In recent days, Kilkenny Young Fine Gael have called on Fine Gael leader and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar to resign as leader of the party amid a cycle of poor poll ratings as well as the ongoing criminal investigation into his actions.
Earlier this year, Mr Varadkar was placed under criminal investigation over leaking confidential GP contracts to his friend, Dr Maitiu Ó Tuathail.
According to a statement by Kilkenny YFG, ‘Kilkenny Young Fine Gael calls for the resignation of Tánaiste Leo Varadkar as leader of Fine Gael. Kilkenny YFG believes that Varadkar’s position has been made untenable by An Garda Siochana’s criminal investigation into his leaking of Government documents as Minister’.
Further, the statement added that ‘the investigation is severely impacting the good governance of the country at a time of national crisis and suffering for many, and is undermining public confidence in Fine Gael as evidenced by disastrous election results in Dublin Bay South and a slew of ever-worsening polls to the benefit of Sinn Féin following Fine Gael’s lowest ever popular vote in the 2020 General Election. Kilkenny Young Fine Gael therefore calls on the Tánaiste to put both Ireland and Fine Gael ahead of himself by stepping down’.
On Monday, the 15th of October, Young Fine Gael terminated the Kilkenny branch and vacated all its committee positions.
According to this statement by Kilkenny YFG, ‘less than 24 hours after we called for the resignation of Leo Varadkar as leader of Fine Gael, the Young Fine Gael national executive has collapsed our branch and vacated our committee. As longstanding members with combined-decades of service to the party, we do not recognise the executive’s attempt to silence and intimidate us’.
Further, the statement outlined that ‘we reiterate our call for the resignation of Leo Varadkar and have lost confidence in the priorities of the national executive and its ability to stand up for Young Fine Gael’.
The move by Young Fine Gael to terminate the branch committee of Kilkenny YFG is an attempt to silence members of the party, and silence dissent against its leader, Leo Varadkar.
The Tánaiste has been under criminal investigation by an Garda Síochána for several months and little has been heard from YFG as to its position on the matter.
It remains to be seen whether such similar moves are outlined by other branches of Young Fine Gael.
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