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de Burca: Greens had wanted Pat Cox as European Commissioner
Read more about: Europe, Fianna Fail, Green Party 
How long before she is “that woman” in the corridors of Leinster House? An all-guns-blazing statement from Deirdre de Burca in response to the Sunday broadsheet spinning about her resignation. It’s one little detail after another (going back to Dermot Ahern’s blasphemy bill) but including this nugget –
The Green Party had favoured Pat Cox for the position of Commissioner, and. the two Green Ministers actively lobbied Brian Cowen to have him nominated for the post. However, Fianna Fail was insistent that one of their own be nominated, and favoured Maire Geoghegan Quinn. The Green Party eventually agreed to support her nomination subject to the condition that there be a position for a Green in her cabinet. I queried John Gormley at the time as to whether this was not a decision that the new Commissioner Designate herself would have to make. John told me that Brian Cowen had telephoned Maire Geoghegan Quinn last November and made her aware of this condition before she was officially nominated.
This revelation ideally would have come before MGQ’s confirmation hearing at the European Parliament — which did kick up enough of a fuss about domestic politics to force the original Bulgarian nominee to the Commission to withdraw. Further on, de Burca says she was offered a position in the European Court of Auditors. Note therefore that even the seeming apolitical appointment of Eoin O’Shea to that job (MGQ’s previous one) had some background baggage.
P,
I don’t think I’d describe Eoin O’Shea’s appointment to the Court of Auditors as ‘apolitical’! Far from it.
This unseemly scarmble for European posts after Lisbon was passed was entirely predictable, but De Burca is not helping herself, or her reputation, with this carry-on.
I don’t know much about O’Shea but he does seem to have decent credentials. No doubt I am missing something.
P,
Yes, razor sharp mind, but very modest with it. My experience of him was of a decent and endearing character who was scrupulously honest in his business dealings with others. At the time I knew him, he was totally committed and loyal to FF, though I think he may have set aside his political interests in more recent years to concentrate on his professional career. I don’t know, because I lost track of him. I wish him well in his new appointment.
O’Shea is a Fianna Fáiler. Ran their media monitoring unit during the last General Election.
But also pretty well qualified for the job, as it happens.