Fianna Fail as Boy Racers with Bad Shooting Aim at Fine Gael Ard Fheis
Read more about: Conferences, Fine Gael 
The early morning session (the one after head office motions on candidate selection were moved to a delegate conference in the autumn) was chaired by Gay Mitchell Gay’s speech was typical of the man, all over the place. With metaphors about shooting fish in a barrel (missing and shooting the barrel to drown us) and waffle about rainbows. The economic session was broadcast on RTE – giving most of the profile time to the top table, underlining Fine Gael’s focus on a narrative of economic competence.
We had Simon Coveney claiming Fine Gael have overtaken the Greens on the economy and Fergus O Dowd railing against the gombeen men of Irish politics. The hall itself was very empty, this was supposed to be the huge coming out party for the leaders of the next government but it doesnt feel like it. The crowds of the Fianna Fail and Labour Ard Fheisseanna seem to have disappeared (unless they are all en route from the countryside for Enda later).
Fine Gael want to come out of this with a message that sticks “we are credible on the economy and can manage your money better than the boy racers in Fianna Fail”. Fine Gael know who they are targetting, it is the small business owners, emerging capitalists and entrepreneurs, laid off professionals and ABC1s. The morning session came after the unbroadcast health debate where we heard about policies of universal healthcare and free GP care. The core message is not aimed at these concerns, indeed paying for these wil be a challenge for any of the parties to get office. Nor are they central concerns for those members of ISME. The ISME voter – that Fine ael wants to get away from Fianna Fail, needs to hear about employers PRSI, credit, jobs and a policy of export growth and upskilling.
That interest was pitched hard in the two policy documents in the past two weeks, filled with infrastructure promises and subsidies to employers. Promises of preparing workers for the new economy abound and the documents dripped with aspiration and even found space for a tax cut. The analysis suggests that it wasn’t the economic theory that was to blame but Fianna Fail’s croney capitalism. The tagline for the morning comes from Richard Bruton;
“No country ever taxed its way out of a recession”
It could well be directed at Labour as much as governent.
That ISME voter isn’t here today, as far as I can see. The polls don’t show voters flocking to Fine Gael despite the Fianna Fail drop – suggesting that it is Fianna Fail’s left wing (those who might not be classed as ISME voters) dropping from the party and moving to Labour. Many of those voters are likely to be unionised public sector workers – now feeling abandoned by a Bertie-less Fianna Fail. If Fine Gael gets it right and pulls away the soft centre-right of the Fianna Fail vote the party of perpetual voters may well be kept in third or joint second spot.
The morning session is but one half of any strategy they need, the other comes from the leader. You cannot escape the fact that leaders are an effective proxy for the party in the eyes of most voters. Kenny tonight has a huge task to prove he can converse with the ISME voter, the person with whom Fine Gael want to be associated. If he cannot pull it off, and his success is by no means certain, the party will turn inward and demand spikes in the opinion polls.The party appears to be assunming the core of the country is still centre-right, Fianna Fail have abandoned them and through the Leo/Bruton axis of attack and alternative they could get in there next time.
Kenny is the dealbreaker. His performance tonight is a barometer of whether the party is moving toward power or standing in the midst of a dervish, unmoving while all around them are in flux. If he doesn’t pull it off Lucinda will be the tip of the iceberg.
Just a quick correction Cian, no decision was made on the candidate selection, that has been deferred to a Special Delegate Conference in the Autumn.
noted and changed, thanks stephen
The party AGMs have been surreal and the FG Ard Fheis probably the most surreal of the lot so far. It’s hard to credit the cynicism of our main national parties, playing ‘auction politics’ with the gravest financial crisis ever faced by the world, never mind this little country; targeting pockets of voters with synthetic and unrealistic policy options to boost their opinion poll ratings where we’re not due an election for another three years; engaging in rhetorical flushes about creating hundreds of thousands of jobs based on economically illiterate proposals and, most cringe inducing of all, to the cheers of their ’supporters’, proclaiming themselves as ‘Taoisigh in Waiting’. Do have any idea of how pathetic they are?
Earlier this week I was in a small west of Ireland town for a few days. Formerly there were three clothing retail outlets in this place; now there are none. The only local factory has closed down. The main grocery store – again one of three and an excellent shop – has the shutters down and a ‘for sale’ sign in the window.
Soup and sandwiches had been ordered for our group in a local pub on the first evening we were there. We were the only customers and the owner told us that he opens only one or two nights a week now. He was closed for business the following day. As I stood outside the pub that first night I expected to see the tumbleweed come rolling down the main street in what was only twelve months ago a thriving and wonderful place, with everything going for it. I wanted to cry out in my anger and frustration.
What I know is this: none of the great political luminaries of our time and place are the sort of people you would want around you in a crisis, because they are incapable of even acknowledging it exists never mind getting to grips with dealing with it. All they can see in it, these overpaid, vain glorious, shabby bears of little brain, or in some cases, no brain at all, is the main chance for themselves.