WHEN MORE than half of your front bench goes on record to declare no confidence in your leadership, it is hard to be magnanimous in victory. Enda Kenny made a stab at it yesterday when he retained a handful of his most prominent critics in reduced circumstances, while promoting key supporters to positions of influence. There is no question now, with these new appointments, about who runs Fine Gael. For better or worse, Mr Kenny is in firm control. We can see his axis of influence.
To describe Fine Gael as “united and focused”, however, as he did when announcing his new front bench, takes a liberty with language. Former leader Michael Noonan, who was brought back to replace Richard Bruton as finance spokesman, acknowledged that tensions were likely to remain. Mr Bruton, who was persuaded to change his mind and serve the existing leader at enterprise, trade and innovation, blogged in advance about the need to utilise the best talent in the party. It was like waving goodbye to old comrades.
Denis Naughten, Brian Hayes, Olivia Mitchell and Michael Creed were dropped in the reshuffle while Olwyn Enright and Billy Timmins declined to serve for differing reasons. Seán Barrett was brought back to fill the vacancy at foreign affairs while Deirdre Clune and Catherine Byrne were promoted to provide a minimal gender balance. Geographical considerations saw health spokesman James Reilly, Mr Kenny’s most vociferous supporter in Dublin, being appointed as deputy leader. Phil Hogan, another key lieutenant, was appointed director of elections while Paul Kehoe, the chief whip, was given responsibility for political reform. The plum job of chairman of the Public Accounts Committee went to Bernard Allen. Andrew Doyle, Frank Feighan and John Perry provided fresh faces.
Competition is fierce within political parties and unity can be a shallow pretence. Ambition drives a system where, in many cases, personal aspiration outstrips ability. The job of party leader is to encourage and harness that ability while keeping control of the organisation. Mr Kenny was fortunate to survive a leadership challenge and, paradoxically, the resulting publicity appears to have helped Fine Gael. The appointments of Michael Noonan, Richard Bruton and Sean Barrett were designed to provide a reassuring gloss of political experience in advance of an election. After that, it will come down to policies and coalition negotiations. In that regard, a door may have opened for Sinn Féin this week when Mr Kenny formally accepted the Provisional IRA and its army council had been stood down.
Fine Gael TDs will be as relieved as their Fianna Fáil colleagues when the Dáil rises for the summer holidays next week. They want time to regroup after a bruising few weeks in which open revolt became a part of life in Leinster House. It will be late September before Enda Kenny’s new front bench will have to confront under-pressure Government Ministers at Question Time. Another harsh December budget will be in preparation. And a general election will be that much closer.