Water commission’s Joe O’Toole a hostage to fortune

Remember Joe the Plumber, the Republican supporter who heckled Barack Obama, during the 2008 US presidential campaign?

We have our own equivalent here in Joe O’Toole, chairman of the expert commission on water funding. Problem here is that this Joe the Plumber hasn’t been taken on by the Opposition but by the Government.

In a series of public interviews over the past two days, he has taken what was a dripping tap and ratcheted it up into a full-scale water geyser.

O’Toole has had a long and distinguished political career and had built up a reputation build on his outspoken nature, his passion and strongly-held views. As such, he was very much a pugilist.

However when your status changes and you are asked to become a referee, at the very least it might be wise to hold your punches, even if you hold certain views. That will give some latitude in trying to approach the issue with an open mind.

O’Toole’s problem is this: In a series of media interviews since Newstalk Breakfast last Thursday, he has essentially talked himself into becoming a hostage of fortune.

Speaking of the task that lay ahead for the Commission, there was a clear inference that some form of charge would be necessary. More potentially damaging was his explanation of the Commission’s purpose.

“It is a political exercise, it is a democratic exercise. The reality is we’re trying to resolve a problem which has emerged from the democratic process,” he said.

“People voted a certain way, Leinster House is not prepared to grasp that particular nettle, so we have to find a solution that will have enough sugar on it to make the medicine go down easily.”

Since then he has repeated his support for water charges and the polluter pays principle. It has led to a barrage of calls for his resignation from all Opposition parties. He has been accused of pre-empting the outcome before the process even starts.

In an interview with The Irish Times on Tuesday O’Toole has criticised those who called for his resignation. He insisted he would approach the issue with an open mind: “I look forward to learning more about this issue and as ever when the facts change I will change.”

On one level O’Toole’s honesty is admirable. But he’s facing into a perception problem that might be insuperable. The Commission will be asked to make a decision on whether or not domestic charges should be applied. If it does, its chair will be accused of not being fully independent in his approach.

It wasn’t all that surprising that the Alphabet Alliance and Sinn Féin would call for him to go, given the tenor of his comments. The real difficulty has been posed by Fianna Fáil. Two of its senior spokesmen , Barry Cowen and Thomas Byrne, have stated his position is untenable, the latter speaking on Morning Ireland today.

O’Toole issued a statement just after 9am on Tuesday saying he had always wanted to “facilitate a fair and balanced appraisal of domestic water services and to develop recommendations with regard to funding.

“In relation to my personal views expressed in a recent media interview, for the avoidance of any doubt I want to reassure people of my commitment to being completely impartial and open minded in my role of Commission chair.”

That is admirable but the optics of it are already bad. And O’Toole might not be in a position at this stage to repair his hand.

This is a real political problem for Minister for Local Government Simon Coveney. When the Commission reports back in November, will that be the cue for a major political crisis over water to erupt once again?

At this juncture, it’s hard to see how O’Toole can remain in the role given that opposition parties want him to go. If the Government stands its ground, expect a private members motion in very short order that will effectively force its hand.

Speaking of crises . . .

A sense of low-level crisis is hanging over the Dáil like a cumulus cloud. Maybe it's the after-effects of Brexit, but even yesterday's positive Exchequer figures have failed to temper that feeling that it might be 2008 and 2009 all over again.

What the Government did not need was a handful of other embarrassments hanging over it. For one, there is the scandal of Console, which is getting worse by the day.

Now, on top of that, another controversy over very generous non-disclosed executive pay has cropped up. Again it affects a Section 38 agency, this time the St John of God group.

A total of over €1.6 million was paid to 14 executives in 2013. That payment was not disclosed to the HSE - apparently on “professional advice”.

Minister for Health Simon Harris said he was disappointed there were efforts to conceal payments from the HSE. Here is Paul Cullen's report.The optics are bad. It's a reminder of the controversies from three years ago surrounding executive pay and conditions at the Central Remedial Clinic and Rehab.

It is a reminder too that the Government has not come to grips with this issue. Coming hot on the heels of the Console scandal (here's the latest), it has not been a good weekend for the Government in terms of its handling of governance in the charitable and so-called voluntary sectors.

If that is not enough, Mick Wallace’s Private Members’ Bill on abortion has split the Cabinet with the Independent Alliance members insisting on a free vote.

Enda Kenny was very adamant about collective Cabinet responsibility at last week's meeting of Ministers, delivering a 40-minute lecture on the same topic.

There are only two possible outcomes to this. One is the Government breaks up. The second is an embarrassing climbdown from one side or the other.

Shane Ross seemed defiant yesterday, even to the point of disagreeing with the Attorney General's advice that the Private Members' Bill was unconstitutional.

This report from Sarah Bardon indicates Fine Gael might be the ones to relent.

This has the potential to bring this fragile coalition to its knees before it has even started to walk. They have until Thursday to sort out this crisis .