The Fine Gael Lord Mayor of Cork yesterday urged John Bruton to listen to the people and resign as party leader. A party stalwart for many years, Mr P.J. Hourican said he had no doubt that Mr Bruton was a capable politician, but there were definite and distinct problems with his leadership style.
The perception among the people was that he lacked charisma and it was very difficult to overcome such a problem. "I think he should stand down and I would say to any parliamentary party member who was wavering, to listen to the people," he said. Mr Hourican believed Jim Mitchell would win the subsequent leadership race.
"This is not something that began to happen today or yesterday; there has been a need for change for a long time."
Cork city councillor Mr Colm Burke said tomorrow's vote would leave Mr Bruton with hard choices. Even if he beat his opponents, people within the party and outside it would be reluctant to accept the decision.
"My view is that anyone who has served for 11 years in a job like that should think of moving on. There seems to be a reluctance on the part of the public and the media to accept John Bruton and while I have great respect for him on a personal level, I think that for the sake of the party, he should go," Mr Burke said.
Fine Gael's national party chairman, Mr Padraig Conneely, of Galway, had his ear to the phone through the day as the leadership contest gained momentum in the western quarter.
"Too close to call," Mr Conneely told The Irish Times, when asked about the outcome of the no-confidence motion tomorrow. Mr Bruton had been due in Galway at the weekend for a meeting of the party's executive council, and his failure to show was not significant, in Mr Conneely's view. Such meetings never got a full turn-out, he stressed.
Galway East TD Mr Ulick Burke, however, was more definite. Declaring his firm support for the no-confidence vote, he said he would back Mr Michael Noonan as Mr Bruton's successor.
"John Bruton is a person of the highest integrity, and he was a good Taoiseach for 2-1/2 years," Mr Burke said. "But I'm in a marginal constituency here, and for the last 3-1/2 years his currency has been non-existent."
However, deputies Paul Connaughton in Galway East and Padraig McCormack in Galway West were keeping their counsel, saying they were "taking soundings" within the constituency. Party activists suggested Mr Connaughton might vote against Mr Bruton, given that he was a supporter of former leader Mr Alan Dukes and was only recently reinstated on the front bench.
In Mayo, former minister Mr Enda Kenny defended Mr Bruton's leadership on the airwaves and told The Irish Times that this was not just a question of personal loyalty. "In politics, you stand for what you believe in and you are respected for that. This is what John Bruton has done."
As councillors in Wexford prepared to meet local TDs Mr Ivan Yates and Mr Michael D'Arcy last night to offer their views on the issue, Ms Anna Fenlon, a member of Wexford County Council, said she hoped Mr Bruton would step down before tomorrow's meeting of the parliamentary party. "I would have the height of regard for John Bruton. As a politician he is beyond reproach but I think it is time for him to go," she said.
Waterford county councillor Ms Mary Greene said the party might regret removing Mr Bruton in the long term, but a change would mean the party could no longer use him as an excuse for all its ills.
Mr Bruton's removal, she believed, was "a fait accompli".
Mr Bruton won an RTE phone-in poll on his leadership by a 59 to 41 per cent margin last night. Questions and Answers viewers were asked if he should lead Fine Gael into the next election. Mr Bruton, who was a guest on the show, said the result was "very satisfactory".