Senators in the Government?

recedite

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/shane-ross/shane-ross-two-teachers-take-finance-2577776.html
Good article by Shane Ross there with an interesting quote buried in it;

If Enda and Eamon really believe in new politics, they could have appointed two economic experts to the Senate and lifted them directly into the Cabinet.

So I'm just wondering, has it ever happened before, that a Taoiseach appointed some independent economics experts to the Seanad (as opposed to a failed TD or other party crony) and then (this is the important bit) selected them as Government (cabinet in RTE-speak) Ministers.
Therefore, a Senator in the Government, (or cabinet if you like).

Coillte_Bhoy

recedite wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/shane-ross/shane-ross-two-teachers-take-finance-2577776.html
Good article by Shane Ross there with an interesting quote buried in it;


So I'm just wondering, has it ever happened before, that a Taoiseach appointed some independent economics experts to the Seanad (as opposed to a failed TD or other party crony) and then (this is the important bit) selected them as Government (cabinet in RTE-speak) Ministers.
Therefore, a Senator in the Government, (or cabinet if you like).

Aye, back in the 80's Garrett appointed James Dooge, a senator as Minitser for Foreign Affiars. I think it was the fact that it was a minority Govt and a TD who was Minister for FA might be away in Europe and might miss a tight vote in the Dail that was tha the rationale behind it

recedite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dooge
Never heard of him before, but apparently he died last year sadly.
Seems to have been a very talented academic, judging by the Wiki entry. I can see how Garret got on well with him. It says he was actually the second Senator to be in the government, I wonder who the first one was?

Sometimes I feel like I'm living on the Planet of the Apes. How did we get from that calibre of Senator to the current era of the Ivor Calelly type senator?

baalthor

recedite wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dooge
Never heard of him before, but apparently he died last year sadly.
Seems to have been a very talented academic, judging by the Wiki entry. I can see how Garret got on well with him.

He was Garret's cousin so he probably knew him quite well.
Appointment wasn't very popular within the party.

recedite

Nepotism, of course is when someone gets appointed despite their lack of merit.
If someone is a good candidate, being a relative of the boss should not stand in their way.
Feathers always get ruffled in these situations though. Those who put loyalty and long service ahead of merit always object when an outsider gets parachuted in.
In the current govt. we see that a few time-served sycophants have been rewarded at the expense of smarter and better qualified people.

Still a lot better than having Brian Lenihan senior's two boys in charge of things.