MARY TO ALAN: ‘I WANT to know... what exactly is going on and what isn’t...’
REVEALED: The testy emails that preceded Mary Mitchell O’Connor’s adviser handing in a one-line resignation letter
ALAN Cantwell’s brief stint as adviser to Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor ended with a one-line letter of resignation giving only four days’ notice, internal correspondence has revealed.
Emails between the former TV3 news anchor and Ms Mitchell O’Connor had become increasingly testy before deteriorating amidst public criticism of her performance as minister.
Correspondence obtained under the Freedom of Information Act provides an insight into the careful management of the minister’s profile and the strict requirements set out for her special adviser.
On September 3, Ms Mitchell O’Connor sent an email to Mr Cantwell outlining protocol for the preparation of her speeches. Referring to herself as ‘MMO’C’, she specified that speeches must be ‘specifically crafted for MMO’C delivery style’ and be written in ‘clear and understandable English’ with sentences of no more than 15 words. The protocol stated jargon should be avoided and speeches should include an interesting opening, a relevant quote and a memorable story.
On September 6, she demanded her advisers copy her in ‘ALL emails’ sent from their Department accounts and confirm receipt of ‘every one of MY emails’, writing: ‘I WANT to know exactly what is going on and what isn’t.’ She also required advisers to present a weeklyself-assessed progress (‘or lack thereof’) report outlining ‘what could YOU have done better?’ On September 8, Mr Cantwell was tasked with drafting a short biography of the minister for the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. She responded to a draft with the succinct reply: ‘Put in something about: 1. Jobs; 2. Enterprise; 3. Innovation.’ In an email dated September 17, Ms Mitchell O’Connor asked Mr Cantwell to work with two colleagues to prepare a brief on issues facing the department: ‘I want to make the answers my own,’ added the minister, to the adviser who was preparing them. In relation to a speech for an event in Dún Laoghaire, Ms Mitchell O’Connor told Mr Cantwell to recheck the script to ensure ‘it sounds like MMO’C... in my voice please’. The correspondence suggests their relationship had become strained by October. In an email in late September, on a speech for a function, he noted: ‘I have left out the most recent unemployment stats as they show unemployment increased since you took office.’
As criticism of her performance grew, Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins accused the minister of neglecting rural Ireland. Mr Cantwell provided a draft response to this by email. The minister’s response included the observation: ‘There’s loads of typos.’ He replied: ‘I am aware of the typos etc. This is a draft.’
Criticism of her performance was reported in the media, culminating in a scathing piece in the Irish Times. The emails show the department monitored media reaction carefully, with one press officer asked to listen to a podcast discussing the controversy. The minister’s response to the criticism appears to have been at odds with that of Mr Cantwell.
Three days after the Irish Times article, she told advisers by email to prepare a six-month report on ‘MMO’C’s time as Minister’. Mr Cantwell replied: ‘We have to take [the criticism] on the chin and get on with it.’
On October 28, she emailed to say she noticed a list of her engagements had not been included in the official list circulated to Fine Gael Oireachtas members: ‘Guys, why are my engagements not listed on Ministerial Diary? Please reply,’ she wrote. Mr Cantwell replied that he would follow it up. The following Monday, he handed in a letter that read: ‘Please accept my resignation. As per terms of my contract I will finish on Friday 4th Nov.’
Mr Cantwell did not respond to attempts to contact him. A new spokesman for the minister reiterated her comments when he departed: ‘Alan is a good colleague and friend and I was sad to see him leave.’
‘Make the answers my own’
‘There are loads of typos’