NEWS CONFERENCE:FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny has pledged that if the Government loses the forthcoming byelections he will not seek to form an alternative government from within the existing Dáil.
“That is not a runner,” he told a joint news conference in the Shelbourne Hotel with Fine Gael byelection candidates George Lee from Dublin South and Senator Paschal Donohoe from Dublin Central.
Mr Kenny also distanced his party from Labour when he said that a vote for Fine Gael was the only guaranteed way of getting Fianna Fáil out of office.
And he dismissed speculation that former Progressive Democrats leader and tánaiste Michael McDowell could be a Fine Gael election candidate in the future.
The Fine Gael leader was asked if, in the event that the Government failed to win either byelection – with consequent erosion of its majority – there were any circumstances in which he would consider forming a government himself without a general election.
Mr Kenny replied: “In theory, if the Green Party withdrew their support from government and they were to lose the byelections, you could form a variety of governments from within the membership of the current Dáil.
“But for me that is not a runner. I’ve already asked last year for a general election. I believe that the next government deserves a clear mandate from the people.”
He continued: “So the answer is no, I do not see a situation where I would form a government from within the existing Dáil. I would much prefer to have the verdict of the people nationally, in forming and leading a new government and in building the future that we know we can provide.”
Reflecting the rivalry with Labour in the byelections, Mr Kenny said it was obvious from travelling around the country that people wanted change and that meant they wanted Fianna Fáil out of government.
“The only guaranteed way of doing that is actually by voting for the Fine Gael party and the Fine Gael candidates and that’s part of our message right across the country,” he said.
Asked if he was suggesting that Labour was somewhat ambivalent on its post-election plans and had not given a cast-iron guarantee that it would not go into government with Fianna Fáil, Mr Kenny replied: “What I identified as the common denominator of people’s views out there is their wish to change the government; what they mean by that is, first and primarily, Fianna Fáil out of office.
“The only guaranteed way of doing that is to vote for Fine Gael candidates because you obviously could have a number of combinations of a different government to which Fianna Fáil would be central.”
Asked about former PD leader Mr McDowell as a possible Fine Gael election candidate, he said neither he nor his party had approached Mr McDowell. “I do not see any need for Michael McDowell to stand for Fine Gael in any constituency.”
-A Fine Gael councillor for Dún Laoghaire is offering a reward for information leading to the return of missing election posters, writes Jason Michael.
According to Cllr Mary Mitchell O’Connor, up to 40 per cent of her 300 posters have been removed since last Friday, and local gardaí have been notified.
Ms O’Connor said she believed that other councillors in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown have brought similar complaints to the county manager, which would indicate a particular party motivation was not involved.
“I am aware that it was quite stormy Wednesday and Thursday evening, but many of my posters survived the storm yet unbelievably have disappeared during the fine spell.”
