Willie O’Dea discontent sparks fears over Coalition stability

 1st March 2022

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The declaration by Fianna Fáil veteran Willie O’Dea that he would consider joining the Independent ranks has increased political unease within his own party and Fine Gael over the security of the Coalition’s majority.

The Limerick TD recently said he would ‘have to resign from the party’ if it were to go into coalition again with Fine Gael.

And as the Government faces into a fiscally challenging period of inflation and a politically dangerous handover of the Taoiseach’s office to Leo Varadkar, concern is growing that discipline is fraying.© Provided by Extra.ie The declaration by Fianna Fáil veteran Willie O’Dea that he would consider joining the Independent ranks has increased political unease within his own party and Fine Gael over the security of the Coalition’s majority. Pic: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Within Fine Gael, particular attention is being paid to three former ministers who have threatened to walk. These are Michael Ring, who has been an acerbic critic of the Coalition, along with Joe McHugh and John Paul Phelan. Mr Ring, the former minister for rural development, previously threatened to vote against ‘cruel COVID legislation’, while the increasingly disaffected Mr Phelan, a former junior minister for local government, also warned that he would not vote for certain laws extending the COVID regime in 2021.

Former education minister Mr McHugh has made it clear that any failure to secure a resolution of the mica scandal will result in the loss of his vote. They have, one senior Fine Gael source said, ‘already had bad thoughts – it is a signifier of future behaviour’.

Concern is also acute within the Government circles over the capacity of the Greens to stay the course. So far two TDs and one minister have been in varying forms of trouble with the whip. Green minister Joe O’Brien, who was also recently involved in a controversial appeal against planning designations for social housing near his estate, abstained on a vote on the Residential Tenancies and Valuation Bill. It was also felt the future of Neasa Hourigan would be ‘in the balance’ as she resigned her position as party chief whip after voting against the Government on the same Bill.© Provided by Extra.ie Former education minister Joe McHugh has made it clear that any failure to secure a resolution of the mica scandal will result in the loss of his vote. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A third TD, Patrick Costello, has also caused unease in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the wake of his failed High Court challenge over the constitutionality of aspects of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) deal. A Fine Gael source said of the Greens: ‘They are the weak links.’

Within Fianna Fáil, outside of the newly rebellious Mr O’Dea, concerns are centred on the young TD James O’Connor, who previously threatened to leave the party, saying he was ‘misled’ by Government officials over allocations in the National Development Plan (NDP). There is, one party power broker said, ‘a couple of others we suspect of being too attracted to Sinn Féin for comfort’.

Another party veteran warned: ‘The problem with losing deputies is that it can be a bit like going bankrupt. It can start slowly but ends in a great rush.’