Tony quiet on FG contest as party prepares

FINE Gael TD Tony McLoughlin is keeping his cards close to his chest as the leadership contest in the party hots up.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny told a parliamentary party meeting last week that he would be dealing with the leadership issue on his return from his St Patrick’s Day visit to the White House. It’s a move which has been interpreted that he intends stepping down, paving the way for a contest between Ministers Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney.

A poll over the weekend put Social Protection Minister Varadkar and Housing Minister Coveney within two points of each other with Mr Varadkar on 29% and Mr Coveney on 27%. The formal campaign has not started and it is a line which Sligo/ Leitrim TD McLoughlin is keen to hold at present. A staunch supporter of Mr Kenny in the past, Deputy McLoughlin is keen to allow the Taoiseach to go at the time of his choosing and as such will not comment on the leadership issue to any great extent.

Deputy McLoughlin told The Sligo Champion that as far as he was concerned the Taoiseach was dealing with the matter in his own time and there was no leadership contest until he said there was one.

Deputy McLoughlin is reluctant to get drawn into the contest so far or comment in any detail about the two leading contenders for the leadership which is quite prudent from one of the most experienced TDs in Leinster House. He has acknowledged however that both Minister Coveney and Minister Varadkar have strengths in equal measure but will not be drawn into declaring support for either man at this stage. The actual election of a new party leader could take at least two weeks. If a contest takes place the Fine Gael parliamentary party will have the biggest say at 65% with 25% of votes going to members and councillors making up the final 10%.

Insiders say that the process is actually quite complicated with complex mathematical forumlae involved. It does appear though that a win in each electoral area will be required for a candidate to come out on top. Discussions have already taken place within the party on the process and there’s likely to be nine regional meetings at which the contenders will address councillors and members.

Carrick- on- Shannon has already been touted as a possible venue to include Sligo/ Leitrim. Subsequently a polling station will open for voting. This will be at a local hotel and may be on one day or over a couple of days at which both councillors and members will cast their vote. Only those on the party membership in 2015 and 2016 will be eligible to vote. Conscious of the controversy over the last Sligo/ Leitrim selection convention which saw defeated candidate being added following a High Court challenge, the party has adopted new and more stringent procedures particularly with regard to photo ID.

The general view within the party is that Mr Kenny will announce he is resigning as leader in April with a leadership campaign taking place over the Easter period. At a later date Mr Kenny will resign as Taoiseach with the Dáil then accepting the new Fine Gael leader and thus avoiding a General Election. Fine Gael will hold Fianna Fáil to its confidence and supply arrangement to support the minority Government for at least two more budgets.