Madam, - When Bertie Ahern was Taoiseach, Enda Kenny never truly took him on eyeball to eyeball (most significantly, not even during the leaders' TV debate during last year's election). The closest he came to making an unambiguous attempt at politically scalping Mr Ahern was when the then taoiseach was away in Africa earlier this year promoting Irish Aid-funded development projects and trade links.
Even with the arrival of a new Fianna Fáil taoiseach, Mr Kenny is still suffering from the lack of political virility that cost Fine Gael its place in government after last year's election. His reaction to Mr Cowen's imminent appointment as taoiseach was to ask him to rewrite the Programme for Government and dismiss Mary Harney (The Irish Times, May 6th). This was hypocritical and cowardly.
Firstly, let us not forget that Mr Kenny was desperate for Ms Harney to commit herself and the Progressive Democrats to join Fine Gael in a coaliton after the 2007 election. If she had complied, would he have refused a request from her to stay on in her position as Minister for Health and Children?
Secondly, let us not forget that, regardless of one's opinion of Ms Harney, at least she had the courage, patriotism and character to take on the post of Minister for Health and Children in 2004, at a time when any solely career-minded politician would have winced at the option.
Mr Cowen, in stark contrast, wanted out of that job as soon as possible in 2000; he infamously regarded that Department as akin to "Angola". Ms Harney willingly retained the Health portfolio even after last year's election when she had it in her power to choose a self-congratulatory pasture.
This prompts the following questions. Why is Mr Kenny picking on a patriot who volunteered to try her best at a Department that was already in a mess when she took it on - and which she knew would cost her reputation dearly - as opposed to Mr Ahern's anointed successor who fled from the Department of Health and Children as soon as he possibly could? Isn't Mr Kenny's remit to be the shadow taoiseach? Therefore it's the new Taoiseach, Mr Cowen, whom he should target.
The fact is that Mr Kenny will never be regarded as a credible alternative taoiseach unless he can robustly take on the incumbent eyeball to eyeball, and not in roundabout ways by homing in on comparative innocents - and this, it seems, is all that Mr Kenny is capable of.
Fine Gael's young and politically virile TDs now surely have a patriotic duty to ensure that Ireland has a credible leader of the opposition rather than a bottle-it figurehead. Rise up if you care! I, for one, would sooner have as taoiseach a willing Minister for Health and Children than an unwilling one; indeed, as a patriot, I fail to see how the latter can morally qualify to head our government. - Yours, etc,
ANDREW GREANEY, Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3.