Well done Enda.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

John Bruton and his buddies can see this but so far their plan has backfired.

Too late for him, his brother might see it though 

[IolarCoisCuain]

The bad thing about all of this for Fine Gael is the loss of their talking heads Bruton,Veradkar, Coveney and Mitchell from the front bench. This may damage the parties image and presentation.

Maybe it'll stand to them. What have these people ever done except blow their own vuvuzelas? What makes them so great? What is this based on?

[Bogball XV]

The bad thing about all of this for Fine Gael is the loss of their talking heads Bruton,Veradkar, Coveney and Mitchell from the front bench. This may damage the parties image and presentation.

Maybe it'll stand to them. What have these people ever done except blow their own vuvuzelas? What makes them so great? What is this based on?

Well, I'm just watching Jimmy Deenihan being wheeled out on the Vincent Browne show and whilst I have respect for Jimmy, I get the feeling the majority who know nothing about the man may not be so be respectful.

[stephenite]

Fine Gael=clueless bunch of idiots

Most of their front bench come out and say that Enda is no longer a credible alternative Taoiseach, and he beats them.

What does that say to the majority of voters?

Might as well have handed the election back to FF, and the sad thing is the country might well be better off, if they are this stupid in opposition they're in no position been given any power.

[Zapatista]

Fecking delighted with how that went. I would rather eat glass than vote FG but still couldn't help to hope Kenny won it on a human level.

Delighted to see Varadkar and Crieghton take a slap. They have a real sense of themselves which is more than they are actually valued and worth. The Big Boom (loan) bred a class of young educated ambitious people who believed the hype about how much politics needs them. VAradkar and Creighton are two of the these types of snake.


Billy Boots, I finally got something right

[magpie seanie]

I personally think if people stand back and jusdge this fairly without knee jerk reactions that it reflects very well on Kenny. He showed serious political nous here and major cojones. Loads of things I don't like about Kenny but I cannot see where the "conventional wisdom" of how much better Richard Bruton would be comes from. It just baffles me.

[Canalman]

Labour and FF here in Dublin will be buoyed by the "Up Mayoing" heard outside the Dáil yesterday. Not very media savy imo. To win the next GE FG need to be winning the 2nd seats here ( as opposed to Labour).

Anyway glad to see Kenny survive the Palace Coup even though I am NOT a Fine Gaeler. Seems a likeable sort.............. has shown bottle in facing down the coup............. can now show himself to be gracious/statesmanlike by reinstating the putschists back into the front bench.

Plenty of time (in theory anyway) before next GE.

[The Subbie]

If it was raining soup the blueshirts would be out with forks. There is 13 + pages in the Irish independent today on this side show.
FF are rubbing their grubby hands with absolute glee, during the week when anglo and ebs get even more  and more €bn's the whole country is listening to the FG culchie/ pale dwellers spat.

[Hardy]

It's an unbelievable debacle from start to finish. The only one to show even the slightest pinch of cop-on was Kenny and he comes out of it with his reputation enhanced, but with his unelectability and FG's chances of seats in Dublin both worsened by the yahooism displayed by the party at large.

Bruton's reputation and his political career are in tatters and we can only be thankful that we didn't get such a hapless, blundering chancer as Taoiseach. The problem is who will we end up with? I can't see anyone in FG up to the role. So Eamon Gilmore? Surely not?

[Farrandeelin]

Fecking delighted with how that went. I would rather eat glass than vote FG but still couldn't help to hope Kenny won it on a human level

My sentiments exactly. I had to chuckle to myself at Lucinda Creighton on the radio yesterday... she seemed like she didn't know what to say! Some opposition...or better still some government (IF elected). And I've said this before, FF are shocking bad in govt at this time, but what in the name of God would FG do if they were in it given all this malarkey that has gone on all week.

And the Up-Mayo antics of the people in C'bar were embarrassing to say the least.

[Declan]

So Eamon Gilmore? Surely not?

Why not?

[brokencrossbar1]

What was the margin of voctory?  I though I heard one the radio that is was 36 to 33.  hardly a resounding vote of condfidence.  Bruton is a snake in the grass, but while this may have given Enda some time to build on his new found Leadership qualities(where have they been for the last number of years?) FF will rub their hands with this I reckon.  Easy to make hay with someone who doesn't have his party behind him.  i can just hear it, "how can you unite the country when you can't unite your own party?" 

It is time for real politics to start in the Republic.  labour need to really stand up now and make more of the bounce they have received of late.  Start asking serious questions about the whole banking crisis and don't be put of with lame pass offs.  They can really make inroads in local issues as well.

[magpie seanie]

Fecking delighted with how that went. I would rather eat glass than vote FG but still couldn't help to hope Kenny won it on a human level

My sentiments exactly. I had to chuckle to myself at Lucinda Creighton on the radio yesterday... she seemed like she didn't know what to say! Some opposition...or better still some government (IF elected). And I've said this before, FF are shocking bad in govt at this time, but what in the name of God would FG do if they were in it given all this malarkey that has gone on all week.

And the Up-Mayo antics of the people in C'bar were embarrassing to say the least.

Could they not have got someone below 70 with more than 10 teeth in their head to (a) be there and (b) say a few words without foaming at the mouth. That didn't do Kenny or the West any favours (though I'd be suspicious that its exactly what the national broadcaster was looking for).

On the Labour matter I don't think their showing in the previous poll was real and cannot see them getting more seats than FG in a general election.

[Hardy]

So Eamon Gilmore? Surely not?

Why not?

I think he's a blustering clown who has never in my hearing uttered a sentence of substance or insight but specialises in mouthing populist shite. Of course, history shows that none of that disqualifies you from being Taoiseach. However, having an ex-stickie union stooge as Taoiseach doesn't appeal to me.

[westmayo]

I'd say that it's safe to assume that Creighton was the only Mayo member of the FG parilmentry party to vote against Kenny yesterday