Enda does the bell tolls for thee ?

Enda is in trouble. Already in the job for about 4 years and the poll results show little or no improvement from the disastrous 2002 election performance. The media has been unflinching in their condemnation of the health service and crime the opposition could not ask for more help from the media. Yet Fine Gael are picking up nothing.

At 23% in the polls Fine Gael are at the same position as they were in 2002. Prior to the 2002 election an MRBI Poll for the Irish Times placed Fine Gael on 23% on the date of the election they secured 22.5% of the vote. If the polls were as close to the mark then as they are now Fine Gael are looking at another defeat at the polls.

Picking up support in this kind of environment should be easy. The health service, crime, roads, house prices are all available for the opposition to hammer the government on and gain support. But they are miserably failing at this. As Cian has posted Labour are stagnating. But they are stagnating at a realitively normal figure for them. But Fine Gael are stagnating at low figure. With little sign of them increasing their support.

So is it time for Fine Gael to be worried. In 2002 Fine Gael’s vote had collapsed from 32.6% a massive drop. It is believe in many circles that was a blip in the chart and that they were bound to recoup their losses. However it is looking like that those losses are not going to come back automatically as many I think believe. In 2004 Fine Gael did well gaining for the first time more seats then Fianna Fail. This was credited to Enda Kenny’s leadership as was the restructuring of the party. But with the polls showing that Fine Gael are no where near claiming the 32% it won in 1997 were the 2004 gains merely a loss for Fianna Fail and not a gain for Fine Gael? A loss that does not look like repeating itself when the General election comes around?

Fine Gael are in trouble and this must come down to Enda’s Leadership. Fine Gael should be coming out with a coherent message not just one of “sure we can’t be much worse” they need to have a message of how they can be better. Fine Gael have no direction they are coming across as merely media hacks picking holes in the Government. This tactic may sell newspapers but it does not win support in elections.

Fine Gael’s rudderless ship is riding on the waves caused by the media. Indeed if the media was more sympathetic to the Government Fine Gael would be in a far worse state. This is masking the failure of Enda Kenny as a leader. His inability to steer the ship. To instead of bobbing on the waves to make the waves. (Enough with the ship references)

However seems unable to do this. The only real time where Fine Gael defined the story and not followed it was when Richard Bruton came out with the Garda figures in Dublin. This defined the news cycle. However this has been the only time they have done so. Enda is to be unable to do this.

In the Fine Gael leadership election in 2002 Enda Kenny beat Richard Bruton for the leadership. I have to wonder looking at Fine Gaels poor performance and especially Enda’s are some regretting they didn’t vote for Richard instead.