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John Gormley Set to Step Aside for Green Ministerial Rotation?
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Reports tonight on the pending reshuffle suggest that Green leader John Gormley might be set to step aside as Minister for the Environment to make way for Ciaran Cuffe as part of an ‘internal’ agreement among the greens made in 2007. According to the Irish Times and others, Green memebers were given to understand that Gormley would step aside as part of a mid-term reshuffle.
A number of sources within the Greens confirmed that discussions had taken place within the party on rotating ministries. One said that such rotation had happened with Greens in government elsewhere, particularly in Germany, to underline the party philosophy that no individual should be placed above policy.
“We’ve discussed it in general but not the who, what or the when,” said the source, who added that circumstances had since changed.
Other sources confirmed that the party reached what amounted to a strong agreement two years ago on rotation and the matter had come up during the most recent parliamentary party think-in in mid-January.
Dan Boyle was tweeting about it earlier:
@Connie_Zevon Look it’s speculation. As leader John decides when or if he is to leave cabinet. Could be tomorrow, could be 2 years time.
It would certainly be no harm for Ciaran Cuffe (and blogging politicians) were the move to take place – with a reduction in seats in Dun Laoghaire from five to four Cuffe would need every single advantage to be in with a shout of keeping a Green Party seat.
Gormley would be in a position, according to the Examiner, to take up a ‘super-junior’ ministry like the one being mooted as part of the reform of Finance to take on certain reponsibilities like Public Sector reform and assist Brian Lenihan with other work (or the ‘Department of Administrative Affairs‘ as it was dubbed by John Drennan at the weekend).
The question isn’t simply whether it is good for Ciaran Cuffe however, the question is more correctly, is it good for the Greens? I think it is wrong headed to bask in the demise of the party, any healthy political system needs a clash of perspecitves, one that can be all too absent in the dialogue between the three established parties. Whatever about their decision to take power, their presence in the Irish political system is, like that of the now-dead Progressive Democrats, a sign of health and vigour.
The capacity of the party to sustain itself in office has been tested by their time with Fianna Fail. Criticisms made by Deirdre de Burca stung because they chimed with what was being said on the doorsteps. Like the departed PDs found out, being the smaller party in coalition with Fianna Fail means tough decisions, lots of flak and being put front and centre when the mud is being thrown.
There isn’t much doubting the Greens wanted the challenge of power, their is some traction to the argument that they went ‘native’ at times in their dealings with Fianna Fail. Whether this is down to Gormley (as some members believe) or simple a function of being a party with two ministers, is a matter of conjecture.
The stepping aside of Gormley into a different role and allowing Cuffe to take the Ministerial seat helps to show that the leadership does stick to its promises. A vital part of the Green philosophy is internal democracy and integrity in decisions made, which would mean reneging on a deal by Gormley now could further undermine confidence (internally and externally) in the Green’s professed philosophy. The grestest risk of all for the Greens, one that looms large over them, is that the public see them as a bunch of charlatans who cast down the principal for power. There are plenty of voters out there who see it that way already, the Greens need to ensure that those who voted for them last time don’t see it that way at the next election.
To that end perhaps fulfilling the undertaking – if it was indeed given – might not be the worst thing for the Green Party.
The Greens seem to now only be concerned with maximising the number of ministeral pensions they can grab before being booted out at the next election. Gormley, Ryan and Sargent all already set for life financially at the expense of the taxpayer so which of the remainig leeches will replace them? Cuffe is a definate for full ministeral pension. Boyle will be freeing up space in his bank account for a junior ministeral pension which isn’t bad for a man who has never won an election.
The Greed party.
We seem to have reached that stage in the political cycle where the yardstick of interpretation is ‘instability’ within the government. The Greens are fair game, but the political pundits may be overcooking it, spurred on by their perception of the destabilising impact of the De Burca and Sargent resignations.
I doubt that the Greens’ presence in government is any less stable on foot of those events than it has been at any time since Bertie Ahern resigned as Taoiseach. The change at the top, and the collapse of the banks and the economy that followed, wrecked the gameplan for government. But it’s to their credit that the Green Ministers faced up to their responsibilities as members of a government team to deal with a national crisis.
I would speculate that if they really want to switch around their portfolios in government that the Taoiseach may be willing to accommodate them; but I think they would be making a bad mistake from their own point of view if Gormley, rather than Ryan, took on a more high profile economic role. Eamon Ryan would be a far better choice for an economic portfolio. He has a feel for this area of policy and his performances are persuasive whereas Gormley, unfortunately, often has a less positive impact.
However the electorate may ultimately judge them, the Greens have come a long way from the Comhaontas Glas days as a ‘party of protest’. They have experienced the difference between whingeing from the sidelines about what everyone else is doing wrong and getting in there to do a few things yourself.
As for propping up FF, does anyone believe that if Bertie had knocked on Labour’s front door after the 2007 election they would have set the dogs on him? Or that had the numbers been there for a Rainbow Government under Kenny, the Greens would be any more popular now as a ‘party of protest’ propping up another unpopular government? Or that such an administration might even have survived two years, given the potential for internecine squabbling over the direction of economic and fiscal policy between FG and the political wing of SIPTU as the expansionary policies and tax cuts envisaged in the ‘Mullingar Accord’ programme were cast overboard? The only politically safe place for the Greens, or any other party, is the futile option of permanent opposition.
The greens came into government to impliment as much of their own agenda as they could and accept the reality of political compromise.They deserve credit for their realism and pragmatism in the face of recent events.
If they want to rotate let them rotate- its a quaint idea which displays the last vestiges of their party’s political naivety.
I have only one concern which would be the learning curve a new minster would need and the progress of the predecessor’s work perhaps being lost.