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Cabinet Reshuffle

solice

So who is going where?

It looks like Coughlan is out, I reckon back to Agriculture. She was well liked there and to be fair she probably did a decent job.

Who else would you like to see go? Who do you think should be promoted?

Mary O Rourke for Tanaiste :P

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Liam Byrne

It doesn't matter - they still won't acknowledge their mistakes and get stuff right.

Hopefully they'll be out on their ear before they can do any more damage.

solice

But until they are "out on their ear" they are all we have and we have to make do with them. What is the best we can do with such a bad lot...

I would like to see Micheal Martin in Enterprise Trade & Employment. Dermot Ahern to move to Foreign Affairs (put a halt to the blasphemy law).

kevmy

If they are going to do it, do it right.

Coughlan, Harney and Cullen out due to sheer incompetence.

Willie O Dea in Enterprise, T&E, Ahern to Health, Pat Carey to Justice, Batt O Keefe to Agri, Hanafin back to Education, Dempsey to Social Welfare + new blood (not dynasty politicians in lower portfolios)

Keep Greens where they are - Ryan is probably one of the best performing Ministers at present.
Lenihan will have to stay - we can't change him now it will take to long for anyone else to get a handle on it especially considering Coughlan is the only other one in Economic portfolio.
Also keep Martin in Foreign Affairs where he can do the least damage

Either that or, preferably, call an election and we can put them all out.

28064212

Reshuffles, the single most bizarre thing about the Dáil. So basically, Cowen is saying that there are no special qualifications needed to hold a ministerial position, and that it's a completely arbitrary designation. That the minister for Justice, a highly complex department that requires a huge amount of expertise, can just drop everything, hand it off to someone else, and start from the beginning in a completely unrelated area.

solice

28064212 wrote: »

Reshuffles, the single most bizarre thing about the Dáil. So basically, Cowen is saying that there are no special qualifications needed to hold a ministerial position, and that it's a completely arbitrary designation. That the minister for Justice, a highly complex department that requires a huge amount of expertise, can just drop everything, hand it off to someone else, and start from the beginning in a completely unrelated area.

Bertie was taoiseach and what qualifications did he have?

Liam Byrne

kevmy wrote: »

Willie O Dea in Enterprise, T&E

LMAO! The guy didn't lift a finger when Aer Lingus pulled out of Shannon and put loads of jobs at risk; why would they put him into Enterprise & Employment (unless it was to make it APPEAR like they were taking the Dell / Limerick issue seriously)

Villain

Coughlan been domoted has all the signs that backbenchers are having a go or the Greens are demanding Tainaste to stay in power.

stakey

solice wrote: »

Bertie was taoiseach and what qualifications did he have?

A degree from LSE wasn't it

brettmirl

I'd say either Gormley or D Ahern will be Tanaiste. Coughlan has to go.

aidan24326

Villain wrote: »

Coughlan been domoted has all the signs that backbenchers are having a go or the Greens are demanding Tainaste to stay in power.

The greens have no chance of getting Tanaiste, not with their position weakened after their disastrous showing in the elections.

It's reported that Coughlan will keep the job of Tanaiste, but be demoted from the department of trade and enterprise into a lesser ministry, and not before time either. She's been useless in that job and it's a poor reflection on Cowen that he chose to put her there.

kevmy

Liam Byrne wrote: »

LMAO! The guy didn't lift a finger when Aer Lingus pulled out of Shannon and put loads of jobs at risk; why would they put him into Enterprise & Employment (unless it was to make it APPEAR like they were taking the Dell / Limerick issue seriously)

Not much he could do in all honesty. I know they were issues in his constituency but they weren't in his department. Dempsey and Coughlan respectively would have to take the flack on those issues. I think he should be given something serious so he can sh1t or get off the pot.
If he turns out to be useless and no different from the rest then people can shut up about him being talented but never getting responsibility.
If he turns out to be decent then we all win + he couldn't be any worse than what we have in there atm

stakey

Realistically the Greens have two choices here. Stay and demand increased power. In this case they'll want the position of Tanaiste as the Tanaiste gets to see all proposals going through government. This would allow the Greens to have a greater say in the goings on of the government and appease whatever core vote they still have.

If they don't get the above, i see them leaving government. The Greens have been decimated in the local elections, if they stay in power any longer without any say they will go the way of the PD's in the next general election. If they leave now they might be able to save face by doing the populist thing and rebuild on that over the next 2-3 years. They won't form any future government for a while.

28064212

solice wrote: »

Bertie was taoiseach and what qualifications did he have?

He ran a political party that managed to form a majority government. I should specify, I don't necessarily mean formal qualifications (although it would be nice if the minister for Finance had some form of economics training). But when Cowen first formed the cabinet, you assume that there was some sort of reasoning behind his appointments e.g. Dermot Ahern is actually a solicitor, therefore he probably has some idea of how to handle the Justice department. Now that Cowen needs some sort of distraction and to make it look like things are changing, suddenly all the people that he judged were best suited to certain ministeries are just as eligible for everywhere else.

So he's basically saying that he's doing this in order to change things, while at the same time implying that the ministerial designations are arbitrary and everyone can do everyone else's job just as well

solice

28064212 wrote: »

So he's basically saying that he's doing this in order to change things, while at the same time implying that the ministerial designations are arbitrary and everyone can do everyone else's job just as well

Pretty much. But I would argue that being a minister is also about being a manager. Managing a dept. or a portfolio or a group of people requires a completly different type of qualification. I wonder how many people in the DETE appreciated working under sweary mary and did she get the best out of them. Who are the good managers in the govt and who could lead the various depts.

