Wishing this new Coalition all the West..
WHILE I was in St James’s Hospital watching all the excitement surrounding Government formation, I thought wasn’t it amazing to see Cromwell’s name dug up because of the lack of ministers in the West.
I wasn’t sure if it was the €40,000 difference in salary or the fact the Chief Whip is such a challenging job with no ribbon-cutting opportunities that had Dara Calleary so worked up.
The amusing thing about all of this is that his leadership ambitions may have been somewhat dented by big Jim O’callaghan, who rejected a Junior Ministry on the basis he wanted to protect and nurture the soul of the party.
He may well make matters more uncomfortable for our Taoiseach, particularly when he rotates out of the job in just over two years’ time.
Still, I have to say I was pleased to see Thomas Byrne – a fellow Meath man – get the prize amongst the Juniors in European Affairs.
Maybe the Royal County can provide a future leader? Generally speaking I experienced a huge sense of relief that we finally have a Government.
I regard the Taoiseach as a very decent man, who has had a long and challenging road to the top job.
However, back to St James’s Hospital, the Covid tension is not as acute as it was during my last visit