DOWNING
ON POLITICS
TODAY Leo Varadkar is set to complete his final act of team-picking when he announces his junior ministerial squad.
Inside the Leinster House bubble this is still pretty big stuff. It’s also a matter of keen interest for political activists across the country.
As the former Agriculture Minister, Mary Coughlan, once said: “Local party activists want to see their person nominated, elected and, finally, appointed.”
It’s a tale of “reflected glory” for the party faithful and a perceived step closer to power. The concession of what was long called the “half-state car” to a constituency is very much also about enthusing the local organisation.
Beyond the bubble and the anoraks, few will care. It’s a money-on bet that, if you stopped 10 people on the street and asked them to name three socalled Ministers of State, you would expose a large swathe of ignorance and indifference.
Yet, for all that, this final piece of team-picking has bigger significance for the newly-minted Taoiseach than the choice of his senior team last Wednesday. The man came to power with a carefully orchestrated plan, the most admirable part of which was the way he managed to keep it secret until after the event.
That success took backers, and those backers now want a reward. There is no doubt that those who are disappointed will be dangerous in the near future, as they retreat to the political long-grass to contemplate their next move.
They were good at getting Leo Varadkar in — they could be equally handy at helping shift him if things don’t work out.
When the political going gets tough a leader needs all the support he or she can muster. Enemies created by disappointment are a double liability in times of political peril.
There is another aspect to this choice which the Taoiseach will ignore at his peril. It is that, for a variety of reasons, Leo Varadkar’s senior ministerial team looks rather “east coast” — if not downright Dublin — in character.
Of 18 jobs allocated last week, 10 have gone to the Pale. The west — from Roscommon town south to Macroom — has no minister.
Take out Charlie Flanagan in Laois, and the Midlands is bare of Ministers. Move further south-eastwards, towards Carnsore Point, and you find one super-junior minister, Paul Kehoe in Enniscorthy.
So, Leo Varadkar needs more rural credibility on this government team if he is to last the course. Already, a big onus rests upon Michael Ring in his new post of Rural and Community Affairs. He has pledged to get money — and to spend it well. Let nobody doubt his sincerity but he will also need political support and some luck.
For the rest, watch John Paul Phelan of Carlow Kilkenny, Michael Darcy of Wexford and Jim Daly of Cork South-West. These are all young politicians of skill and commitment and cannot be passed over for their first ever promotion.
A dark horse could be the Kildare South farmer, Martin Heydon. Leo Varadkar may succumb to the temptation of leaving him in the role of party chairman to continue election preparations. But that would be a travesty.
Some of the trusted ones must be persisted with to voice the needs of rural communities. These include Seán Kyne of Galway West, Andrew Doyle of Wicklow, Pat Breen of Clare, and Patrick O’Donovan of Limerick.
Other county Fine Gael organisations will also be miffed if they have no representative. But disappointment is inevitable — the test of Leo’s wisdom will be how he distributes disappointment.