No place for liberals in Kenny’s Fine Gael

LEADERSHIP heaves are never edifying, nor is the sight of a party leader clinging on to his position when he is, by any standards, well beyond his best-before date.

It is time now for Fine Gael to say thank you to Enda Kenny for rebuilding the party, which is no mean achievement. But the time has come to move on.

Under Mr Kenny, FG has been presented as a regressive, conservative organisation more at home in the 1950s. This is a much more grave political sin than his lack of charisma.

Liberals like myself are deeply uncomfortable in Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael which narrowly defines the nation, eerily echoing the words of the founder of the Christian Brothers, as a “Celtic and Christian people”. This, bizarre as it may seem, is one of Enda Kenny’s clearer statements.

If a new leader, such as Richard Bruton, is elected, Fine Gael may have a unique opportunity to rediscover its previous commitment to pluralism and an open-minded vision for Ireland.

Such a party would have the potential to attract a much wider support base; it could become a party of ‘all the talents’ and attract disaffected ex-Fine Gael supporters rather than actively repelling them as has been the case under Mr Kenny’s leadership.

Maurice Dockrell

Glenomena Grove

Blackrock

Co Dublin