Cowen’s job safe – but further scandal would be last straw
AGRICULTURE Minister Barry Cowen is safe in his job after weathering the storm over his drink-driving ban. However, senior figures in all three coalition parties say he will be gone swiftly if he is embroiled in further scandal.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is looking to get beyond his faulty start with three big set-pieces. The coalition is putting together a stimulus package to be launched on Monday week.
AGRICULTURE Minister Barry Cowen is safe in his job after weathering the storm over his drink-driving ban.
However, senior figures in all three coalition parties say he will be gone swiftly if he is embroiled in further scandal.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is looking to get beyond his faulty start with three big set pieces.
Mr Martin attends his first EU summit next week, followed by the post-Covid-19 economic stimulus package. A North-South ministerial council, the first in more than two years, is also due in the coming weeks.
The new coalition is putting together a stimulus package to be launched on Monday week.
Among the measures in the package will be:
:: money for small businesses;
:: funding for small and medium businesses to reduce their energy emissions;
:: a fund for towns and villages to expand footpaths;
:: capital works funding for schools;
:: funding for retrofitting houses and refurbishing empty council houses;
:: a reskilling fund to help those who lost their jobs to retrain for other work;
:: the procurement of goods across the whole of government so departments are not competing, particularly for Personal Protective Equipment.
Mr Cowen apologised to his Cabinet colleagues this week. But ministers and party officials alike across the coalition say there will be little support for him if he gets into any more trouble.
“The credits are all cashed in,” a Fianna Fáil minister said.
“If he f***s up again, he’s gone. It’s the worst start for a government probably ever,” a Fine Gael minister said.
“If there is anything else to come back, he’ll have to answer for it. The feeling is it was a while ago and he’s said his piece now,” a Green Party source said.
Some ministers are sympathetic towards Mr Cowen now.
“There’s an unwritten code in politics. Go after the man and his politics, but not his personal life or his finances. He committed an offence and paid the penalty.
“The country is gone to f*** if a man can’t get past that. He broke the law and was punished. Is that not enough for people?” a minister said.
Mr Martin will also have to watch his backbenchers amid complaints already about a lack of Fianna Fáil identity in the coalition.
“They’ll take the view it’s only two-and-a-half years and they can act up,” a party source said.
Government sources said Mr Martin could have done without the distraction of the controversy around Mr Cowen.
Mr Martin will attend his first EU summit as Taoiseach next week.
The main item on the agenda is the EU’s long-term budget, including farm grants under the Common Agricultural Policy.
European Council President Charles Michel is trying to bridge gaps between EU countries over their long-term budget and economic stimulus plans before national leaders meet next week to haggle over how to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
EU economies are in difficulty in the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 27 European Union heads will meet in person for the first time since the lockdown in March and rows over how to respond to the coronavirus divided the bloc.
“The Covid-19 crisis presents Europe with a challenge of historic proportions. We are slowly exiting the acute health crisis – the emphasis is now shifting to mitigating the socio-economic damage,” Mr Michel said.
EU leaders are trying to overcome major differences over how to revive economic growth between the wealthy, thrifty north and the high-debt south, hit harder by Covid-19.
The EU is proposing a smaller joint budget for 202127 than previously envisaged.
The Netherlands is adopting a hard line on the budget, backed by Finland and Sweden. But the Dutch are viewed as the big obstacle.