End of Term Reports

Usually not a fan, but Diarmaid Ferriter’s in The Examiner today is well worth the read.

Some of the end-of-term report cards will make for sorry reading, with the exception perhaps of the Green party leader, John Gormley, who has made the transition from the opposition benches to cabinet with singular ease and who is basking in every minute of it…

Gilmore is also quite convincing when being stern. The same cannot be asserted about Enda Kenny and it is not unreasonable to wonder how long he can continue to be Fine Gael leader given his lack of authority, his disastrous attempts at being empathetic and his failure to convince during his Dáil and media set pieces.…

The baby Blueshirts elected last year have grabbed the limelight and Richard Bruton continually demonstrates that he, and not Kenny, should be party leader…

Brian Cowen’s political honeymoon was unusually short and a reminder that Bertie Ahern got out at just the right time. Cowen’s wounds are largely self-inflicted and he certainly cannot blame the media for being unduly hard on him. In fact, quite the opposite.