‘Squatter’ Enda Kenny is short of time and options

Day 33 since the General Election and Enda ‘Squatter’ Kenny remains in situ in Government Buildings, writes Daniel McConnell.

And yet, we still have no government and appear to be no closer to getting one either.

Throughout yesterday we heard a succession of frustrations given voice by the Independent TDs who are working to try and form a government with Kenny.

Phrases like stalemate, useless, going nowhere and waste of time, were frequent comments made to me and my colleagues in the media.

As the talks continue to bore us all silly, frustrations at Squatter Kenny’s failure to pick up the phone to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin boiled over.

The Independents are annoyed at Kenny’s refusal to reach out to Martin, when they all know his agreement to a deal is needed for all of this to work.

To indicate how annoyed the Independents were, Katherine Zappone told me that Kenny’s initial refusal to contact Fianna Fáil on Tuesday was “most frustrating”.

“He should have spoken to Micheál then. It is frustrating the process, ” she said.

For his part, Kenny warned the group of Independents that the choice facing them is either support for a minority Fine Gael government or another election.

Kenny said the choice was a “stark one” and they needed to be fully aware of the consequences if a minority government could not be formed.

This was Kenny’s most explicit description of the current situation and is the first time he has addressed the possibility of a second election.

Kenny told the meeting that coalition was not an option because Fianna Fáil had ruled it out.

He said his party could not support a minority government led by Martin.

Senior Fine Gael sources insist Mr Kenny will secure the support in the coming days to form a minority government despite the decision of the Green Party to exit negotiations.

He was said to have confirmed that he would make contact with Fianna Fáil by the end of the week.

According to sources, Kenny said he would reach out to Martin when Fine Gael and the Independents have agreed a programme for government.

The Fine Gael leader told the meeting that he aims to agree a policy document with the independents by tomorrow— before finally contacting Martin.

Several of the Independent TDs, speaking to the Irish Examiner, have voiced their frustration at the process which they have said is at a “stalemate”.

“On one level it is positive to have these consensus discussions, but in terms of forming a government, we are going nowhere,” one TD said.

It has also emerged that claims made by Minister Richard Bruton yesterday morning that the party will not support a minority Fianna Fáil government has greatly angered some of the Independent TDs.

“They are acting sometimes as if they still have 76 seats, not 50. They seem to forget they lost the election,” said one TD.

Given the stalemate, Kenny now looks set to postpone the vote for taoiseach which was due to take place next Wednesday, as they look set to come up short of the needed majority.

Speaking to me last night, several party sources confirmed this, should Kenny fail to have agreement in place from the Independents and from Fianna Fáil.

“What’s the point in running the vote just to lose it. Chances are he will delay it,” said one party figure.

There is no specific deadline that Kenny has to work to, but every day that goes by, toleration for this interim arrangement ebbs away.

It is a novelty for a month, but we are now getting into the territory of it becoming a major issue of concern.

Kenny’s comments about a second election are a clear attempt to raise the temperature of the talks and focus the minds. But he runs the risk of reminding everyone how many seats he lost and his own credibility problem.

Many of the Independent TDs have expressed their grave concern about supporting Kenny’s nomination for taoiseach, because they know there is a major political cost in doing so.

Many of them won their seats on the basis of opposing the policies Kenny’s government implemented since 2011.

But the chances of a second election before the end of May in my view stand at 50:50.