LEO TOLD: COVENEY MUST BE TANAISTE
Taoiseach under pressure to promote FG rival EMBATTLED Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is under growing pressure to promote his leadership rival Simon Coveney to the role of Tánaiste.
Politicians from both camps within Fine Gael last night called for Mr Coveney, who was backed by two-thirds of the party’s grassroots in the June race, to
be elevated, following the resignation of Frances Fitzgerald.
Replacing Ms Fitzgerald could prove the next political headache for Mr Varadkar, whose authority has been badly damaged by the Fitzgerald fiasco. Party TDs are
furious that the Taoiseach failed to appreciate last week that Ms Fitzgerald would have to step down in order to avert a general election. Instead, he insisted, until the last possible moment, that she would not be stepping down.
Now he may be forced to promote his rival for the top job to the role of Tánaiste, giving encouragement to those Coveney supporters who believe he should be Taoiseach. Last night Senator Jerry Buttimer said Mr Coveney, his former constituency colleague, would ‘make an excellent Tánaiste’, as the pressure grew on Mr Varadkar to appoint a successor.
And TD Noel Rock, who had been one of Mr Varadkar’s most fervent supporters in the leadership race, said Mr Coveney had all the qualities necessary to be a success in the role.
Mr Coveney and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe are bookies’ favourites to take over the position. The Government was remaining tight-lipped over when the next Tánaiste would be appointed, saying only that it would ‘probably happen’ in the next few days.
But Minister Coveney has a backing that Mr Donohoe cannot compete with, having claimed 60% of the grassroots vote during the leadership contest in May.
At the time, the result sparked fears of a split in the party, which were eased when Mr Coveney accepted defeat and publicly backed Mr Varadkar.
Senator Buttimer was last night the first Fine Gael member to voice his support for the man he backed for Taoiseach back in May.
He told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘I think Simon Coveney would be an excellent Tánaiste. On a human level I feel very sorry for Frances, but I think Simon is the man to replace her. He’s got the experience and the ability – and he’s from Cork as well!’
Despite not having backed him for Taoiseach, Mr Rock said he also saw Minister Coveney as the natural fit. He said: ‘Tánaiste is effectively second in command in the country. All the qualities that made Simon a potentially good Taoiseach will make him a good Tánaiste: focused, disciplined, hard working.’
Another TD said: ‘I backed him against Leo and since then I think he’s earned it. His supporters didn’t have the easiest time after the leadership race. But Simon has done Trojan work since then, he’s very committed to his brief in Foreign Affairs and on Brexit and took a hit for the party going out to back the Tánaiste.’
Others weren’t so keen to get involved in the speculation. Junior Minister Jim Daly said that with everything that had happened in the last few days, it hadn’t crossed his mind. He said: ‘I just haven’t given it any thought. We’ve had meetings all day and, on top of that, trying to digest everything that has happened. At this point I just don’t think it’s appropriate to choose someone.’
Another Fine Gael TD said: ‘I know we’ll have to appoint someone soon, but I just don’t think tonight is the appropriate time to comment.
‘We’re hurting at the moment and choosing one person over the over could cause more upset.’ A Government spokesman said the Taoiseach ‘does not need to move immediately on this’, adding, ‘it might be today, it might be tomorrow’. There is speculation the announcement could be made alongside the next Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation – and may be used to distract from the current scandal.
The latest headache for Mr Varadkar came after a day of Dáil drama, in which he finally accepted that Ms Fitzgerald would have to resign over the McCabe emails scandal. Despite ministers insisting, as late as yesterday morning, that Ms Fitzgerald would not go, just after 11am, news emerged that she had quit – and that her resignation had been accepted. Hours later, the Taoiseach was forced to adopt a tone of humility over the affair, as he announced her departure to the Dáil.
He paid tribute to her as a good woman who did not get a full or fair hearing.
He also said that Dáil questions on issues related to the affair would be reviewed.
‘She always supported whistleblowers and enshrined a code of ethics in An Garda Síochána to protect them,’ he said. ‘In the past few days a drip-drip of information may have made certain things seem greater than they are. There was a feeding frenzy, and it became impossible for her to get a fair hearing based on the full facts.
‘I hope that will change in the period ahead.’
Ms Fitzgerald became embroiled in a scandal over the handling of whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe, after questions began to be asked over a month ago about who knew what, and when, concerning an aggressive strategy being employed by lawyers for the then-Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan against the whistleblower.
