Kenny exposed as key ally exits political stage

Enda Kenny has been left dangerously exposed by the sudden departure of one of his key political protectors Alan Shatter.

Mr Shatter, along with Phil Hogan and James Reilly, formed the praetorian guard that pumped steel into Mr Kenny’s spine in the dark days of the 2010 heave and helped him secure a bruising victory in that battle for the Fine Gael party’s soul.

Mr Kenny’s three most trusted lieutenants mobilised the grassroots, mostly rural sections, of Fine Gael to see-off what they branded a condescending coup attempt by a metropolitan elite led by Richard Bruton.

The trio were richly rewarded for their loyalty when the party came close to achieving single party government at the following year’s election.

Mr Shatter was charged with cutting the power-sharing deal with Labour, and his legalistic cunning and in-built tenacity ensured that the junior party got as little share of that power as Fine Gael could expect to get away with.

However, since then Mr Shatter at Justice, Mr Hogan at Environment and Dr Reilly at Health, have seemed to take it in turns as the lightning conductor for public anger against a Government increasing seen as arrogant and out of touch.

Mr Shatter lurched from one law and order crisis to the next, and when he was not dominating the headlines with opposition demands for his political head, Big Phil Hogan would fill the breach as Government hate figure over a range of botched tax impositions, ranging from levies on the homes we live in to the taps we turn on for water.

And cutting into this dance of despair was Dr Reilly, who would take the lead role as Coalition bad boy as both Government parties bitched about his handling of health and his seeming inability to get a grip on its runaway budget.

Now, Mr Shatter has gone and his removal also sees a major bulwark of protection surrounding the Taoiseach dismantled with his departure.

This is especially concerning to the Taoiseach as Mr Hogan is increasingly giving off the air of a minister who knows he will soon be out of the Leinster House snake pit and safely installed in a plush Brussels suite as an EU commissioner by autumn.

That would only leave Dr Reilly, the man the Taoiseach made Fine Gael deputy leader, and who he has stood by through a spate of controversies and misjudgements, as Mr Kenny’s last heavyweight political bodyguard.

Mr Shatter’s sudden exit shows that even Mr Kenny’s legendary loyalty is not enough to save the day and the Taoiseach’s authority will inevitably have been badly weakened as a result of standing by the justice minister for so long after others had judged his political use by date to be up.

Mr Kenny now looks out over a bleak, and increasingly lonely, vista which is set to see the length of his premiership shortened.

Reilly: Going to be battered by next budget crisis.

Hogan: Going to Europe.

Shatter: Gone.