Former Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter has attacked Enda Kenny and Fine Gael following the party’s election campaign.
The former justice minister said Kenny has “questions to answer”, saying the party had “focused on strategy rather than people”.
In an interview with RTÉ, Shatter says he believed Fine Gael never addressed how they would help people with particular issues after the election and that the first week of the campaign was the “most bizarre start to an election campaign” he has seen in 30 years of politics when the party focussed on the “fiscal space”.
Speaking to Sean O’Rourke, Shatter revealed that he believed misguided advisors had led himself and a number of colleagues to miss out on securing seats in Friday’s vote.
Shatter largely blamed a lack of communication skills and misinforming the public as a main issue in the party losing its popularity with the public.
He added:
“It is quite bizarre that you had three senior cabinet ministers involved in, for practically a year, running committees, to work out where the strategy went.
“Frances [FitzGerald] would have been chairperson of the strategy committee; Leo [Varadkar] on – God help us – the communications committee, because the communications were a disaster; and then, you have all the backroom group.
“And there is a problem with the manner with which the party is now organised.
“There is a perception, I think, at leadership level, that you can frame and manipulate events to the benefit of the party… and that you can bring the general public along with you, and on occasions, you don’t necessarily tell the full truth.”
While Alan Shatter lost his seat in the Dublin-Rathdown constituency, party colleague Josepha Madigan went on to win a seat.
You can listen to the full interview from this morning here.
