Taoiseach blames McNulty furore on FG staff

The Taoiseach has blown open a bitter row in his party by blaming unnamed officials for the botched handling of Fine Gael’s nomination for the Seanad by-election.

Members of the party’s national executive are “furious” that they have been “made to look like complete fools” after Enda Kenny passed the blame for the controversy by saying he was not happy with how it was handled in the party.

In a humiliating climbdown, Mr Kenny told the Dáil he let his “standards slip” and did not “measure up” to the trust placed in him or his party by allowing his Seanad nominee, John McNulty, be placed on the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma).

Insisting he was taking responsibility, Mr Kenny added: “I am not happy about the situation as it evolved in the Fine Gael process, nor was I informed of that situation.”

“For those reasons, I feel it is beneath the standards that I have set myself. It is beneath the trust placed in us by our supporters and is beyond the integrity of the way we fight elections.

“For that reason, I felt strongly that this seat should not be accepted in these circumstances.”

While Mr Kenny said he asked his officials to inform Mr McNulty it would be better if he did not take the seat, the candidate himself insisted he was not pushed.

“I have informed the Taoiseach that, under the circumstances, I am withdrawing my name and asking the members of the Oireachtas not to vote for me in the upcoming Seanad by-election,” Mr McNulty said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach later said he was “not happy with the way his officials handled it”, particularly the manner in which the prospective Seanad candidate was appointed to a state board.

Mr Kenny said he had interviewed Mr McNulty on a one-to-one basis to assess his suitability to take a seat on the Seanad’s cultural panel.

During that interview, Mr McNulty expressed interest in sitting on the board of a cultural organisation. Mr Kenny did not believe this was necessary as his credentials were already sufficient to represent cultural interests in the Upper House.

In what is claimed to have been a separate course of events, unnamed party officials sent Mr McNulty’s CV to the arts minister, Heather Humphreys, who said she then appointed him to the board of Imma “on merit”.

Party sources last night said members of the executive council “completely contradict” the Taoiseach’s version of events.

“They feel that Kenny is completely passing the blame to them and is using them as a scapegoat,” a source said. “The executive is now in open conflict with the party leader and that is serious.”

In what could cause further embarrassment, a number of Government TDs last night said they still intend to vote for Mr McNulty in the Seanad by-election. It is too late for his name to be officially withdrawn and so he is still on the ballot paper.

The Taoiseach will address the Fine Gael parliamentary party on the issue tonight.