Tag: taoiseach

Taoiseach forgets he’s in the driving seat

9th November 2009

I am afraid it is not credible to say that by his statement at the weekend the Taoiseach has got himself into the driving seat. The Taoiseach has been in the driving seat for 18 months in this country.

Prior to that, he was in the seat beside the driver as he was in the Department of Finance for an extended period. I am not prepared to go along with the notion that the Taoiseach now has credibility on public sector reform. He just does not have that credibility. There is a cabinet sub-committee that is supposed to be meeting on this issue for the last year and a half, but the Taoiseach could not even answer the question yesterday on whether that committee had met. I understood from his response that it has not met. It is no use saying the Taoiseach has now put himself into the driving seat. The Taoiseach has had every opportunity for 18 months and more to address these issues, but he has failed to do so, along with his Government.

It is perfectly legitimate for people to criticise the public service and to call for reform, as I have. The problem is that the debate has become suffused with anecdote, prejudice and worse. Everybody has their story about the public service and what should happen. However, the Government gets to do more than what we get to do, which is to come in here and call for things to happen. It is ludicrous for RTE to report the Taoiseach as “calling” for public service reform. That is what we do in here. We call for things but unfortunately we have little or no power to deliver them. The Taoiseach does not get to call for things. He gets to do things. That is why he is the Taoiseach.

We should forget about calling for things and expressing wishes. Let us have a balanced review of the problems that exist and of the issues in the public service that require reform. That can be done in a relatively short period. Let us then have some action on the issue. People who are marching on the streets are being told they are the problem, but they are not the problem. Cuts do not amount to reform. If people are serious about reform, let us have a balanced assessment on what needs to be done and then let us have some action.

More :: Cowen calls for ‘fundamental reform’: RTE

Pay deal or no pay deal?

4th December 2008

What is the Government’s position on the pay freeze contained in the recently agreed wage agreement? The trade union leaders appeared to glean from what the Taoiseach said in the Dáil yesterday that the matter should be re-opened. When the Taoiseach returned from Berlin last night he indicated that he did not propose to re-open the matter. Senator Boyle, presumably on behalf of the Green Party component of the Government, said that the 11-month pay freeze should be extended beyond August of next year. What in fact is the Government position?

There is a strong argument to be made that in agreeing the pay deal in September, the Government acted precipitously and it should have waited until the budget statement was made and the true position on the public finances was known. A very compelling argument can be had as to why it entered into that deal at the time. However, having entered into it, the credibility of the Government and all the social partners is greatly undermined by these suggestions that it might be re-opened eight or nine months prior to its actual implementation, in August of next year.

High Court judgment unlikely to have significant impact on work of tribunal

8th May 2008

Four Courts, DublinLabour always believed that the former Taoiseach’s High Court action challenging the Mahon Tribunal’s right to question him about certain statements he made in the Dail was more about delaying the work of the Tribunal than upholding the constitutional right to privilege of members of the Oireachtas.

The tactic worked in terms of delaying the Tribunal from questioning him on matters of relevant public interest. However, it could not prevent his exit from office much earlier than he had planned, which was largely due to the determination of Labour and other opposition parties to hold him to account politically.

At the time the action was initiated we acknowledged that there were serious legal and constitutional issues surrounding the privilege of members of the Oireachtas. A number of the issues raised by Mr. Ahern’s legal team were conceded by the Tribunal early in the hearing. The High Court judgement on the outstanding matters will now have to be studied to establish the extent to which the questions relating to privilege have now been further clarified.

Given that the Tribunal has access to its own information and the fact that many of the statements made by the Taoiseach in the Dail were also repeated outside, I do not believe that this judgment will have a significant impact on the Tribunal’s further inquiries into Mr. Ahern’s financial affairs.

‘No more curtain calls’

8th May 2008

Seanad ChamberThere have been many congratulations for the former Taoiseach and we now have had a month of praise and thanksgiving. Much of it has been deserved, some of it less so, and some of it has been bordering on the nauseating. It is now time to get down to business. I wondered at one stage over the last few weeks whether the former Taoiseach would outdo Luciano Pavarotti, who has the world record of 165 curtain calls in a single performance. The former Taoiseach went close to that record.

While it is a matter for debate whether this is a new Government, it is an opportune moment for us to have that wider discussion. I ask the Leader to arrange for the new Taoiseach to come into this House and to set out his ideas, his proposals and his vision for the post-Celtic tiger Ireland into which we are facing. Before we can get down to the important debates with individual Ministers, I would echo the call to bring in the Taoiseach to the Seanad for that type of debate. We can then grapple with the challenges that exist in the economy, such as the deepening inequalities that have characterised the last decade of growth, the spectacle of 190,000 children at risk of poverty in a country with such enormous wealth held by so few people.