28064212

solice wrote: »

Pretty much. But I would argue that being a minister is also about being a manager. Managing a dept. or a portfolio or a group of people requires a completly different type of qualification. I wonder how many people in the DETE appreciated working under sweary mary and did she get the best out of them. Who are the good managers in the govt and who could lead the various depts.

I agree about the minister=manager comparison. But, in general, the best managers are the ones who at least have a grasp of the basics that their subordinates are working on. I despise Dermot Ahern, but at least I feel that when he's presented with a report detailing the intricacies of a law, he will understand what he's looking at. When Lenihan is presented with a report on "What Do New Keynesian Phillips Curves Imply for Price Level Targeting?" (random economics paper), I have no idea if he has the slightest clue what the title means, let alone understand the content

Sponge Bob

I feel the Tánaiste must be a CITY person , FF is now a rural rump facing urban wipeout . In Limerick and Waterford one councillor, 3 in Galway and 18 in all of county Dublin ( dunno about Cork)

Yet the obvious candidate , Lenihan , is now badly tainted . Yet there is no other obvious candidate .

Maybe put D Ahern in Finance and give Lenihan Justice and Tánaiste

Send Coughlan back to Agriculture out of sight or to a ministry of state of agriculture more like .

Put Hanafin back into Education and send Batt to Defence and Willie to Social and Family .

Lorcan 17

The man who has survived in Cabinet having done nothing of worth ever i.e. Mr Martin Cullen needs to be dropped . Come to think of it plenty more like him but FF have no talent anywhere to replace them .

Liam Byrne

28064212 wrote: »

When Lenihan is presented with a report on "What Do New Keynesian Phillips Curves Imply for Price Level Targeting?" (random economics paper), I have no idea if he has the slightest clue what the title means, let alone understand the content

And we'll never know....remember that he doesn't even read reports that he's given, regardless of the amount of our money that's at stake.

electrogrimey

If Hanafin replacing Batty-boy means a return to no college fees then I'd definitely take that...

conchubhar1

i think even mary harney would be hard pushed to give any good reason against her not being kept in health

Het-Field

Re-Arranging the chairs on the titanic comes to mind.

A huge vaccum exists here. There is little or no talent, accumen, or political nous. All it is is a bunch of career politicians.

LoanShark

Get rid of Cullen.
Get rid of Coughlan
Move Dempsey to Tainaiste and Minister of education.
Remove Batt O Keefe to travel
Bring back Mc Creevey for Trade Enterprise and Employment.
Put Hanafin into Social and Family.
Ahern in Justice
Willie into Foreign Affairs
Lenihan to stay put he has got a grip on things for the moment.
[10] Martin for Gaeltach
[11] Mc Daid to come back for Sport
[12] The Greens to stay put.
[13] Bribe Richard Bruton to come in as a junior minister for finance.

Badabing

Sean Ardagh should get Enterprise or at least a Cabinet job.

Seth Brundle

28064212 wrote: »

He ran a political party that managed to form a majority government. I should specify, I don't necessarily mean formal qualifications (although it would be nice if the minister for Finance had some form of economics training). But when Cowen first formed the cabinet, you assume that there was some sort of reasoning behind his appointments e.g. Dermot Ahern is actually a solicitor, therefore he probably has some idea of how to handle the Justice department. Now that Cowen needs some sort of distraction and to make it look like things are changing, suddenly all the people that he judged were best suited to certain ministeries are just as eligible for everywhere else.

So he's basically saying that he's doing this in order to change things, while at the same time implying that the ministerial designations are arbitrary and everyone can do everyone else's job just as well

Cowen nominated two of his closest supporters to the highest positions at the cabinet table. Coughlan - well what can I say and Lenihan had no proper ministerial experience worth talking of.

As for D. Ahern, I reckon that he will be demoted given his lust for the top spot.

I would like to see the back of the following however (in no particular order):
* Cullen
* Harney
* Roche (I know he is not a full member of cabinet)
* Dempsey
* O'Dea

Mr.Micro

Don't give Coughlan any Ministry as she has done enough damage. Just put her out to grass. Is there any competent FF TD that is capable of doing a good job? Does anybody have any faith in Biffo picking the best, as if he would know? Lenihan is not up to the job all bluster and BS. Get hold of the Stroke as adviser .

Sponge Bob

Mr.Micro wrote: »

Get hold of the Stroke as adviser .

The Schtroke for Director of Elections and Minister for Enterprise . He can then concrete over Labane and Ardrahan with 'Strategic Logistics Hubs ' and other building projects and sure who worries around there if they are left empty until they are eventually demolished .

Seán Ardagh would indeed be a good catch , straight into cabinet with him or as an assistant to Lenihan at the very least . He comes across very well in the media .

brettmirl

Just as a matter of interest, would any of you consider any of the current bunch in the Seanad for a Cabinet position?

Bearing in mind, they can be appointed to be cabinet as set out in the Constitution:

The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the member of the Government who is in charge of the Department of Finance must be members of Dáil Éireann.
2° The other members of the Government must be members of Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann, but not more than two may be members of Seanad Éireann.

solice

mick_irl wrote: »

Just as a matter of interest, would any of you consider any of the current bunch in the Seanad for a Cabinet position?

Bearing in mind, they can be appointed to be cabinet as set out in the Constitution:

Donie Cassidy - Minister for Golf

brettmirl

Would he not be Minister of State with special responsibility for Toupés?

DrumSteve

i think if we get rid of cullen it'd be a start.