Enda Kenny has been called many things during his political career. Political genius is not one of them. Yet internationally he is held in high esteem. The Conservative Party in the UK love him, whilst the EU hold him up as the poster boy of enforced austerity. Austerity “that has worked.” Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Democrats and Republicans cannot get enough of his bowl of shamrock every March. Enda Kenny even made the front cover of TIME magazine in 2012, the first Irish leader since Seán Lemass.

Here in Ireland, we wince when we see him on the international stage, where he is let loose from his handlers and is often gaffe prone. Domestically, he rarely does interviews and is probably one of the most sheltered politicians in Irish politics… When he’s not opening a new business or celebrating a jobs announcement of course!

Nevertheless…

Here we are the eve of a general election, his party has inflicted brutal cuts to public services and public sector wages. Nurses and midwives will be on the picket line ready to strike as Ireland’s Accident & Emergency departments are overflowing whilst Ireland proudly stands as having the longest waiting times in hospital A&E’s in the EU. Over 400,000 people are on hospital waiting lists whilst his government, in the end, scrapped their own health policy. That’s right, the Irish government in its final year had no functioning health policy.

But Fine Gael lead in the polls…

School classrooms are overflowing, property tax and water charges have been introduced. Ireland is in a grips of a housing and homelessness crisis as Enda Kenny’s government has been inept at finding a solution to Ireland’s housing needs.

Yet they lead comfortably in the polls…

Neverthelss Enda Kenny is an astute political operator. He skilfully survived a coup in 2010 and on entering government he brought many who conspired against him around the cabinet table. Here he could command their loyalty.

On forming a coalition with the Labour Party, he too has been politically savvy. Former Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore became Minister for Foreign Affairs. The man, whilst both in opposition, made Enda Kenny look irrelevant whilst taking on Ireland’s most incompetent government in its history. Working together in government, Gilmore often worked abroad where he became absent from the public glare on trade and development missions, whilst any good economic news that reached Irish shores was lapped up by Kenny.

Then comes the Minister for Social Protection, a position held by the current leader of the Labour Party Joan Burton, who had to dish out the most unpalatable cuts to Ireland’s most vulnerable citizens. Unbridled ‘cuts’ have been solely attributed to the Labour Party.

Cuts to child benefit, children’s allowance, lone parents, mental health services, carers allowance, learning support in schools. All became synonymous with Labour. Not Enda Kenny and Fine Gael.

Enda Kenny has had to endure numerous controversies and scandals during his time as Taoiseach. The removal of the Garda Commissioner, IBRC, Dennis O’Brien, the debacle that was the creation of Irish Water are to name but a few. None have really stuck. In the case of Irish Water, this was one cabinet position which was conveniently swapped between Fine Gael and Labour. It is Labour’s Deputy Leader Alan Kelly that is feeling the heat for Ireland’s part-privatisation of its public water utility.

So here we are… Enda Kenny, barring an electoral shock, is destined to to go down in history and become Fine Gael’s first ever leader to win back-to-back elections. Under his stewardship Ireland is creating 1000 jobs per week, tax revenues are regularly above estimates and the first tranche of tax cuts have hit people’s payslips.

He may be an atrocious public speaker, but he is managing to sell Fine Gael’s goal of ‘American style tax and public services’. This should worry us all.

His back-room team have brought over advisers from the UK Conservative Party to discuss election strategy. We should all be prepared for the repetitive mantra of the “long term economic plan” and “economic stability,” whilst stoking fear into the hearts of anyone who wants change.

It worked in the UK. It will work here.

This wily politician is mocked by many. Myself included. It is Enda Kenny however who will have the last laugh.

Perhaps he is just popular. Perhaps he has just been lucky.

Perhaps… he’s a political genius.

Let’s see if the Irish electorate see it way.

Author:

Patrick Jay

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