Look who’s back telling us all what to do again
Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen advise President on abortion Bill
HE arrived in scuffed shoes, tie askew and holding a battered umbrella i n the colours of the Dubs…
Surprisingly, this was a former head of government – Bertie Ahern, the man who advised all of us to buy Bank of Ireland shares at €3.15 each, before they plunged to just a few cents apiece.
Meanwhile, a dark blue van pulled up to deliver another undistinguished former taoiseach, Brian Cowen, at Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday.
The illustrious occasion was a meeting of the Council of State, the advisory body to the President – but it was surely no easy task for Michael D Higgins; relying on counsel from a man denounced for failing to tell the source of personal funds to the Mahon Tribunal, and his successor, who oversaw the bankrupting of the State.
Unlike his predecessor, Mr Cowen managed to look smart in a sober navy suit with shining shoes and a gold watch. The former Fianna Fáil taoisigh were joined by former Fine Gael leader Liam Cosgrave, 93, and current Taoiseach Enda Kenny for the consultations.
But former taoiseach John Bruton – who has spoken out against the
Mary Robinson and John Bruton absent
Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill – absented himself from the discussions on whether it should be referred to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality.
Of the two former presidents who are automatically members of the Council of State, Mary McAleese – a former Reid professor of law at Trinity College – was in attendance, but Mary Robinson was not. Attendance is not compulsory, but standing members are invited if they are ‘able and willing’ to join in consultations.
The Council of State comprises the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Chief Justice and former holders of that office, the President of the High Court, Ceann Comhairle, former presidents, former taoisigh, and the seven nominees of President Higgins.
The seven – Michael Farrell, Deirdre Heenan, Catherine McGuinness, Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, Ruairí McKiernan, Sally Mulready and Gerard Quinn – all attended yesterday for the meeting at 3pm after a preliminary snack reception.
Four tables were arranged in a square in a drawing room at the Áras, with Mr Ahern sitting alongside his former finance minister, Mr Cowen. Of course Mr Ahern is no stranger to the abortion issue, after losing a referendum on it in 2002, when the people refused to endorse his proposal that a threat of suicide be excluded as grounds f or a termination. The rebuff came ten years after the X Case judgment allowing abortions in such cases.
However, yesterday was not an occasion for making moral arguments, but for dispassionate consideration of whether the terms of the Bill were in strict accordance with the Constitution. Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore have argued for months that the legislation is in accordance.
The meeting lasted for more than three hours as a tour- of-the-table resulted in a wide range of views being heard at the private meeting.
The President must decide by tomorrow whether to send the Bill to the Supreme Court – according to a deadline of seven days imposed on him by his receipt of the legislation last week. Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte, a former close political colleague of President Higgins, said: ‘I’m not really surprised that the President decided to convene the Council of State, given the historic nature of the piece of legislation concerned and the fact that it has been such a controversial issue in politics over 30 years.’ The Presi- dent is not obliged to refer the Bill or to accept the views at the Council of State. If the Bill is referred and is struck down, all the Government’s work for the past eight months will be set at naught. If it is referred and upheld by the Supreme Court, however, no part of it may ever again be constitutionally challenged.