Time for Fianna Fáil to employ some Philly McMahon tactics and play closer to edge

BARRY COWEN had no option but to suppress his Philly McMahon instincts as the Budget rough and tumble gathered pace – and therein hangs a tale for the Fianna Fáil party.

As many sports followers will know, Philly is a self-confessed enthusiast for the take-no-prisoners approach to Gaelic football.

‘Playing on the edge’ is how he puts it. As his Dublin team notches up one triumph after the other, Philly suggests it’s no secret that containing some of his more gifted opponents is often a blood and guts affair. But he assures us even his mightiest endeavours are pursued within the rules.

However, it could be argued, as per the famous Richard Nixon aside, that sometimes his zeal may overcome his better judgement.

But be all that as it may in the sporting arena, the political world also has a few players who are fairly tough operators. Their motto is also ‘take no prisoners’ whenever a full-on skirmish is at hand.

Barry Cowen is one such street fighter and always seems to enjoy a good scrap, given half a chance of laying into Fine Gaelers.

There’s no better occasion for some political jousting than in the aftermath of a budget. Whoever happens to be the man of the moment in the guise of finance minister is usually ripe for the picking. There will always be plenty of sectional interests, pressure groups, and sundry naysayers, who will be less than happy regardless of what’s on offer.

Yet Barry was strangely muted this time out. As one of the usual attack dogs in the Fianna Fáil front bench, he could scarcely work up any enthusiasm for a ritual post-Budget set-to as the blood rose in follow-up TV debates.

There are a number of reasons for this unlikely low-key performance. The first is that it was a shrewdly constructed Teflon package, designed to block off all likely areas of heavy attack.

On the twin track areas which determine the essential success of any budget, a nod was made in the direction of both income tax payers, and social welfare recipients. The gains all round were negligible, but the granting of even a €5 per week increase has a whiff of positivity.

The delivery of the Budget was also an exercise in classic understatement, all the more so given the studied personality of Paschal Donohoe in his role as Finance Minister. The tone was low key and devoid of any claims that a substantial boost was on the table for anybody.

Somehow or other, it meant that any extremist or emotive language bewailing what was on offer – as reflected in the self-righteous contributions of Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald – seemed out of place. This was a Budget cast in the words of one pundit as “deliberately low key and boring”.

There is no doubt this approach was part of a deliberate ploy by Leo Varadkar’s inner circle. Perhaps the new Strategic Communications Unit is already putting its stamp on some of the signals coming from Government. One of the key objectives is that when making an announcement – whether it be a budget or whatever – it should be as difficult as possible for the opposition to attack.

But the primary reason Barry Cowen found it so hard to get stuck into Fine Gael is because of that damned confidence and supply deal. He knew full well a good whack of what was in the minister’s speech was as a result of Fianna Fáil input.

DID they not repeatedly tell us beforehand such was the case? If he really was to go for the jugular in slating the utterances of the minister, he would be slagging off the handiwork of his own party.

If he was to say it was overwhelmingly a Fine Gael package, that would suggest Fianna Fáil is rolling over, despite all those claims they are holding Varadkar and his acolytes to account.

The reality is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were unwittingly joined at the hip in the piece of financial handiwork presented to the Dáil on

Tuesday. But once again it put Micheál Martin’s team in a decidedly awkward position. How could they really launch an all-out assault on a document which they insist contains many of their best ideas?

Their dilemma was classically borne out in the Dáil as party spokesman Michael McGrath prepared for the usual round of condemnation after the minister’s speech.

But his heart wasn’t in it. He was clearly more exercised in launching an aside attack on Sinn Féin, as it primed itself for a verbal assault on the two main parties.

Barry Cowen was later caught on the same bind. He had no option but to try and fight off Sinn Féin’s attempt to capture the high moral ground, as they tried to lump FF in with the Government in what they claimed was a joint Budget offering.

Overall, this week marked another crucial milestone in the legend of this unlikely Dáil. Such an important landmark has once again fuelled speculation as to when Varadkar might cut and run, or Martin pull the plug.

However, as of now, the signs are that the Taoiseach will be inclined to sit things out. From his perspective, this Budget can be judged a reasonable political success. If the polls stay favourable, the great temptation will be to hang in there until Budget time next year. The country’s steadily improving finances should then allow for the dispensing of some real goodies; that would be a real primer for an election date.

In the meanwhile, Martin needs some of his hard hitters to play close to the edge. The party just can’t afford to concede much more ground to an attack-oriented Varadkar side.

Expect to see some Philly McMahon moments in the Dáil, and other arenas, as the party unleashes attack dogs like Cowen, to try and keep its mojo in the topsy-turvey months ahead.