Shane Ross left ‘outraged’ after Cabinet row with Taoiseach

Transport Minister Shane Ross has been left “outraged” and “deeply uneasy” about continuing in Government following a blazing row with Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Cabinet.

Mr Ross and his fellow Independent Alliance members are disgusted at “being bounced” into having to adopt a unified Government position on a bill on Ireland’s neutrality in the Dáil.

Last night, relations between Fine Gael and the Alliance were said to be “extremely tetchy”.

Several ministers placed the blame for the row on a “communications breakdown”, saying the issue should have been dealt with before it came to Cabinet.

However, the Irish Examiner has confirmed significant details of the 90-minute row which required an intervention from Finance Minister Michael Noonan to resolve it.

The Alliance have accused Mr Kenny of acting in “bad faith” by refusing to contemplate a free vote, even though it had been agreed that matters falling outside the Programme for Government should not require a unified position.

Mr Ross warned his colleagues that his position in the Government cannot be guaranteed and were Fine Gael to try to force their hand again he would “not think twice about withdrawing”.

“It is about the principle of the free vote, more so than the issue itself. This is a big deal for us,” said a minister.

Alliance junior minister John Halligan yesterday struck a defiant tone, backing Mr Ross.

“We have differences of opinion with the Government consistently but that doesn’t mean we are going to fight like mad to bring down the Government, we are entitled to have differences of opinion as Independents,” he said.

Asked about the concerns raised by Shane Ross at Cabinet this week he said: “He kicked up a fuss and rightly so, based on the fact that we did not consider it to be part of the Programme for Government. Shane Ross, Finian McGrath and myself are very strong on neutrality. We did feel that that should have been a free vote.”

Several members of the Alliance, speaking yesterday to the Irish Examiner, spelled out their deep unhappiness with Mr Kenny, who “sought to lecture and patronise” them around the Cabinet table.

“It was a blatant move to corral us. But it will not happen again, mark my word. We will not be rolled over again,” one minister said. It has been established that there was “no dressing down” of Mr Ross by Mr Kenny as reported.

At least three times during the Cabinet meeting, Super Junior Minister Finian McGrath told his Fine Gael counterparts that “you guys don’t get us at all”.

The Alliance was grateful for Mr Noonan’s intervention as it was not keen to collapse the Government on this issue, but it is clear it came close to it. It was also surprised given Mr Kenny and Mr Ross had had a very constructive conversation during which they agreed a position on the row relating to the appointment of judges.

Mr Kenny said reports of the row were “greatly exaggerated” but said a free vote on such a matter of fundamental policy could not be tolerated.

“I have made the point on many occasions that neutrality is a matter of fundamental government policy,” he said.