Kenny under pressure after departure of key deputy

AS the ultimate test of the general election draws ever closer for Fine Gael, we are perhaps witnessing the first signs that its leader is beginning to bottle it.

In the past week not only has Enda Kenny managed to get himself into a quandary over his contradictory stance on the Government's decentralisation programme, but he has also managed to lose the TD who played such a major role in securing the Mullingar Accord for the party.

Indeed, the decision of Deputy Paul McGrath not to contest the next election due to differences with his party's leadership is perhaps telling of what the mood must really be like within FG's parliamentary party under Kenny.