If we had that debate, we could consider the sort of public service we want to have in this country, how we fund it, how we use the taxation system in order to bring about a fairer society, and whether we want one health service for the well off and one for everybody else. I would like to hear the Taoiseach set out his stall on these issues in this House. The Opposition parties are also under a duty to put forward their ideas and their vision, and this would provide an excellent opportunity to do that. I join with my colleagues in congratulating the new Taoiseach, but I hope we get down to business today. I would welcome the opportunity to have such a debate at the earliest possible occasion.

Taoiseach spoiled dignity of last week with despicable attack on tribunal

8th April 2008

The Seanad sat today for the first time since the news that the Taoiseach is to step down from office on May 6. It was a lively Order of Business full of comment on the Mr. Ahern’s decision with the general consensus being that the statement ‘a week is a long time in politics’ has never been more appropriate. In my contribution, I stated that the Taoiseach’s comments on the Mahon Tribunal had spoiled what was otherwise a dignified exit. Below is the full transcript of my contribution:

Senator Alex White: As Senator Fitzgerald stated, it has been a busy time since we were last here. Last week in particular was very eventful. When I entered the Chamber today, I was prompted to look across, with mounting concern, to ensure the Leader was still sitting in the place with which we associate him. I am glad he is still there today.

Senator Donie Cassidy: I am glad to see the Senator here also.

An Cathaoirleach: The Senator should speak on the Order of Business, please.

Senator Alex White: I noted the remarkable sense of relief that appeared on the Deputy Leader’s face after the events of last week. No doubt the developments came as a great relief to him and his party, or so we are led to believe.

Senator O’Toole and others have made the point that it is a pity that the Taoiseach has not had the opportunity to speak in the Chamber during the term of this Seanad. Senator O’Toole’s suggestion might be a way of addressing this.

The very significant achievements of the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, must be acknowledged without question, particularly in the context of the historic events in Northern Ireland. When the history of these events is written - some of it has been - many players will be regarded as having made a significant contribution. It can probably be said that few, if any, made a more significant contribution to promoting peace and ensuring a resolution to the Troubles than the Taoiseach. I have no difficulty whatsoever acknowledging that.

We should also acknowledge that, in general, the Taoiseach has been an extremely successful politician. Somebody said to me that one of his characteristics is what is called the “likeability factor”. I agree with this but the Taoiseach has needed the likeability factor, particularly in the past year or two. I wonder whether he would have survived as long as he did had he not had it. It is a pity that the departure from public life and politics of somebody who achieved so much is tainted. There is no question about this.

I will seek a debate on an issue related to the Taoiseach’s departure which Senator MacSharry raised before the break. It was a pity that the Taoiseach spoiled the dignity of the occasion last week - he was backed up in doing so - by again refusing to pass up the opportunity to have a go at the tribunals.

Senator Geraldine Feeney: Rubbish.

An Cathaoirleach: I do not want any discussion on tribunals.

Senator Alex White: I do not know why he felt he had to launch what I can only describe as an unwarranted and despicable attack on people doing a professional job in a tribunal set up by the Oireachtas—-

(Interruptions).

Senator Geraldine Feeney: Rubbish.

Senator Alex White: —-in circumstances in which we need to purge all the anger felt, as expressed by Senator MacSharry on the last occasion on which he raised this matter. Perhaps we still need to purge this anger because, although the Taoiseach is going, the tribunals are not. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot have a parade of people asking that matters be left to the tribunal while the Taoiseach and a queue of Ministers never miss the opportunity to attack it, particularly on an occasion such as that last week.

Senator Fidelma Healy Eames: Hear, hear.

Senator Geraldine Feeney: The Senator has very little else to say—-

Senator Alex White: Either one approach or the other should be adopted. Either the tribunals are to be maintained and supported by this House, which set them up through the motion proposed by Senator Cassidy ten years ago, or they are not. Remarks such as “low-life stuff” are not worthy of a Taoiseach, be it a departing Taoiseach or a sitting one.

An Cathaoirleach: I am allowing a certain amount of latitude but we cannot discuss the tribunals.

Senator Alex White: In such circumstances, I ask that we have the debate Senator MacSharry called for before Easter. I hope he has not withdrawn his call therefor. Perhaps we can have the debate in calmer circumstances given that Deputy Bertie Ahern is to some extent out of the equation, at least as Taoiseach. Let us determine how much the Members opposite really support a tribunal investigating the matters that occurred so recently in our public life.