Government and Mary Harney wins Vote of No-Confidence

The Dail vote results are in and the Government have defeated the motion of no confidence in Mary Harney as Minister for Healty by 83-73 with Ned O’Keeffe abstaining. O’Keeffe had circulated a speech which he was prevented from delivering. It decried the state of the health service and the treatment of patients according to RTE news.

The government won in the end with all parties supporting the amendment to support Mary Harney. However whether there is a long term effect from the no-confidence motion is something which will likeyl come out in due course. It is far too early to be talking of losing elections but there is always the chance that events appear to be running away from government far too quickly and far too early for comfort. Maybe they are getting bad press out of their system but it seems that it may be a gambit too far.

Bertie is no longer the reliable charmer he once was, his approach to his wage increase and the Mahon Tribunal appear to be grating people in a significant fashion and his leadership appears to be yielding lessons to other Ministers as government hauls itself from one mess to another. The latest mess in Portlaoise is a mixed bag of blame although it has the potential to damage the government in that drip-drip fashion seen in the days of John Major. Or it could reinvigorate Mary Harney.

It has been widely noted that since she returned to the Dail there has been an air of difference about her. She was passionate in arguing for her policies on health, for co-location for challenging consultants. Many disagree with her reforms but it seemed that she was honest in what she believed and fervent in her attempt to introduce the changes. Since the return of the Dail that has not been as visible, she looks like Health has begun to get on top of her, has begun to wear her down and slowly sap her willingness to fight.

If this motion reinvigorates the Minister then it is the government who will benefit. It could play either way for them, however and there is a long way to go. If this is the rot setting in however there may be too much work to do for a new Taoiseach. Its no longer just the news they are managing, no longer front-loading their term with bad news to make way for a two-year cruise to 2011/2012, they are managing egos. Berties’ is to the fore but where he leads others will follow and that is the challenge to this third term.