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Economic Crisis Calls for National Unity Government: Eoghan Harris
Read more about: Coalition, Democracy, Features, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Government, Green Party, Ireland, Irish Election, Labour Party, Parties 
Henry McDonald at the Guardian covers Eoghan Harris’ idea that the economic crisis is such as to demand the formation of a national unity government. Haven’t seen it anywhere in the papers this morning but
Cynics, and in Dublin’s media class they are legion, will scoff at the notion of national government. But as Harris has pointed out these are exceptional times. And in such times exceptional measures may be needed to salvage the republic from complete economic meltdown.
is probably why.
The sense of crisis in Ireland is so intense at present that some voices in the Dublin media and now in the Irish parliament are calling for a dramatic move to help stabilise the country. There are calls, albeit from a fringe minority (so far), for Brian Cowen to invite the main opposition parties to join him in a national emergency government.
This would entail bringing Fianna Fáil’s historic adversaries in Fine Gael into a unity government, something the rank and file of both parties would undoubtedly find unpalatable.
One of those calling for such a government is a member of Ireland’s second chamber, the Seanad, who has himself crisscrossed the old traditional divides of left/right republican/nationalist over the last four decades.
Independent senator Eoghan Harris has been a spin doctor and political adviser to an eclectic band of parties ranging from the hard-left Workers party all the way across to Fianna Fáil under Bertie Ahern.
I am not sure exactly how Cowen would cope with an Obama-esque cry to tri-partisanship. The poll doubtless raises issue around the mandate that government have for reform, their need to rubber stamp proposals to get us out and the possiblity that voters have in fact decided to rebuke Fianna Fail for the last 10 years not just the last 12 months or so.
An approach like that will certainly be needed to win any Lisbon vote but I wonder if a national unity government is likely to happen. Would the government budge, would the opposition prefer a shot at winning five years in power with the worst news out in the open.
A national unity government lead by Fianna Fail would be a mess. At every hurdle, Cowen has stumbled. They announce unjust policies, then roll back on them in the face of public outrage, then the same thing happens again. This government is not working. At the very least, we need a reshuffle. Maybe when FF have copped on a little, a national unity government might be a good idea, but if that doesn’t happen, we need an election.
Haven’t seen it anywhere in the papers this morning
Because no-one with any sense takes anything that Harris says seriously?
Didn’t Myres say the same thing the other day. It is a non-runner
Typical Harris rubbish. By national government he probably means FF led with Cowan as taoisach and crazy schemes favouring the well off going through on the nod.Cowan is incapable of being civil to FG never mind working with them. He is lovey dovey with Gilmore as he sees him in the next FF led coalition and in any case Harris says Cowan is not “comfortable” (Late Late show)speaking in the Dail in which case he shouldn’t be in it at all. Harris also is not “comfortable” speaking in the Senate in which case he shouldn’t be in it either.
We have a mechanism for changing governments it’s called an election. If Harris believes the current government isn’t up to the task then he should be calling for an election and allow the public who are footing the bill to have their say. If that election resulted in a Dail in which only FG and FF could form a working government then he might have a point.
The dull fact is that a national government would have no more a mandate to act that the current one has.
You get a mandate because you put a platform before the people and they voted for it and you. When you start to do things that were in no manifesto you offered to people then you have no mandate. It is, of course, normal that governments will from time to time have to deal with matters that were no provided for explicitly in their manifestos but if circumstances change so radically that you throw the manifesto completely away then you no longer have a mandate for your actions. A mandate is for you to act in a certain manner, not for you to act any which way that comes into your head. It is tied to both you as the elected politician and for the actions you said you would undertake. That’s why we have manifestos. It is point blank wrong to say that because the members of the current Dail were elected that they have a mandate now for their actions. They do not, and that would go just as much for FG and Labour were they to win the upcoming by-elections and were others to join them for whatever reason.