A Fine Gael source has revealed that the party’s opposition to the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) is not about NAMA and is in fact part of an ongoing “hissy fit” by party leader Enda Kenny over the fact that party strategists want him to campaign for a No Vote in the Lisbon referendum.
As revealed in The Mire last month Mr Kenny was not enthusiastic about the so called “Lisbon No Strategy” when it was put to him. The strategy is based on the widely held belief that the majority of Mirish people will instinctively do the opposite of anything Mr Kenny suggests. It was initially suggested by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and supported by most EU leaders. The strategy has received cross-party support in Mireland as the best way to ensure safe passage of the second Lisbon referendum.
According to party sources Mr Kenny has reacted very badly to the strategy and is by turns despondent and defiant. He has refused to co-operate with party colleagues and, our source revealed, is “saying No to everything except sugar in his tea”.
“To be honest August has been one long hissy fit,” the source said. “He won’t eat. He won’t sleep. It’s just one tantrum after another.”
Last weekend former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald broke ranks with the party he once led over its failure to support NAMA. Dr FitzGerald said that the failure of opposition parties to support NAMA could lead to intervention by the International Monetary Fund.
The Mire understands, however, that the majority of senior figures in Fine Gael are in complete agreement with Dr FitzGerald but they are concerned that if they break ranks with Mr Kenny on NAMA he will then refuse to campaign for a No Vote on Lisbon. “It’s a lose-lose situation,” the source said. “If NAMA fails we lose control of everything, if Lisbon fails we lose everything.”
