FG put on a united display after row

FINE GAEL rowed in behind leader Enda Kenny last night as its deputies and senators tried to forget about the fractious events of the previous week.

Mr Kenny addressed his parliamentary party meeting and said he would not be distracted by the attention his party received in recent days.

At last week’s gathering, Lucinda Creighton TD stormed out after she complained a comment directed at her was “patronising”.

And Galway east TD Ulick Burke criticised party communications and how the defection of Senator Ciarán Cannon from the Progressive Democrats was handled.

Last night, all three addressed their colleagues and said the problems had been aired before the meeting and were resolved.

Mr Kenny said he wanted to move on to focus on preparations for next week’s emergency budget and the upcoming Árd Fheis.

He also told his charges what happened at the weekly parliamentary party meetings should not be leaked to the media.

One person at last night’s meeting said it appeared a choreographed approach to have the party leader speak, followed by statements by Mr Burke and Ms Creighton.

A number of others spoke in support of Mr Kenny’s leadership and the direction the party had taken.

“It was a great show of unity and when Enda spoke he raised the rafters a few times. It was all put in the past,” a party member said.

It was a larger than normal attendance with many expecting another flare-up.

However, instead the party’s most senior politicians presented a united image in an attempt to silence any suggestion members were set to move against the leader.

Earlier the front-bench meeting was dominated by talk of the economy and a presentation given by its finance spokesman Richard Bruton.

This was in preparation for the launch of its pre-budget statement today.

Mr Kenny told the parliamentary party this was what he wanted to discuss and not the follow-up to in-house spats.