THE CURSE OF CABINET
How Leo’s political preferences have evolved into the kiss of death or at best impairment for his once-favoured Fine Gael colleagues
TANAISTE Leo Varadkar, at a recent private fundraiser party, received no shortage of applause when he noted the party was aiming to be in government for the fourth time in a row next election.
The pledge received a significantly dustier response from his own TDs and senators with one senior party figure noting: ‘How can he say we are going for four in a row when we lost the last one (election). It’s an odd way of getting to four.’
The view was symptomatic of a rising view within the party that Leo, far from being the Messiah, is a bit of an unlucky general.
But does the accusation stand up? Well let’s look at the fate of the first cabinet Leo appointed in 2017.
It is easy to forget but Leo’s first cabinet was actually a high-water mark for Fine Gael
However, Varadkar’s bright new start evolved into a political case study of how political preference by Leo appears to have evolved into the kiss of political death… or at best impairment.
Today, outside of Leo, just two of the FG and non-FG ministers of that doomed 2017 cabinet are politically thriving.
Two others, Simon Coveney and Paschal Donohoe, are still there but increasingly they resemble politicians who are in office rather than power.
So, what happened the likely lads 0f 2017?
RICHARD BRUTON Climate Change and Broadband
Having been Minister in Education, was moved to Communications after the Denis Naughten broadband debacle. Did his best to rectify the chaotic state of the broadband plan he inherited. When the numbers ran out after election 2020, he was unceremoniously dropped.
Being Chair of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party is not much of a consolation.
CHARLIE FLANAGAN Justice
Was less than happy to be shuffled out of his beloved Iveagh House residency to make way for Simon Coveney and the yacht club brigade. Sadly, his sterling work when it came to Shane Ross’s pet Judicial Appointments Bill was not rewarded.
Charlie, instead, has an uneasy occupation of the dusty backbenches where he has become the spiritual leader of the FG WAGS. (Wise Auld Gentlemen Soldiers).
FRANCES FITZGERALD Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise and Innovation
Was the first to fall foul to the curse of Leo. No one to this day has found or discovered anywrongdoing after her resignation.
Frances, though, became a problem and as others would swiftly find when you become a difficulty to Leo, bad things happen fast. Secured the consolation of becoming an MEP subsequently and may now be thanking her lucky stars.
SIMON COVENEY Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs
A lesser fall than most but felt all the more keenly as FG election defeat saw him retain the Foreign Affairs brief but dropped to ordinary ministerial ranks minus the Tánaiste’s bauble.
Subsequent Zappone and Women of Honour debacles mean that Simon has lost his heir apparent status too. Not faring well under the increasingly uneasy rule of Leo, the former Dauphin is now struggling to stay in court let alone tilt for the crown.
MICHAEL CREED Agriculture
Couldn’t believe his luck in 2016 when Enda forgave his support for Richard Bruton’s rebellion. Less than impressed by his loss of office in 2020 as part of the great defenestration, he has held his counsel (in public at least) which is all the more unnerving for Leo who likes to see his enemies coming.
Believed to be now considering a run for Europe, leaving his leader a difficult by-election.
REGINA DOHERTY Minister for Social Protection
The first minister in that cabinet to secure the unwanted loss of seat and the loss of ministerial office.
Performed effectively and still seen as a Leo acolyte but ran straight into the McEntee Meath dynasty.
Has subsequently gone into exile in Fingal: a far safer place than Meath east.
EOGHAN MURPHY Minister for Housing and Leo
Was the leader’s chief Consigliore and spent two years in Housing cleaning up after Simon Coveney.
Out from cabinet he looked at a set of options including serving under Sinn Fein’s Martin Browne in the Petitions Committee and decided it was time to go. Few would criticise him.
PASCHAL DONOHOE Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure
Paschal’s sacrifices lie somewhere more in the future than the past. There has been a real diminution in his status during the reign of Leo, which goes beyond the sacrificing of his public expenditure Ministry to keep FF sweet.
The designated scapegoat for election 2020, he appears to belong to the past rather than the future.
MICHAEL RING Minister for Community and Rural Affairs
Was one of the great rural enthusiasts for Leo (and Paschal too) until he became the victim of Leo’s post-election purge.
Cast to the backbenches without even the consolation of a Junior Ministry Mr Ring has embraced the cause of rural rebellion with much vigour.
PAUL KEHOE Minister of State for Defence
A bit of a late convert to Leo and the causes of Leo but retained his Cabinet seat as part of the Heather Humphreys breakfast club.
At least managed to retain his seat in the grand massacre of 2020 but lost the Cabinet seat. Fully paid-up member of the rural WAGS club now.
JOE MCHUGH
Chief Whip and Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs
Looked to be on the rise as, after securing the Whips job was swiftly promoted to a full ministry of Education. Some embarrassment over his status as a non-Irish speaking Gaeltacht minister was eased when he became more Irish speaking than the Irish themselves.
Managed to retain his seat but turned down the poisoned chalice of a Junior Ministry. Will be leaving the Dail after the next election.
Children MARY MITCHELL O’CONNOR Minister of State for Higher Education
Was none to impressed when she was dropped from full ministerial status to being a mere Minister of State for Education with special responsibility for higher education (Simon Harris’s current job).
Would be even less of a Leo acolyte (if she ever was one) after being gazumped by Jennifer Carroll McNeil in 2020, which saw her become yet another minister to do the unwanted double of losing seat and ministry.
THE OUTSIDERS
Those who were not in FG fared even worse than Leo’s colleagues in election 2020. Bad luck obviously crosses political boundaries.
DENIS NAUGHTEN (De facto Fine Gael minister)
Leo did not have much choice when appointing the former Fine Gael TD Denis Naughten to his first cabinet. He didn’t waste much time despatching him after it emerged that Naughten had four private dinners with the key bidder in the broadband procurement process. Naughten subsequently noted Leo had been concerned about ‘the optics in relation to this and I clearly set out to him that there were options to address those optics . . . but that didn’t seemingly suit the Taoiseach’s plan.’
SHANE ROSS Transport, Judges and Rural Ireland
Rarely has a minister been more unsuited to a brief. Indeed, the suspicion still lingers that Enda put him there for that reason. There would be no great escape to economic pastures under Leo either. Instead, a legal coup-d’etat against judicial reform and a war with rural Ireland meant that Ross lost his seat. As a consolation he is now writing a biography of Mary Lou.
KATHERINE ZAPPONE
Has left a legacy in Irish politics but not quite the one she expected or thought she would. Heavily courted by Fine Gael, refused and lost both seat and ministry too.
Subsequently was heavily courted by FG out of an excessive desire for ‘virtue signalling’ with a little UN treat. The story, alas, did not have a happy ending.