Ministers criticised at parliamentary party meeting

Fine Gael Ministers came in for strong criticism from backbenchers at last night’s meeting of the parliamentary meeting which focused on the party’s poor performance in the local elections.

A number of TDs expressed the view that the party would lose almost half the 76 seats won at the last election unless the Government paid more attention to what the people were saying on the doorsteps.

Party sources said Taoiseach Enda Kenny acknowledged that mistakes had been made, particularly with regard to the medical card issue, but promised big changes in the way the Government did its business.

Telling his TDs, Senators and MEPs it was his intention to have a general election in spring 2016, he said they were now in the second half of the game and it was time for changes in the team. He also paid tribute to Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore who announced on Monday that he was stepping down as Labour Party leader.

“We were together for three years and only had one serious row. That wasn’t a bad marriage,” he said.

Mr Kenny then had to listen as a number of TDs complained that Ministers had lost touch with the voters and were too much in thrall to their civil servants.

Kildare TD Bernard Durkan, a stalwart defender of the party leadership over the years, said he was fed up with the way backbenchers had not been listened to by senior figures in the party.

Tipperary TD Noel Coonan also expressed his annoyance at what he said was the tendency of Ministers to ignore backbenchers when they tried to raise issues of importance.

Cork South Central TD Jerry Buttimer made a hard-hitting speech pointing out the devastating consequences in a general election if the party did not manage to recover some of the votes it lost in the local and European elections. He said Ministers and their advisers needed to pay far more attention to what the TDs were saying.

Donegal North-East TD Joe McHugh strongly criticised the party leadership and said he had held the line for the Government but his constituents were getting nothing back. He said he warned two years ago about the threat Sinn Féin posed to Fine Gael but was ignored.

Another deputy, Cork East’s Tom Barry, said warnings about medical cards were ignored.

Even though Mr Kenny and the party leadership were heavily criticised, the so-called “five-a-side” group of younger TDs deliberately stayed quiet.

It is understood the group – comprising Eoghan Murphy, Paul Connaughton, Brendan Griffin, Noel Harrington, Anthony Lawlor, Sean Conlan – felt they had raised issues such as medical cards with the leadership for a number of months but were ignored.

Sources said that rather than speak up again, the TDs would wait and see what the party leadership did about complaints this time before deciding on further action.