What Odds Kenny Will Go Before Bertie?

[sarak]

I started a thread on this a few months back and received an incredulous responce from FG posters (and many others).

But this week i think changed things:

- In the General Election Kenny failed to score an open goal and take out the current leader of FF.
- And crucially, this week he showed he showed a similar inability to make any inroads against the prospective next leader of FF.

So whats the point in keeping him around? If he cant beat the current or (probable) next leader of FF what good is he?

[Barbarian]

I don't think there is anyone else that might take it on...Bruton, Hogan, Flannagan, Shatter? I don't think any of them would be any different.
Kenny will certainly be there until after the local elections, if FG don't overtake Fianna Fáil as the largest party at local level it will be a bitter disappointment and put paid to Kenny's stated ambition of making Fine Gael the largest party in the Dáil

[meriwether]

Nonsense.
Kenny is leading a party at 31%, with popularity figures of approx similar to Ahern when leading FF into the 1997 GE.

The whole 'Kenny is a problem' is clever misdirection by FF and their acolytes in the media.

After all, when was the last time Fergson allowed Wenger to pick his team?

[meriwether]

I don't think there is anyone else that might take it on...Bruton, Hogan, Flannagan, Shatter? I don't think any of them would be any different.
Kenny will certainly be there until after the local elections, if FG don't overtake Fianna Fáil as the largest party at local level it will be a bitter disappointment and put paid to Kenny's stated ambition of making Fine Gael the largest party in the Dáil

Good stuff!
Again, FF'ers telling us what is good and what isn't for FG.
I have to laugh.

[CJH]

Good stuff!
Again, FF'ers telling us what is good and what isn't for FG.
I have to laugh.

FGers have been taking an inrodinate amount of interest recently in the internal financial affairs of certain FF cumainn, and appear very worried on behalf of the oridinary members of FF about where the subscription and fundraising money might have gone.

It's heartening to see such concern on behalf of both parties for the other's wellbeing. Maybe the Civil War divide is finally healed

[meriwether]

Good stuff!
Again, FF'ers telling us what is good and what isn't for FG.
I have to laugh.

FGers have been taking an inrodinate amount of interest recently in the internal financial affairs of certain FF cumainn, and appear very worried on behalf of the oridinary members of FF about where the subscription and fundraising money might have gone.

It's heartening to see such concern on behalf of both parties for the other's wellbeing. Maybe the Civil War divide is finally healed

There is a subtle difference, shall I tell you what it is?

[Pauli]

I don't think there is anyone else that might take it on...Bruton, Hogan, Flannagan, Shatter? I don't think any of them would be any different.
Kenny will certainly be there until after the local elections, if FG don't overtake Fianna Fáil as the largest party at local level it will be a bitter disappointment and put paid to Kenny's stated ambition of making Fine Gael the largest party in the Dáil

I have to agree. It would be a bitter disappointment and not just for FGers. Many who are not in FG or even particularly like FG look forward to the next local elections ending up worse for FF than the 2004 fiasco. McCreevy got the bullet then. Hopefully Ahern gets it next time if he has not been removed from office beforehand. And he can take Harney with him.

[DaveM]

meri, say we don't make it to the next GE. In this scenario I'd be the typical floating FF or FG voter that FG will need if they are to take the next step. I've no agenda for or against either FF or FG. In fact I've posted here that Ahern should step down and that we should pull out of government. That would seem to make me lean more towards FG than FF.

However, for me and many others I've discussed this with, Kenny is a problem and the further FG try to push beyond their core vote the greater this problem will become. The guy is as uninspiring a politician as I could imagine. Beside him Iain Duncan Smith positively oozes charisma by comparison. The guy is obviously a bloody good organiser and seems popular with those who would have generally leant towards FG anyway but I feel he's hit his ceiling. Plus he has done a brutal job of turning the screw on Ahern. For me as a potential target floating voter then Kenny is a big turn off and it would be silly to chose to ignore that fact.

[Barbarian]

I don't think there is anyone else that might take it on...Bruton, Hogan, Flannagan, Shatter? I don't think any of them would be any different.
Kenny will certainly be there until after the local elections, if FG don't overtake Fianna Fáil as the largest party at local level it will be a bitter disappointment and put paid to Kenny's stated ambition of making Fine Gael the largest party in the Dáil

Good stuff!
Again, FF'ers telling us what is good and what isn't for FG.
I have to laugh.

Will you not be dissapointed? Kenny is being ambitious for his party and has laid down his target - surely it'll be deemed failure if this isn't met?

[Deep Throat]

met a businessman yesterday whom i canvassed during the general election. Even though he would be from a FG background, At that time he told me he was afraid that things would take a downturn if we had a change of Govt, as he felt enda kenny was untried etc. This businessman (construction-related), recently left go 15 of his employees and he certainly had some choice words about Brian Cowen and Bertie Ahern! I neednt tell ye but i did remind him what he said at election time and sarcastically told him it was great to have decisive leaders like ahern and cowen in charge!