Comment: Brendan Griffin misjudged the party mood when he called for Kenny's head
News of unrest caught many within FG off guard, writes Hugh O'Connell
When Brendan Griffin released a statement early yesterday morning calling for a change of Fine Gael leader before the Dáil returns in September, the party backbencher expected some of his colleagues to row in behind him.
The Kerry TD hoped to build momentum behind a push within the party for Enda Kenny to resign and facilitate an orderly transition to a new leader in the coming weeks.
Prior to his intervention,there were calls and texts exchanged between a small band of TDs late last week. There was talk of a strategic approach involving a series of public interviews, op-eds and even individual meetings with the Taoiseach where they would implore him to step down.
