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A few votes in a few months as a junior minister?
Read more about: Clare, Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail
Síle de Valera has confirmed what she first said last February, that she will step down as junior minister for education in December. Thus Bertie’s clumsy attempt to ease her out sooner eventually bears fruit, though perhaps not soon enough to give someone else a shot at a higher constituency profile with the job. Any guesses on which marginal TD might be up for a promotion?
Update: Wednesday’s Irish Times says it has to be Sean Haughey.
In my opinion Haughey should be excluded from consideration based on the childish strop he threw on the back of the last junior re-shuffle; he was only short of saying ‘don’t you know who my father is?’
I wonder if Bertie would have considered giving it to Jim Glennon had he not already announced his decision to step down next year… Dublin North has become very unsafe for FF, especially on the back of the Aer Lingus fiasco, and the party could have done with having an incumbent running next year, especially one with some kind of position in office.
imagine if McDowell did a deal with Bertie to stay in coalition with him in exchange for a extra seat at the junior table?
That would make me laugh; although I don’t think McDowell got anything out of Bertie other than the public apology and the symbolic legislature changes.
If Phoenix is to be believed, and it makes sense, FF were almost hoping the PD’s would go, allowing them to enjoy all the Budget spoils.
The PD’s have clearly got their own ideas on what the Budget should offer and I can imagine they stuck around purely to get what they wanted out of that… especially in light of the very important NDP being somewhat connected to it.
Back on the issue of Haughey Jnr.; both in their professional careers seem to have their sights set on one position, high office, but the younger is going a far different route to get to that… Can you imagine Charles Haughey sulking like that? Not to paint him as a man of honour or anything, far from it, his methods were sneaky, cool and calculated.
If Sean Haughey does get this position, I’d wager it’ll co-incide with him reaching his own little glass ceiling.