Fine Gael will learn lessons of election failure, says chief whip

FINE GAEL will learn its lessons from Gay Mitchell’s abysmal showing in the presidential election, Government chief whip Paul Kehoe has pledged.

But several Fine Gael TDs, speaking anonymously to the Irish Examiner, said the defeat of the Oireachtas inquiries referendum was a bigger “wake-up call” for the party.

One TD singled out Justice Minister Alan Shatter for criticism, saying he had been too “arrogant” in his dismissal of concerns raised about the referendum by eight former attorneys general.

The TD said the Government could not afford to be so dismissive in the future when it was trying to get the public onside for a succession of hair-shirt budgets, starting in December.

Another TD described the referendum defeat as a “wake-up call”, while a third TD said the Government had “taken their eye off the ball” during the campaign.

On the presidency, there was agreement the party needed to assess why Gay Mitchell had fared so poorly.

But there was also consensus that the party had simply picked the wrong candidate in Mr Mitchell.

“His personality didn’t suit,” one TD said. “In fairness to him, he’s a very decent, honest man, but just the wrong man for the job right now.”

The TD said he didn’t believe party leader Enda Kenny should receive flak over the result. “Personally, I don’t see why there should be any old shite about it,” the TD said, pointing to the fact that Mr Kenny was understood to have wanted Pat Cox as the party’s candidate.

Another TD said: “Anybody who attempts to blame the hierarchy is wrong. No blame can be attached to headquarters, the leader, [campaign director] Charlie Flanagan, or the press office.”

The TD said the party had put in place an extensive campaign for Mr Mitchell with no shortage of resources and canvassing.

“That leads to one question — the candidate,” the TD said, before similarly stressing that Mr Mitchell was an “honourable politician” who had found himself in the wrong campaign.

Nonetheless, the TD said the party had to take the presidential result as a “warning shot”, adding: “It’s about communication, it’s about messaging, and it’s about striking a chord with the voters. And voters are flexible, they will shop around — they’re just like consumers now — and they’re entitled to be.”

But another TD said preparing for the budget was more important than examining the entrails of the dismal presidential campaign.

“The budget will be infinitely more important from that point of view [of Government support],” he said. “We have to focus on the economic situation and job creation.”