Taoiseach accused of ‘making story up’ about McNulty's appointment to arts board
The claim drew derision from Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who accused the Taoiseach of contradicting himself and “making up” the story surrounding Mr McNulty’s elevation to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma).
Mr Kenny said Fine Gael’s “flawed system” was to blame for the appointment to the arts board six days before Mr McNulty was confirmed as the party’s candidate in the Seanad by-election.
Mr Kenny insisted he had not “instructed” Arts Minister Heather Humphreys to elevate Mr McNulty to the role in order to bolster his credibility in the Seanad by-election.
Forced to correct the Dáil record from the previous day, Mr Kenny said he had not discussed a place on a cultural board with Mr McNulty when he interviewed him for the Seanad race.
“I never discussed anything with him about cultural boards or other boards. There was no instruction given to the minister; she herself read his qualifications and appointed him to the board,” Mr Kenny told the Dáil.
He said that, after the interview, Mr McNulty indicated to Fine Gael “personnel” that he was interested in serving on a cultural board. “He did not know when he was appointed by the minister to the board of Imma that he would be a candidate for the Seanad,” Mr Kenny insisted.
Mr Martin said the Taoiseach was changing his version of events, adding: “This story is unravelling as it gets made up.”
Mr Kenny said his lengthy interview with Mr McNulty was in the wake of Donegal South-West TD Dinny McGinley’s decision not to run for the Dáil at the next general election.
Mr Kenny said 29 people were being considered for the Seanad vacancy before Mr McNulty was chosen. He said he was “upset” that Fine Gael officials handling the appointment of Mr McNulty to the Imma board had not liaised with the party’s sub-committee tasked with the Seanad vacancy.
Mr Kenny said he was intent on fixing the “internal mechanics of the way the party does its business”.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said Mr Kenny was not telling the full story of the McNulty appointment.
The controversy saw Mr McNulty effectively withdraw from the Seanad race by asking Oireachtas members not to vote for him.
Kenny won’t name FG official as he would be ‘pilloried’
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has refused to name the Fine Gael official he blames for the Seanad nomination controversy as he believes the person would be “publicly pilloried” as a result.
Mr Kenny said he had “taken the rap” for the botched attempt to nominate Donegal businessman John McNulty for the Seanad.
Though taking overall responsibility as leader of the party, Mr Kenny has insisted the fault lies with a Fine Gael functionary who he claims recommended to Arts Minister Heather Humphreys that Mr McNulty be put on the Irish Museum of Modern Art board.
Mr Kenny has denied he was involved in the elevation of Mr McNulty to the prestigious arts institution just six days before he nominated the man for the cultural panel of the Seanad in order to boost the businessman’s credibility for the role.
“I accepted responsibility for a system that’s flawed. People were appointed to state boards in the past that could lead to a perception that it’s all political cronyism.”
“Clearly, people can be pilloried in the public media if any names are mentioned. These are ordinary staff who work for the Fine Gael party, the same as staff in my own office of the Taoiseach.
“Obviously I have taken the rap for this, put my hands up, accepted responsibility, apologised for the whole process and not only that, I’m doing something about it now,” Mr Kenny said.
With public criticism of his leadership voiced by a number of TDs, Mr Kenny side-stepped a question over whether he was confident of surviving another heave.
“I do hope that from our own party point of view I can weld everybody together because ... talent might win games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships,” Mr Kenny said.
The Taoiseach said he intended to push through reforms agreed at the party’s recent meeting in Cork to remove the power to select election candidates from Fine Gael headquarters.
Jobs Minister Richard Bruton, who launched a heave against Mr Kenny in 2010, made it clear he did not expect another challenge to the Taoiseach’s leadership. However, he would not be drawn on whether he still harboured leadership ambitions.
Labour business minister Ged Nash denied that Labour had failed to speak out about controversy.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan were joined yesterday by pupils from Gardiner Street School at Government Buildings to mark the launch of the fourth year of the Blue Star programme, which fosters better understanding of the EU. Picture: Niall Carson
Coalition fears for control of Upper House
A key concern about the implications of the Seanad by-election debacle is whether it could further erode the Coalition’s control of the Upper House and its ability to push through legislation.
The election of Donegal businessman John McNulty was supposed to strengthen Fine Gael and Labour’s joint vote in the Seanad, where both parties are currently in a minority by two votes.
The simple election process has now turned into a shambles.
A variety of scenarios are being predicted by TDs and senators from both parties, who privately say that, above all else, Sinn Féin must not get their hands on the vacant seat.
A total of 223 TDs and senators are entitled to vote. It is a postal vote, and ballot papers were issued last Friday. The election process cannot be stopped.
Last night, many TDs and senators said they had already voted, some before Mr McNulty this week advised Oireachtas members not to support him in the election.
Despite his statement and the Taoiseach’s own words that the seat should not now be taken, party members say they will still likely support Mr McNulty. If the failed local election candidate goes on to win, TDs also say that Mr McNulty will likely have to resign.
One TD explained: “He’ll win it. A lot have already voted. But then he’ll have to step down so the process is run again.”
