Comments on: Enda Kenny Ready and Waiting for Election http://www.irishelection.com/2009/01/enda-kenny-ready-and-waiting-for-election/ Coverage of Irish Politics, News and Current Affairs Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:43:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 By: Cian http://www.irishelection.com/2009/01/enda-kenny-ready-and-waiting-for-election/comment-page-1/#comment-112192 Cian Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:09:21 +0000 http://www.irishelection.com/?p=4205#comment-112192 I agree Dan, there is no prospect of the Obama style campaign here becuase of the system we have in place - and that is both a good and a bad thing. The difficulty is that the electorate have to make the decision between potential 'chairmen' or potential 'chiefs' as Brian Farrell laid it out. The difficulty for Enda is that he isnt a chief (and I take JL's point that Brian cowen has hardly done much in that frame himself - a difference between crisis management and management of a crisis). The more i think about it the less i think it prevents him winning but it makes him dependent on this front bench to share the burden and it also means he has to be very focussed as spreading/communicating the overall position and direction. By comparison, Cowen doesn't do it (yet or ever?) and Bertie didnt have to - he went the other way of cultivating a popular persona that circumvented the whole mess of policy positions. If it comes down to an election it is as much what the electorate prioritise (leadership versus a competent front bench) and that is probably a function of election timing. I agree Dan, there is no prospect of the Obama style campaign here becuase of the system we have in place – and that is both a good and a bad thing. The difficulty is that the electorate have to make the decision between potential ‘chairmen’ or potential ‘chiefs’ as Brian Farrell laid it out.

The difficulty for Enda is that he isnt a chief (and I take JL’s point that Brian cowen has hardly done much in that frame himself – a difference between crisis management and management of a crisis). The more i think about it the less i think it prevents him winning but it makes him dependent on this front bench to share the burden and it also means he has to be very focussed as spreading/communicating the overall position and direction. By comparison, Cowen doesn’t do it (yet or ever?) and Bertie didnt have to – he went the other way of cultivating a popular persona that circumvented the whole mess of policy positions.

If it comes down to an election it is as much what the electorate prioritise (leadership versus a competent front bench) and that is probably a function of election timing.

]]> By: Dan Sullivan http://www.irishelection.com/2009/01/enda-kenny-ready-and-waiting-for-election/comment-page-1/#comment-111977 Dan Sullivan Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:08:06 +0000 http://www.irishelection.com/?p=4205#comment-111977 Cian, I've been banging on for years that the media and much of the public have forgotten that we have a parliamentary democracy and government by a cabinet not a presidential system. It may well be easier for some of the commentariat to bemoan the absence of Obama's and such like in Irish politics but we have different system that both includes and excludes differ types of people and styles from the electoral arena. Our system has positives and negatives compared to other systems and I'll all for debating those and making changes, but the comments from the likes of Vincent Browne amongst others (that Kenny hasn't a sufficient grasp of the nuances of economics to be Taoiseach). The job of Taoiseach is about outlining a goal, a destination if you will, not charting out the exact course, or manning the engine room himself. He picks the heads of departments but is secure enough in himself to let them get on with the job once they have been appointed and to decisively kick them to touch if they can't be team players (Yes, John Deasy, I'm talking about you). Enda Kenny is in the role of player/captain-manager in what is a team effort not a soloist like golf or tennis. It might have passed people's notice but Kerry don't have their best player as captain - the honour goes to the player from the county champions or their nominee should one of their players not be in the team/squad. Cian, I’ve been banging on for years that the media and much of the public have forgotten that we have a parliamentary democracy and government by a cabinet not a presidential system. It may well be easier for some of the commentariat to bemoan the absence of Obama’s and such like in Irish politics but we have different system that both includes and excludes differ types of people and styles from the electoral arena. Our system has positives and negatives compared to other systems and I’ll all for debating those and making changes, but the comments from the likes of Vincent Browne amongst others (that Kenny hasn’t a sufficient grasp of the nuances of economics to be Taoiseach). The job of Taoiseach is about outlining a goal, a destination if you will, not charting out the exact course, or manning the engine room himself. He picks the heads of departments but is secure enough in himself to let them get on with the job once they have been appointed and to decisively kick them to touch if they can’t be team players (Yes, John Deasy, I’m talking about you).

Enda Kenny is in the role of player/captain-manager in what is a team effort not a soloist like golf or tennis. It might have passed people’s notice but Kerry don’t have their best player as captain – the honour goes to the player from the county champions or their nominee should one of their players not be in the team/squad.

]]> By: JL Pagano http://www.irishelection.com/2009/01/enda-kenny-ready-and-waiting-for-election/comment-page-1/#comment-111459 JL Pagano Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:01:14 +0000 http://www.irishelection.com/?p=4205#comment-111459 "who leads as chairman often loses out to the one who looks like a chief" ...surely Brian Cowen looks like anything but a chief? I think an '09 election would be a vote on the lesser of two lesser men. “who leads as chairman often loses out to the one who looks like a chief”

…surely Brian Cowen looks like anything but a chief? I think an ’09 election would be a vote on the lesser of two lesser men.

]]> By: Enda Kenny Ready and Waiting for Election http://www.irishelection.com/2009/01/enda-kenny-ready-and-waiting-for-election/comment-page-1/#comment-111384 Enda Kenny Ready and Waiting for Election Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:57:58 +0000 http://www.irishelection.com/?p=4205#comment-111384 [...] Original post:  Enda Kenny Ready and Waiting for Election [...] [...] Original post:  Enda Kenny Ready and Waiting for Election [...]

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