She initially said she forgot an email which notified her of the approach. Subsequently, it emerged she had received at least three emails on the issue in 2015. She was told not to intervene.
Ms Fitzgerald initially insisted she had done nothing wrong and that she had no hand, act or part in the strategy. She was backed to the hilt by the Taoiseach.
But as Fianna Fáil insisted it would not row back on its no confidence motion, her hand was eventually forced. Her departure salvaged the Government, as next month’s Brexit negotiations reach make-or-break point on the question of the border.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said the revelations over the past few days ‘stink to high heaven’. ‘This is about cor-
‘Simon has done Trojan work’
ruption and wrongdoing at the highest levels of the State. Serious questions are still left to answer,’ he added.
Ms Fitzgerald walked away, adamant about her handling of the affair. She said, in a statement: ‘It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve in Government, but I believe it is necessary to take this decision to avoid an unwelcome and potentially destabilising general election at this historically critical time. I have always believed in fairness and equality and these principles have guided my work.’ Many on the opposition benches believe the affair has done long-term damage to the minority Government and an election is now only weeks or months away.’
Ms Fitzgerald said she was putting the national interest ahead of her personal reputation. She also praised the Taoiseach and said he had shown the same courage and determination to protect her as he showed in 2014 when he defended Sgt McCabe.
‘What I admire most about the Taoiseach is that he has always believed in doing what was right, not what was popular or politically expedient,’ she said. ‘I will always be grateful for his confidence and support and for giving me the opportunity to serve in a Government that is making a real difference in people’s lives at a critical time in our history.’
She insisted she would be vindicated at the Disclosures Tribunal, which is investigating the treatment of Sgt McCabe and an alleged smear campaign being perpetrated against him in some Garda, media and political circles.
The Taoiseach described Ms Fitzgerald as an exemplary member of Government and colleague and one of the most reforming justice ministers in the history of the state. He said he believed she would be vindicated, and said she had no hand or part in the legal strategy employed against Sgt McCabe.
He added: ‘I hope calm, measured reading of the evidence will show that the Tánaiste acted appropriately, and I hope the Charleton Tribunal will establish this conclusively in the weeks ahead, and that she will have her good name vindicated. I expect her to continue to play a full role in political and public life including at the highest level.’
EVEN to the most casual observer of politics, it would have been clear as far back as last Friday that the only realistic option facing Frances Fitzgerald was to resign.
Anyone reading this newspaper’s frontpage story on Saturday could not have been in any doubt about that. Now that she has finally departed the Cabinet, however, the glare of the spotlight is pointing directly in Leo Varadkar’s direction.
The immediate question to be asked of the Taoiseach relates to how he failed to see something that was blindingly obvious to practically everyone else in the country. Of course, the fact that he was one of the few people who was aware of the full truth at that stage makes his subsequent statements even harder to explain.
It is also difficult to know why he acted as he did. Perhaps his behaviour can be put down to naivety or a relative lack of political experience at this level.
But it is worth asking whether he allowed his judgment to be clouded by personal feelings towards the Opposition parties who were demanding Ms Fitzgerald’s head. Which raises another question: does he not have advisers around him with the intellect and strength to tell him when he is in the wrong?
Whatever the reasons, Mr Varadkar embarked on a strategy that was doomed to failure all along.
The result is that his authority in the Dáil has been weakened, as it also has among the general public and probably even in the ranks of his own party.
Perhaps every bit as concerning, however, was the strong suggestion that this entire episode was the fault of civil servants. Anyone familiar with how government works will know that it is entirely out of character for civil servants to take major decisions off their own bat.
If an official failed to fully answer a parliamentary question or send relevant material to the Charleton Tribunal, it is highly likely that they felt under pressure to do so – either implicitly or explicitly.
It is also worth noting that the general tone of how a government department operates is set by the minister of the day. To blame the civil servants without offering any justification is unfair and potentially dangerous.
There is no getting away from the fact that this has been damaging for Mr Varadkar and the Government. But the most important thing now is that he learns from the experience.
If there is one lesson to be taken from all this, it is that a pig-headed insistence on there only being one possible answer to a particular question is no way to run any organisation – let alone a country.
At the very least, Mr Varadkar must teach himself to go further in pursuit of honest and considered advice.
It may also be the case that he needs a new team of advisers who are prepared to point out, when necessary, that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes.
Whatever it is, though, changes are needed. There are times when a Taoiseach getting it this badly wrong could have implications not just for him and his political allies, but for the whole country as well.