economist. In fact, like most politicians he didn’t even work at a real job for long.’
In the long term, Fine Gael TDs and Senators believe that there will be a significant row in Government over carbon tax.
‘This is political dynamite, the rises on coal and other solid fuels are due in May,’ said a TD.
‘Within Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil there will be common ground on this and the Greens are adamant that it will go ahead.
‘And here we need to see our leadership take a stance on this. We’ve been told that Eamon Ryan won’t back down,’ said one of those present this week, ‘and we understand that they agreed to a Green agenda, but circumstances change,’ the TD added.
‘Who doesn’t talk to their own secretary’
‘There is a war where the aggressor is one of the largest energy suppliers on the planet. To impose this carbon tax right now would be political suicide.’
Though there wasn’t much overt criticism of individuals there was some. Those present also said that Senator Paddy Burke, a former supporter of Mr Varadkar’s who lost the party whip over Golfgate, was critical of ministers.
Mr Burke, a former Cathaoirleach of the Seanad and veteran Mayo senator, is believed to be unhappy about the treatment of his old friend Phil Hogan over Golfgate.
Mr Burke told the meeting that ‘Ministers who underperform’ must ‘suffer the consequences’. Mr Burke pointed to the continuing chaos at the passport office that has seen TDs and Senators criticised by their constituents.
This was a criticism of Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney,
who is deemed, across the political spectrum, not to have got the problems under control.
The majority of TDs and Senators appear to accept Simon Harris is
the one to succeed Mr Varadkar. There is a small body of support for Helen McEntee, but it is felt she needs more experience.
TDs and Senators were deflated by Mr Varadkar’s plans to revive the party’s fortunes.
‘The plan appears to be along the Enda Kenny playbook,’ said one of those present on Wednesday night, ‘steady, steady, don’t get in any trouble until a certain date.
‘That date is December when he takes over as Taoiseach again,’ said one, ‘and everything will be great again and with that authority he can lead us back to the promised land.
‘The problem is that few of us believe it. And deep down, we don’t think he believes it either.’
There is a growing belief in Fine Gael that Mr Varadkar doesn’t have ‘the fight’ to lead them into the next General Election.
‘I just don’t believe he wants to lead us into the election. He knows it’s going to be bad and he doesn’t really have the skillset to turn it around.
‘If we continue on this track we will see vast swathes of the country, rural and city, ceded to Sinn Féin. Even in South Dublin we are now worried about an Ivana-led Labour.’
Leo’s plan appears to be the same as Kenny’s