Correspondent

Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen

May 26, 2007 @ 6:54 pm | by Mark

Bertie Ahern is clearly setting his sights on bringing the Progressive Democrats and Independents such as Tony Gregory and Finian McGrath on board to form a new government, following FF’s stunning victory.
He will also need Jackie Healy Rae, but that is hardly beyond Mr Ahern’s skills, if all of them are prepared to sign up to a five year deal. Beverley Flynn, newly re-installed as a TD for Mayo, should be agreeable, as well.
And the Progressive Democrats are hardly in much of a position to argue given the hammering that they have received. Indeed, it would give the party some chance to rebuild and put Mary Harney back in Health.
Now all he needs is a Ceann Comhairle from the Opposition benches. Since one assumes that Michael Lowry would not be considered for the job, one wonders if anyone on the Labour benches might be interested?
Brian Cowen’s ever-increasing influence will be interesting to watch, given the Taoiseach’s repeated references to him on RTE Six One News on Saturday night, http://www.rte.ie/news/6news/
Cowen, he said, was his friend and he would not do anything without consulting him. Since Mr Ahern rarely says much without advance thought, there is method to his actions. Why would such a comment be deemed necessary now?
The Offalyman is inherently loyal. Indeed, it is his defining trait, and he has no intention of doing anything to Mr Ahern - having made it clear before polling day that Mr Ahern would stay as FF leader for as long as he wanted.
Earlier, Cowen had delivered a broadside across the Greens’ bows by making it clear - in the face of Trevor Sargent’s demand for a clean-up of political donations and planning issues - that he did not need anyone to keep him straight.
However, the coalition negotiations have not yet even started. The coming days will see a lot of political theatre. Some of it will be real, some of it will be position-making. All of it is to be watched cautiously.
ends

3 Comments »

May 27, 2007
7:43 am

Dont know how any programme for government could be cobbled together with left -wingers and the pds sharing power with ff
Last week their departed leader was saying that those who voted for opposition parties must be half -mad.

Comment by kathryn

May 27, 2007
10:07 am

Mark - I think that you are right about Bertie doing business with the Indepenents and PDs ahead of the Greens. The price tag that will come with Independent’s demands will be easier to accept that the Green’s desire to row back on Transport 21. I also believe that despite the problems in health, Mary Harney has made advances and deserves to be allowed to finish the job. She is unlikely to face much competition for the post! On the subject of Brian Cowen’s loyalty towards his leader, I feel that this will mean a more dignified and less publicly embarrassing leadership handover than was experienced in Britain recently.

Comment by Barry

May 27, 2007
4:20 pm

The defining trait of FF - loyalty - can now be applied to the Irish electorate. Shame on us.
Harney (former FF, never let us forget) emerges as the most cunning, the most devious of them all, handing the rudder of the Titanic to McDowell as the electoral iceberg hoved into view and then scuttling back into leadership in a 2-man dinghy. Steel-reinforced dinghy, of course.

Comment by Kaftan Joe