IRELAND: It’s now almost 100 days since Enda Kenny took office at the head on the FG/Labour Coalition. The election result was heralded as an historic defeat for Fianna Fáil, a victory for Fine Gael and a major breakthrough for Labour. But despite the Independent description of Enda’s “ageing matinee idol looks and good manners”, the election was no beauty contest. The Irish economy and the Irish working class have been put through the wringer over the last 3 or more years and it was the serious impasse in the economy and within society also that defeated Brian Cowen and the late Brian Lenihan.

The Irish Independent carried an article on Saturday asking the question: Can Enda switch off the charm and turn on the toughness? This is an interesting question to ask, since it sums up not only Enda’s touting himself around the world as the new kid on the block and inviting the neighbour’s round, but also sums up the attitude of the Irish bosses as to what Enda and Eamon Gilmore ought to deliver. Here’s the Independent’s analysis:

“The visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Barack Obama helped to give him a rosy statesmanlike glow, and anaesthetised us from our economic pain, at least for a couple of weeks.

Enda's greatest asset of all, of course, is that he is not Brian Cowen, but he has to face up to the same harsh economic realities as his predecessor.

In the past few days pebbles have been grating under the door. Sceptics, even in his own party, wonder whether Enda is strong enough to take the tough decisions necessary to lead us out of our economic nightmare.

One Fine Gael backbench TD told me: "He is going to have to take tough decisions tackling vested interests. He can't put that off indefinitely.''

He came into power offering great hope that the terms of our EU-IMF deal would be improved, but virtually nothing has been achieved on that score since the dark days of Cowen.

Enda has preferred to play the role of an avuncular chairman rather than a strong leader in the Thatcher/Haughey mould. Johnny Fallon, political consultant and author of Brian Cowen In His Own Words, said: "His style is similar to that of Bertie Ahern. Before Bertie came to power there were severe doubts about whether he had the qualities to be Taoiseach.''

Of course Bertie Ahern had the great advantage on being Taoiseach during the Celtic Tiger years. Betting on Enda Kenny managing to remain “avuncular” over the next few years would doubtless attract excellent odds at Paddy Power, the truth is that there remain dark economic storm clouds over Europe and the coalition is likely to come under pressure from the working class also.

One thing is for certain and that is that the EU/IMF will want their pound of flesh. Sooner or later the coalition is going to have to try and implement the Croke Park Agreement in full, they will be under enormous pressure to hit IMF targets and to be seen to be “reforming” or in reality slashing the Public Sector. For sure, they won’t get any significant reduction in interest rates on the bailout unless they are seen to be carrying out instructions.

No surprise then that the Independent raise the spectre of a Thatcher or a Haughey. It’s interesting that the British Tories pointed to Cowen and Lenihan’s attack on the public sector as a model prior to the British General Election last year. Now, the Irish bourgeois are looking over the water for examples of how to deal with the working class.

Throughout Europe and most recently in Spain and Greece the working class has flexed its muscles over the last period. In Ireland however there was a certain lull on the industrial front after the signing of the Croke Park Deal. The focus shifted to the political front. The bailout and the bill for AIB, together with austerity and a sense of ineptitude and chaos were more than enough to oust FF. Enda has certainly benefited as the Independent points out from not being Brian Cowen. But sooner or later the political crisis will reassert itself.

There will be growing tensions in the coalition reflecting the different class bases of FG and Labour. This will be accelerated when Enda and Michael Noonan inevitably attempt to squeeze the working class further. The report on the Joint Labour Committees also indicates that this process certainly won’t be restricted to the public sector. The scene is set for a development of the class struggle in Ireland over the next year or two. That’s the motivation behind the question “Can Enda switch off the charm and turn on the toughness?” It’s not just a matter of style; it’s far more a matter of substance.