Oireachtas officials point out that the Seanad can only delay or block limited amounts of legislation if opposition members have the numbers to do so. The Upper House cannot block finance or money-related bills. Others can be delayed by up to 90 days.
It is a complicated process but one Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin would not rule out if they had the numbers and wanted o slow down or delay the Coalition’s legislative plans.
Furthermore, the Government parties have already lost a number of votes in the Seanad.
However, an interesting scenario is being talked about by Labour senators and TDs: The possibility of independent candidate Gerard Craughwell winning the seat, the school teacher who was originally the one to challenge Mr McNulty’s nomination.
The coalition parties would prefer to see the independent win rather than the Sinn Féin candidate, Catherine Seeley, who is also a teacher. “It’s the best of the worst situations,” explained one senator.
Indeed, the independents in the Seanad will likely be called upon to support Coalition votes in the Upper House if Mr McNulty is not elected, according to senior Fine Gael sources. “The Taoiseach put them in there. There’s a kind of obligation on them to do the good thing,” said one party figure.
Labour last year privately warned its senators that any delay passing budget legislation could result in the loss of €124m from three months’ worth of savings.
But governments have been here before with a minority of votes.
The Rainbow coalition, after taking power in 1994, had a minority in the Seanad but managed to keep difficulties to a minimum. It remains to be seen whether the current coalition parties can do the same if the opposition gets their hands on the vacant Seanad seat.
FG supporters ‘frustrated by fiasco’
Fine Gael supporters across the country are “frustrated and angered” by the “mess” surrounding the party’s handing of the Seanad by-election, Simon Coveney, the agriculture minister said.
The party has “attached a lot of importance” to political reform since entering office, and the controversy has resulted in a “huge setback in the mindset of the electorate and the public,” according to the minister.
The “fiasco” surrounding the appointment of Fine Gael’s Seanad nominee, John McNulty, to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art shows the job of reform is not finished, he said.
“The biggest insult you can give to a Fine Gael person is to accuse them of being like Fianna Fáil in terms of standards in public office and that is essentially what has been happening here,” he said.
“Fine Gael people, in particular, across the country are frustrated and angered by this mess, because that is what it is.”
Mr Coveney said he had spoken to the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, who was “very uncomfortable with what happened” and that it was an own-goal.
But he defended the Taoiseach’s decision not to name the Fine Gael official he claims was responsible for the debacle.
Mr Coveney said that Mr Kenny was very uncomfortable with what had happened and “put his hands up” to the mistake.
“Enda Kenny isn’t the kind of man that would finger an official within Fine Gael, names them publicly, so that they become the focal point for attention,” he said.
He said the Taoiseach had taken his “eye off the ball” and was determined to fix it by making the process of appointments transparent
The Kerry South TD, Brendan Griffin, said the Taoiseach had “made a mess of this”, but it had to be considered in the context of his Mr Kenny’s other achievements.
“There is no doubt about it, he dropped the ball. But you don’t take somebody off the pitch for one mistake.
“You have to look at his overall performance and where we have come since three years ago,” he said.
FG opinions
“There are more questions than answers at this stage. This entire debacle, for me, and I speak for my colleagues — we’re embarrassed by it and we’re annoyed by it. I don’t like having accusations put to me on the doors in Clonakilty in West Cork where I am, that ‘you’re no different from Fianna Fáil. You’re no different from what has gone before you’.
“Do I think the Taoiseach has lied to date? No, I don’t, but there are further questions [answers] that I have to know.
“This sore, sordid saga has to be brought to a conclusion because we have much bigger issues to deal with.”
“Fine Gael people in particular across the country are frustrated and angered by this mess because that’s what it is.
“We as a party have attached a lot of importance to political reform... this is a huge setback in the minds of the electorate and the public because the biggest insult you can give to a Fine Gael person is to accuse them of being like Fianna Fáil in terms of standards in public office.”
“Like me, a lot of people in Fine Gael are really frustrated by what’s happened here. This has damaged the reputation and image of the party.”
“It’s probably indicative of what’s been going on in Fine Gael for some time.
“I think the calculation from the Taoiseach is that he can probably do anything he wants right now and as long as the economy continues to improve, the public won’t care and maybe he’s right.
“People are getting sick of the way this is being conducted and it doesn’t really strike people as being what we, as a party, phrased as new politics.” Liam Twomey, Wexford TD
“There are a lot of questions that need to be clarified around that issue.
“We’ve come a long way, we’ve worked hard...we cannot allow any form of arrogance to creep in where we actually start treating assets of the Irish people as our own.
“I think the party’s been damaged by this. The Taoiseach, as leader of the party, will always take his share of the blame on this, like he has.”
“We are very fearful of the fact that the situation with the Taoiseach is returning to the days of stroke politics, and the days of Charlie Haughey, and we don’t want a situation like that. The vast majority of Fine Gael TDs want to see reform in Irish politics, and want the public to know that we don’t agree with the way in which this has been handled.
“We believe the way in which Minister Humphreys [the Arts Minister] decided to place him on the board was a mistake... It damages the image of Fine Gael.”
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