Katherine Zappone Envoy Gig

This sounds to me like FG supporters just wishing this story would go away and pretending they are above it all. You can bet your last cent that if the shoe was on the other foot they would be crying about from the rooftops.

The funny thing is that FG can make it go away come out and be completely honest and hold up their hands and that kills the story but they can't they think they are above everyone else and can do as they like.

Don't forget Dara Murphy...FG were fine with him getting his job in Europe after ripping off the taxpayer for years.

Minister behaves stupidly is not in that document!

??? You don't immediately recognise 'Golfgate or the Leak' controversies?

Ok, whatever you say.

Golfgate was one of the biggest stories in the country at the time.

A load of politicians and a supreme court judge go for a big dinner when there were lots of restrictions on the average voter.

It lead to a minister and EU commissioner losing their jobs and calls for the supreme court judge to be sacked. Some (apparently not so) average voters I know wouldn't have felt sorry for him if he had been.

You've got to worry about the country if the average voter can't remember that story. I thought it was better known and annoyed the average voter more than swinggate a.k.a Maria Bailey.

Maybe they meant the average FG voter.

Yes and they've had outcomes but most people move on once that happens. It might sway some voters in their choices but the big items will move them more and how good TDs are for local politics.

Well if they aren't aware of golfgate I can assure you that they're even less aware of what good they did unless it's something done personally for them.

Wouldnt agree its not a resigning matter from what we've seen so far. Coveney tried to pull a stroke with a crony appointment on the last day Cabinet sat before the summer break, he completely blindsided his coalition partners in doing so. If Martin had any balls he would demand Coveneys head in the same way the heads of Dara Calleary and Barry Cowen were scalped. But Martin doesnt have balls, its clear he just wants the easy life.

Whats more interesting here to me anyway is that Fine Gael are eating themselves alive. There is an internal struggle between Varadkar and Coveney which has come about because Varadkar consistently loses elections, the most recent being the DBS by elections and how he ended the political career of Coveney ally Kate o'Connell. Its clear some within FG see him as an electoral liability and want to see him replaced before the next GE. Thats facing push back from the Varadkar camp who are eyeing up a cabinet reshuffle when he gets to be the Taoiseach again, Leo is literally their ticket to a plum job so they are fighting for him now. That explains why Charlie Flanagan openly criticised Coveney at the Comittee during the week and also why Patrick 'Donovan was acting as a gopher to find out the source of Cabinet leaks

What is driving much of this debacle is Varadkars attempt to wound Coveney to ensure he doesnt face a leadership challenge, he is trying to head him off at the pass. Thats why Varadkar released those text messages, it was designed to wound Coveney for any upcoming leadership contest. The timing of the text message release was also classic FG schoolboy stuff, Varadkar did it at the moment he knew Coveney was flying in the Government jet. Imagine the scene of Simon enjoying the cream leather seats of a private jet along with a nice glass of red wine and suddenly his advisor comes down to tell him the news Varadkar is after completely shafting him and they need to get their spin story ready. This is classic FG student politics, they get off on this type of stuff. It was the same with Kate o'Connell and the bale of turf they planned to present her at a FG meeting and the M50 sign they placed outside her pharmacy in Rathgar. They really are some bunch of children.

This Varadkar Coveney battle is set to continue. All the while Paschal is sitting there making sure not to interrupt his enemies while they are making mistakes. Simon Harris also has his eyes on the top prize as does Helen McEntee who said as much in a fluff piece with the Indo in June. We're really only getting started on the internal power struggle within FG and they are already eating each other alive.

You misinterpret what I said. I was saying that in more normal times all this might have been privately talked about over a cup of coffee. I can't see how that could be subject to FOI barring really Orwellian surveillance. Just because the pandemic forces ordinary conversation into electronic mode the whole thing becomes an FOI matter. Personally I think this is a bit OTT, but if you don't then, fine.

Absolutely correct. The text exchange has the clear implication that Varadkar didn't know what she was talking about so asked Coveney what is this, so the first time he knew what is was about was the text response from Coveney.

Anyone who can't see that is acting the idiot.