Defeated Bruton promises no more heave attempts

DEFEATED and dejected looking, Richard Bruton last night pledged his loyalty to Enda Kenny and promised he would not mount another coup attempt.

Mr Bruton insisted he would lead no more heaves before the general election as he tried to play down his rebellion as a “family squabble”.

“No more heaves. The parliamentary party has made its decision, we are a very democratic party,” he said,

However, Mr Bruton said he was right to raise the issue of concern over Mr Kenny’s leadership.

“Issues have been raised in an honest exchange that will strengthen the party. And there’s a great opportunity to build on this. I believe it was an issue, it was right to push it and right to resolve it,” he said.

Mr Bruton would not be drawn on how much damage his coup attempt had done to Fine Gael’s standing with voters.

“It is a difficult thing for a party. We are a family and sometimes issues arise in a family and they have been resolved in a very adult way with no rancour in the meeting,” he said.

However, Mr Bruton appeared to leave the door slightly ajar for a possible return to the shadow cabinet insisting It was “not a decision for today” despite categorically ruling out such a move earlier in the week because it would be “hypocritical”.

Mr Kenny has said he will consider all the rebels for inclusion in his top team if they accept the confidence result, and Mr Bruton refused to say if he thought his supporters would be hypocrites for taking up the offer. Mr Bruton denied that bad tactics had cost him the top job.

“There was no question of knowing it was slipping away. People make a decision and you canvass their opinion and they offer their view and people make a decision,” he said.

The former deputy leader said that his strident attacks on what he saw as Mr Kenny’s poor leadership and judgment on economic matters would not give ammunition to Fianna Fáil at the next general election.

“No, I think Fine Gael has demonstrated its conviction. There was an issue that needed to be addressed and we addressed it robustly.

“FF are well used to throwing mud, but I think the issue for people will be can we rebuild an economy?” he said.

Mr Bruton insisted FG would all unite behind Mr Kenny and put the bruising leadership contest behind it.

“I said last week that I didn’t have confidence in Enda Kenny now that issue is resolved and there is a decision on that and that’s an end of it,” he said.