It seems that Enda Kenny’s days as Taoiseach are drawing to a close as with each passing day his party colleagues are slowly turning against him, and now it seems one TD in particular has fired the first shot saying he has no confidence in Mr Kenny’s leadership.
The man at the centre of the latest controversy Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell has officially claimed that Mr Kenny’s position is “untenable”.
Although the Taoiseach has refused to step down from his role, it seems that his own party have already made their minds up and it was Mr Farrell who fired what could be the first parting shot of many, saying the Taoiseach should step aside sooner rather than later.
Speaking this afternoon Farrell said: “Unfortunately, I no longer have confidence in the ability of Enda Kenny TD to lead Fine Gael and I believe his position is now untenable.”
“Fine Gael, as a party in government, requires a leader who can manage the party in a manner which inspires faith amongst the parliamentary party, our local representatives and the wider membership.”
“I wish to acknowledge Enda Kenny’s unwavering commitment to public service and to working in the best interests of our society and the Irish public.”
“While I sincerely thank An Taoiseach for the work he has done in rebuilding our party since becoming leader in 2002 and even more so for his incredible stewardship of the country since 2011, I believe it is now time for him to step aside and allow a new leader, with a fresh approach, to lead us into the future.”
“We must be prepared to tackle the challenges which arise in our society. In doing so we require a leader who can lead with confidence, and highlight how the values and principles of Fine Gael can best benefit our society and every community across our “country.”
“Over the last number of days, we as a party have stumbled from one crisis to another, highlighting how fragile our arrangement as a minority government is.”
“Not only were we close to an election once, I firmly believe we came close three times. If anything should be learned from the events of the last few days it is that we must be ready for an election at any time.”
“In order to do that, we must have a new leader in place who will inject a new impetus and provide a new direction for Fine Gael.”
“As the co-author of a recent internal party report, I am very much in tune with the feelings and position of our membership, right across the country. A week does not go by that a further comment from another constituency arrives. In a democratic organisation, that is not healthy and thus, I reluctantly withdraw my support for the continued tenure of Enda Kenny TD as leader of Fine Gael,”