Rock-it man
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar is ‘introverted’, and some Fine Gael ministers are ‘cocky’ and ‘arrogant’, according to one of the Independent ministers who sits at the Cabinet table. Junior Minister for Disability Issues Finian McGrath told the Irish Mail on Sunday that his Fine Gael cabinet colleagues regularly ignore the Independent Alliance.
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview the minister speaks warmly of the two Fianna Fáil taoisigh, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, that he supported in government – and less fondly of the two Fine Gael taoisigh, Enda Kenny and Leo Varadkar.
Unexpectedly for a politician who is favoured by the media, he joins Mr Varadkar in his attack on the fourth estate.
Mr McGrath was speaking as reports emerged this week of arguments at the Cabinet table about the senior government partner’s attitude to Independents – and attempts to railroad policy through Cabinet.
‘I’m prevented from talking about cabinet issues because of cabinet confidentiality. But can I say, of course, there are plenty of robust exchanges.’
Minister McGrath did say that he has privately raised the ‘elitist’ attitude of his ministerial colleagues with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and he says that he is ‘listening’. However, he says, other Fine Gael ministers need to listen more.
He said Mr Varadkar’s predecessor Enda Kenny also had a ‘swagger’. He said that this swagger and arrogance comes about because they are ‘just Fine Gael’.
He says that Fine Gael must improve or there will be no partnership governments in future.
He also said that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is ‘shy’ and ‘introverted’. He explains that this is partially down to Mr Varadkar’s youth, but that it will have to improve. He believes Mr Varadkar will have to work on his social skills to be a full success as a politician.
Mr McGrath spoke to the Irish Mail on Sunday on Friday, the day after the Dáil rose for two months.
Mr McGrath, 65, has served in the Dáil since 2002 as an Independent TD, and has struck written deals with four taoisigh.
In early 2016, Enda Kenny led Fine Gael through a disastrous general election, where they lost 26 seats. Fine Gael’s coalition partners, Labour, were wiped out.
Mr Kenny was forced to turn to the Independent Alliance of TDs, led by Shane Ross and Finian McGrath, for support. Eventually Mr Kenny formed a minority Government, making Shane Ross a cabinet minister and appointing Mr McGrath as Super Junior Minister with responsibility for disabilities.
Despite saving Mr Kenny’s political career Mr McGrath felt he remained ‘arrogant’.
When Mr McGrath tries to explain why, he says: ‘He is really Fine Gael, with a swagger like.’
He says that the current Government, led by Taoiseach Varadkar and Tánaiste Simon Coveney, retains this swagger.
Mr McGrath says that they seem to believe: ‘We are the biggest party and the rest of you guys don’t matter.’ But he says that cannot continue as ‘that day is gone’.
‘And if they don’t cop that you won’t get any more partnership governments. It is political. Politically they have this kind of cockiness, which needs to be levelled off. ‘That was never apparent in Fianna Fáil taoisigh. My deal with Bertie, he was a man of people, does business up front and direct, with no airs and graces. My deal with Brian Cowen was the same way, a differ-
In a deliciously frank interview Finian McGrath reveals: What he REALLY thinks of Leo Varadkar, Enda Kenny, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen Some FG ministers are arrogant and don’t listen He even supports the Taoiseach in attacking media (the cheek!)
ent type approach – intellectually very bright and all that – but when it came down to the nuts and bolts he was very, very modest.’
Mr McGrath says that he has raised the ‘disrespectful manner’ of some Fine Gael ministers with Mr Varadkar.
‘In fairness to the Taoiseach he is listening, but some of his colleagues need to listen more.
‘Sections of Fine Gael are elitist. You’ve other members of the party who are brilliant people, but there are sections that still don’t get that we are in new politics. If you are in a partnership government you treat your partners with respect.’
Mr Varadkar must spend the summer trying to negotiate with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin on a new confidence and supply arrangement. It also appears that he will have to stroke the egos of his four Independent Alliance ministers, Mr Ross, Mr McGrath, John Halligan and Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran.
‘I think that it is often forgotten that there would be no Government without the Independent Alliance,’ said Mr McGrath.
He says that he sometimes has to cause a row to get attention.
‘Fine Gael have become complacent. You need a bit of ground hurling every once in a while to remind people that we are Independents, we are not part of your party.
‘It is my duty as an Independent to clip their wings every now and again and introduce a bit of ground hurling.’
Mr McGrath says that Mr Varadkar is ‘different’ from other, more extroverted and traditional politicians that he has worked with.
‘He is completely different from the other three taoisigh I dealt with. He has a completely different approach to politics. In Government he is very calm, he is very cool but he is very much on top of his brief. Intellectually he is exceptionally bright.
‘He can be a bit shy and a bit removed at times. I think he is a very private person. He wouldn’t be like Bertie or Brian Cowen now. He wouldn’t be into that kind of social skill. He wouldn’t be an extrovert.
‘But when you sit down with him, I had lunch with him during the week for example, we had a great chat, talked about a bit of politics, a bit about the Government, and he is sound as a pound one-to-one.
‘And if he makes a mistake he is the first guy to tell you privately that “I made a mistake there”.’
Ministers have spoken about awkward silences while in company with Mr Varadkar.
Mr McGrath doesn’t refer to any of these, but he does have views on what Mr Varadkar should do in the future.
‘I’ve been at loads of gigs with Leo, and there are no silences there.’
However, he says that Mr Varadkar will need to improve in this area. ‘I think he needs to develop those skills. He will learn if he listens to good advice, if he listens to the people around him.’
Despite all this criticism of Fine Gael ministers and faint praise of Mr Varadkar, Mr McGrath does not believe that there will be a general election called in the near future.
‘I don’t hear anybody banging down my door for a general election, and I ask people in Dublin Bay North [his constituency] regularly.’
He is encouraging the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil leaders to sort out their differences and extend the confidence and supply arrangement.
‘What I’d say to Micheál and Leo is that they need to sit down over the summer and have a good chat.’
He adds that an early general election, would be a ‘betrayal of the Irish people’.
‘The deal is three budgets, I say let’s do the three budgets.’
He says that the four big issues are Brexit, housing and health and the re-establishment of the Northern Executive.
‘It is my duty to clip their wings now and again’