HARD WORK ONLY ANSWER TO GOVERNMENT’S STICKY START

WEEK two begins today for this Government – and many of its principals would dearly like to go out and come in again. We are reminded of the old truism that you only get one opportunity to make a first impression. The first week of this three-party Coalition could not have got off to a stickier start. From shortly after the announcement of the Cabinet on Saturday evening, we were treated to a rolling whinge-fest from disappointed people in all three parties.

The controversies were renewed all over again on Wednesday when a fresh wave of disappointment hit the parties with the announcement of junior ministries.

There was a genuine lack of regional balance in the line-ups – especially when it came to the team of senior ministers. Nobody is trying to say geography should frame an entire government team. But given realpolitik and the need to maintain public buy-in, regional factors need to be better factored in. This and other problems about preferment hit all three parties to varying degrees.

Then the week ended with news new Agriculture

Minister Barry Cowen had been caught drink-driving some years ago – and neglected to tell the Taoiseach about this hither-to unpublicised issue.

This is an issue of the utmost gravity for anyone in public life given the heartbreak so many families have suffered due to motor accidents which involved drink driving. Mr Cowen’s behaviour was entirely remiss and unacceptable.

These issues have damaged the new Government and they are serious matters from which lessons must be learnt. But there are many other pressing matters which now affect every citizen on this island as the economy faces a double whammy from the coronavirus fallout and a bad Brexit.

We face very uncertain times. So the leaders of this Government and their elected colleagues need to swiftly get down to work.

Whatever our political allegiances, or personal likes or dislikes, it remains in everybody’s interest that this Coalition governs properly in a time of grave crisis. The display of week one will not help public confidence – but it is still early days yet.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has promised to hit the ground running. First item is an economic stimulus package aimed at staving off the worst of a threatened recession by getting more people back to work with more spending to prime the economy.

At the same time Mr Martin must prepare himself for his first EU leaders’ summit expected to be held in Brussels on Friday week. The packed agenda, for a first face-to-face summit since February 21, carries all of Ireland’s hopes and fears: post-coronavirus economic aid, a future EU budget plan, and an impending bad Brexit outcome.

There is not a second to be wasted on this and many other issues like managing the final winding-down of the coronavirus lockdown and a return to a semblance of normality.

Time this Government put the horrors of week one behind them.

It’s in everybody’s interest that this Coalition governs