Leo Varadkar: If you’re going to go, let me know
Following Joe McHugh’s decision not to run in the next election, Tánaiste says he expects more to walk away
FINE GAEL leader Leo Varadkar admits the party may see a preelection flight of backbenchers following former minister Joe Hugh’s surprise decision to quit politics this week.
Speaking to the Irish Mail on Sunday at a conference in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, yesterday, the Tánaiste also revealed he has asked TDs and senators who are planning to retire to inform the party early, ‘so we can engage in succession planning’.
Mr Varadkar said: ‘I am sure there will be one or two [departures], but that happens in all parties.’
But he added: ‘As is often the case in politics, departures provide opportunities.’
Earlier, speaking to delegates at the conference on agriculture, Mr
Varadkar said he intended to seek the re-election of the current Coalition at the 2025 election.
Referring to the 10 seats the party lost in 2020, he admitted, ‘It’s not going to be easy. I think we can and I think we have to’.
Mr Varadkar admitted the party is not doing as well in opinion polls as he would like, saying he would ‘like to see us in the mid-20s’.
He added: ‘I think 45 [seats] is achievable. We did not get any transfers in the last election. We would hope to get transfers from our partners.
‘There are more seats. The objective of the party is to remain in Government but we need those seats.’
The Fine Gael leader praised Mr McHugh for making his intentions known this week, saying, ‘It was a very decent thing. He wants to help us retain the seat that he won back.’
The party’s Donegal TD is the fourth former confidant of Mr Varadkar to leave the political arena, following in the footsteps of Michael D’Arcy, James Daly and Eoghan Murphy.
Mr McHugh’s announcement will have come as a blow to the Tánaiste, who now faces an uphill battle to cling onto the party’s sole seat in Donegal. It also comes as morale in the party, especially among rural TDs, is at a very low ebb. And there are fears that other party veterans might decide to call it a day before the next election.
Fine Gael sources expressed concern that Bernard Durkan and Richard Bruton, who are both regarded as ‘fathers of the house’ and who have served in the Dáil since 1981 and 1982 respectively, could follow suit.
Unease is also growing over the political intentions of a group of respected former ministers.
One Fine Gael source told the MoS: ‘The European elections are due before the general election, all things going to plan. Capable politicians such as Charlie Flanagan, Michael Ring and Michael Creed have to be considering their options. A life as an MEP would be very different from permanent banishment to the back benches.’
The unease about a possible flight comes against the backdrop of a collapse in internal morale.
One rural TD said: ‘There is a view that Fine Gael HQ are not interested in certain types. There has been a Dublin takeover by a certain clique. A big fuss is being made about young candidates and female candidates.
‘They would want to be careful. You can’t have a Dublin head without a rural tail. They won’t be getting their nice ministries without us.’
The source added: ‘It doesn’t help either that people believe Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar himself are already in the departure lounge in case anything comes along.’
‘The objective is to remain in Government’
‘You can’t have a Dublin head without a rural tail’
Another party veteran warned: ‘They had better be careful. If enough of us go, a majority government could be a minority one very quickly.’
Concerns have also been raised as to the intentions of Fergus O’Dowd (Louth), Frank Feighan (SligoLeitrim), David Stanton (Cork East) and Paul Kehoe (Wexford). Another party source said: ‘With the exception of Kehoe, there are a lot of grey heads there. People are reaching the point where they might prefer to go out on their shield rather than being taken out. ‘Three TDs have already gone or said they will be going but at least 12 are having bad thoughts. Leo better be careful. ‘There are not as many TDs and senators there as he thinks.’
However, another party grandee said: ‘Don’t be expecting any of those fellows to leave quickly. Despite all the talk you’ll need bulldozers to shift a few of them out of this place.’