A meeting of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party is underway to decide on the future of the party’s Leadership.
Fine Gael’s Enda Kenny and his former Deputy Richard Bruton are preparing for the fight of their political lives as frontbenchers debate who will lead the party into the future.
At least 9 Richard Bruton supporters are expected to speak out against their leader.
But speaking on his way into the meeting, Fine Gael TD Jimmy Deenihan said he is behind Enda Kenny.
He says it will be interesting to see what happens to those who do not back the current Leader.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen this happening, I’ve been on the frontbench for some time” he said.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see what action and direction that people who don’t support Enda will take this morning” he added.
Earlier Mr. Kenny’s challenger Richard Bruton met with at least 5 frontbenchers in a hotel on the outskirts of Dublin to discuss tactics.
The Laois-Offaly TD Olwyn Enright has refused to confirm whether she is in the Bruton camp.
“I’m just going in, I’m going to say what I have to say in there and I’ll be happy to talk to you after – but I won’t be making any comment beforehand” she said.
When asked if she was backing Richard Bruton, she replied “I’ll be making my comments in the frontbench meeting; I haven’t spoken to the media up to now and I will do it in there because I think it’s the right place to do it”.
Meanwhile, the Fine Gael fighting has totally distracted attention from the Dail motion of confidence in Brian Cowen.
But Mayo TD Michael Ring says the smiles on the faces of his Fianna Fáil colleagues will not last long.
“Well I don’t know, I mean they haven’t got a lot to laugh at at 17%” he said.
“And there is a bit of disarray in their own party and I’m not going to get into that – if you read Sunday’s papers – and I heard a deputy on the radio last week”.
“So they have their problems too, so the smile might soon be wiped off their face as well” he added.
