FG leadership contest?

Our man in Havana

I see that Waterford upstart TD John Deasy has openly criticised Enda Kenny on his leadership. I wonder if Deasy will cause a leadership contest and force the Mayo man out of the job?

carlowboy

Deasy's just pissed because he was thrown from the front bench for smoking in the Dáil bar.

I wouldn't think Enda will resign but if he does, I reckon it will be between Brian Hayes and John Deasy.

Villain

If and I doubt very much there will a leadership challenge there would be very obviously only one winner i.e. Richard Bruton

Colonel Sanders

Enda has done wonder for this parties. It the lack of gains from the other 2 rainbow partners that has scuppered the challenge.

In the unlikely evnt of a change surely richard Bruton would be overwhelming favourite.

Vince135792003

In the next election, I'd have Bruton as the leader of FG. He comes across very well.

carlowboy

Irish1, what do you think of MJ getting such a high first preference?

Villain

Can't believe it tbh, he is useless as a local TD, obviously he got the areas party vote, the 2 Kilkenny FF TD's are a lot more likely to get any promotion so he won't have any real power and well imo he is just inept, at least we have 2 Carlow TD's now with Mary White joining MJ. If the Greens get in with FF then Carlow may benefit from her mandate.

BigTommyBomb

FG need somebody that can relate to the average thick Irish man on the street. A bumbling fool without a dress sense, thats what they need. You can trust a man like that.

carlowboy

Chances of Ayleward and McGuinness having promotion are null after their revolt a few years ago and when Bertie and McGuinness literally came to blows in a pub in KK. Bertie now refuses to go to Killkenny. As for MJ, I can't believe it! He's actually done nothing for the county. He hasn't found anything to replace the jobs lost in the sugar factory and there's no one in the IDA business park. Think we lost what could have been a future taoiseach in JP Phelan.


Back to the topic, don't you think Bruton's a bit old for a future taoiseach. Deasy and Brian Hayes are pretty young.

Villain

Bruton is the popular face of FG and as Bertie has shown thats what its all about for being Leader.

Dave!

I agree, there's no contest, it's gotta be Bruton

mike65

Agree.

Mike.

AidoCQS

You cannot flip/flop from leader to leader at every election, Kenny has developed pedigree from this event. Now watch the economy reset itself, and its going to look like he was right. Throw in Biffo to the next contest and FG has a real chance in the next one

irish1

irish1 wrote:

If the Greens get in with FF then Carlow may benefit from her mandate.

You forget about East Carlow and isn't Dick Roche looking after that

DeepBlue

There are people out there who think FG should replace Kenny as leader because he's got reddish hair :rolleyes: .
Such astute political analysis is probably valued elsewhere but most rational people would recognise that those people don't know what they're talking about and care less.

FG has shown a remarkable appetite for eating the party leader over the last 15 years but if they decided to ditch Kenny after he secured such a remarkable turnaround in the party fortunes the newcomer would wonder what he had to do to avoid a similar fate :eek: .

FG are in a new position now and have probably reached their high tide mark. Their challenge for the future is how to build on it. Also they have to recognise that, effectively, whether they have 31 seats or 51 seats they are still out of power so that will present problems in itself.

If Deasy became leader people would quite rightly say he's a complete muppet: exhibit A: smoking in the Dail bar after the smoking ban was introduced and exhibit B: criticising the party leader after he just oversaw a 20 seat gain for the party.

If Bruton became leader the same "astute" political analysts would be saying he's too grey, too short and only a farmer from Meath.

The problem isn't the leaders looks - it's that most people's political judgement is too shallow to look beyond the superficial and to examine any issues in any greater depth.

Villain

Well its very little of Carlow East Tristrame I live east of Tullow which is East Carlow and I am in the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency although a very small part of Tullow is in the Wicklow constituency but part of Tullow is in County Wicklow and Carlow town has the IDA park and best chance of job growth.

Seth Brundle

DeepBlue wrote:

If Deasy became leader people would quite rightly say he's a complete muppet: exhibit A: smoking in the Dail bar after the smoking ban was introduced and exhibit B: criticising the party leader after he just oversaw a 20 seat gain for the party.

The idiot also took pot shots at his leader aa few months ago - not a politically sensible idea in the run up to an election.

irish1

irish1 wrote:

Well its very little of Carlow East Tristrame I live east of Tullow which is East Carlow and I am in the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency although a very small part of Tullow is in the Wicklow constituency but part of Tullow is in County Wicklow and Carlow town has the IDA park and best chance of job growth.

Hmm Deirde if she got in might have had a luas from hacketstown to arklow on the greens shopping list-connectivity with Irish rail there to Rosslare and Dublin....purfect!
The Tinahely bypass might have got the chop to pay for that one.
That said the light rail line could have a carriage or two added to bring the sheep to kepak.

