Elaine Loughlin: Simon Harris appears to have chosen a side — now can he bring Fine Gael with him?

The Fine Gael ard fheis in Cork has heard complaints from elected members about a lack of political direction and messaging from party HQ.

'The dole is a safety net, not a way of life,' Tánaiste Simon Harris told parliamentary party members at the Fine Gael ard fheis at the Mardyke Arena in UCC, Cork. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

As smaller, more agile parties on both sides of the political spectrum encroach and grab voters, Fine Gael doesn't want to talk about right-wing or left-wing politics.

The problem is that many in the party want to be both.

Others believe Simon Harris, as leader, should pick a side and stick to it.

During discussions on the party's Commission for Renewal report, published just ahead of this weekend's ard fheis, former justice minister Charlie Flanagan told a packed University College Cork (UCC) auditorium that during the research, many elected representatives, including TDs, said they believe they operate as "sole traders" forced to find their own way in the grey zone that Fine Gael finds itself.

Addressing this, Mr Flanagan signalled a battle cry, without clarifying which side of the war members should be fighting: "We're the Fine Gael family. We're part of the European People's Party, with European People's Party values added to our own strong values over the years. And I don't think that fits easily onto a scale of left or right."

Charlie Flanagan: Fine Gael TDs are saying they believe they operate as 'sole traders'.
Picture: Paul Sharp/SHARPPIX

Established in 2025, the Commission for Renewal, chaired by Mark FitzGerald, son of Garret, was tasked with examining how Fine Gael could strengthen its organisation, improve engagement with members and communities, and adapt to an evolving political landscape.

But during Saturday evening's question-and-answer session, several councillors and grassroots members raised a perceived stagnation in the centre.

Mayo councillor Peter Flynn received perhaps the loudest applause when he said: "Leo [Varadkar] talked about people who are getting out of bed in the morning a number of years ago; Enda Kenny had the five-point plan. But right now, I think we're all struggling to figure out what exactly is the catchphrase, to a certain degree."

Asking for some sort of direction from HQ, the local representative added that "at the moment, we have two out of 10 voters on our side".

The document with its 60 recommendations is "lovely" and "appeals to lots of people", Mr Flynn continued, "but are we going to actually target who we're going to go after?

"Who are the three out of 10 or the four out of 10? Because in some ways — I know this is quite a cynical kind of view — but we shouldn't really care about the six out of 10. That is, if we want to get into control, control our councils and control the government, then we need to get to the three or four out of 10 and move on."

Another member who received significant applause was Sarah Hynes. She was among the group that drafted a grassroots motion that argued that the party should distinguish itself from the “woke left” and reposition Fine Gael away from the “progressive centre”. The motion was ultimately shot down by the executive council and was not up for debate over the weekend.

In commending the six central recommendations that the document has identified, she said the party should come out and state the exact values of the party "which is Christian Democrat centre right — and that's a good space to be in, there's no shame in it".

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As the session was interrupted by a loudspeaker announcement ushering members to make their way to the main arena for Tánaiste Simon Harris's speech, Mr Flanagan told those remaining that the document is not supposed to be about policy.

"It's not about party positions, because party policy issues are for the parliamentary party and for the ard fheis," he said. "So that was not within the terms of reference."

If members were after a clear outline of party positions, they didn't have to wait long.

During his televised speech, Mr Harris announced that the “dole is not a way of life”, and there will be a crackdown on those who remain on social welfare in the long term.

"Support comes with responsibility, too — everyone who can work should be expected to make a contribution," he said.

“The dole is a safety net, not a way of life," the Tánaiste told his party.

Mr Harris appears to have chosen his side; he must now bring his party with him along the path of renewal.