( I am of course being sarcastic obviously)

Our man in Havana

Tristrame wrote:

Hmm Deirde if she got in might have had a luas from hacketstown to arklow on the greens shopping list-connectivity with Irish rail there to Rosslare and Dublin....purfect!
The Tinahely bypass might have got the chop to pay for that one.
That said the light rail line could have a carriage or two added to bring the sheep to kepak.

( I am of course being sarcastic obviously)

Sir, you are a legend. Tinahely bypass Roffle

bemmet

Good question re Endas leadership.

By the time of the next election -
he will be
-by far the longest serving member of the dail..
-five years longer bereft of any meaningful ministerial experience..
-the media will hardly be as friendly to him again (e.g. majority of media called the debate a draw whereas the vast majority of the public polled clearly saw only one winner -ps not from mayo!)
-almost ready to draw the pension
-still have the same inept ability to demonstate mastery of figures or anything above a preplanted soundbite pattern
-Leading a party who has not tasted victory for a generation


I could go on - but if they have any sense in there they will stop crying about this pyrrhic victory and set about rebuilding the party for the next election with someone who might just be of interest to voters as a real alternative Taoiseach .

Mind you it will be a difficult search !

AidoCQS

kbannon wrote:

The idiot also took pot shots at his leader aa few months ago - not a politically sensible idea in the run up to an election.

Enda does need to crack the whip a bit, and all parties are in a better position to do so now, the 2002 election was like independance day, but after this election the value of party membership is clear.

He needs to use this better position in negotiations to start showing who is boss. Stop some of the messing, I still think running 4 candidates in Clare was maddness (madness they got away with as it happens) but if they want people to respect them they need to be able to manage their own similar to how FF does it.

The Muppet

This was Enda's best chance to be Taoiseach. With all the muck flying about, the media appearing to want him in, the problems in the Health service and yet the People still were not prepared to take a risk on him.

The reason he was 20 points behind Bertie in the exit pole was because the general public just don't see him as Taoiseach material and I don't believe he has the attributes for that to change.

AidoCQS

Any port in a storm dude, I dont know if you have spotted it but the gene pool of TD's in FF, who have even held a ministry is shrinking, thats what happens in a 'democracy' which reelects FF for all but 3/25 years.

The worst thing to do is offer up a converyor belt of Newbies, or young guns like somebody else said, they are going to look inferior even to Spliffo

jmccormack

Enda Kenny has done wonders for fine gael. There is no need for a new leader. Enda is doing fine.

BigTommyBomb

Fine Gael are fine. If Labour or the greens had a slightly better election it would have been them in power.

Sully

Leadership contest? Are you serious? Dont mind that Deasy chap, he is (as his posters say) "Standing Up and Speaking Out". Hes only elected because his second name is Deasy and he is pretty popular FG candiate who has been around sometime.

The first time he challenger FG for leadership, he was just laughed at and a few polls were done to see who people would like to see as FG leader if it did happen etc. Enda just made note. Some Waterford people voted again, but not as many nor as many first preferences. Hence why it took several counts for him to get elected - something he blames Enda for. Now he acted up again, pissing more Waterford people off and further annoying FGs Enda.

Deasy will now be ignored and is no good to us. He can huff and puff all he wants, but after his comments (again) and taking his campaign poster far to seriously -- it will take a LOT longer for him to gain the trust of FG / Public.

bemmet

And if my aunt had ***** she would be my uncle.
IF
The biggest word in Fine Gael post election vocabulary!

Forget the Ifs, FG and the supposed rainbow have never had ,and will never again have such a wind at their backs and they still missed hitting the barn door.

Sully

bemmet wrote:

And if my aunt had ***** she would be my uncle.
IF
The biggest word in Fine Gael post election vocabulary!

Forget the Ifs, FG and the supposed rainbow have never had ,and will never again have such a wind at their backs and they still missed hitting the barn door.

A true FF speaker eh!

Well, FG have improved a LOT in this election and you nor anyone else can deny that. Sure they didnt replace Bertie but it was looking that way for the majority of the polls. They didnt get elected for minor reasons, but they got a nice seat gain.

PDs died. Thanks to FF if you ask me.

Lets see what happens in 5 years time. FG/Labour may well have a good chance. Unless you know something we dont?

E92

Enda WILL REMAIN leader. When Deasy says that he has to go,then its never gonna happen. If anything, Deasy has ensured that Enda will remain leader by his outburst today. Next time it will be Enda vs Cowen, the Bertie factor wont be there next time, and as we all know. I'm sure that Cowen will still win the leaders debate, but he still doesnt have the 'man of the people' status that Bertie has. As I said already, FF did so well because of Bertie yesterday.

nesf

Has Kenny ten good years left in him though?

DeepBlue

nesf wrote:

Has Kenny ten good years left in him though?

Tbh he looked years younger than Bertie in the leader's debate.
I was surprised afterwards to find out that they are the same age :eek: .