EU: An accidental taoiseach, John Bruton thrived and made a success of the job. Mark Brennock looks at a career that has now landed him in Washington.
During his career, John Bruton has had considerable luck. Had he beaten Alan Dukes for the Fine Gael leadership when he first sought it in 1987 he would probably have been deposed some time later without ever becoming Taoiseach.
Instead, Dukes won, and received the blame for the sustained poor opinion poll rating for the party after 1987. He was ousted by alarmed Fine Gael TDs and senators in 1990. Bruton took over and went on to be Taoiseach.
It seemed in late 1994 that Bruton might go the same way as Dukes. But then came the Fianna Fáil/Labour coalition's mishandling of the Brendan Smyth case and Labour's dramatic decision to withdraw from Government in late 1994. Just as Bruton seemed destined to become another failed former leader, he and his party were startled by his unexpected propulsion into the Taoiseach's office.
As Taoiseach, Bruton thrived and his party's public support increased. He faced a series of crises such as the collapse of the first IRA ceasefire and the revelations concerning then minister Michael Lowry's financial relationship with Mr Ben Dunne.
But his standing improved through his 2½ years in the post as he presided over the largest economic and employment growth the State had ever seen, handled a successful EU Presidency and dealt with the difficulties in the peace process. It is often forgotten that he led Fine Gael out of that Government to electoral success. His party won 54 seats in 1997 as opposed to 45 in 1992 and it was only the collapse of the Labour Party vote that led to his losing power.
Once out of power, however, Fine Gael's support began to slide again and in 2001, Bruton was finally deposed after a very close vote of the parliamentary party.
John Bruton was still a student and had just passed his 22nd birthday when he was first elected to the Dáil in 1969. Now he was a former leader at just 53 with substantial ministerial experience behind him. He had never worked at any other job and it was difficult to imagine him outside politics.
But luck and his own abilities combined to start a new phase of a career that seemed in danger of ending. He energetically prepared a report for the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on the future of the EU. The following year, 2002, he was projected into the centre of Europe's grand debate on an EU Constitution. Nominated by the Oireachtas to the newly established Convention on the Future of Europe, he became a member of its central Praesidium and was an important figure in the drafting of its report, which formed the basis for the successful negotiation of the EU Constitution.
Not long after the Convention ended, the Commission was starting to consider who to appoint as its new representative to Washington. This time they wanted someone with heavyweight political experience and a strong commitment to the EU project. Being an English speaker was an advantage. John Bruton fitted the bill perfectly, and was already highly regarded by Commissioner Chris Patten whose job it was to seek out possible nominees. Throughout his political career Bruton has been a fresh thinker and an innovator of ability. He also managed, at important moments, to be the right man, in the right place, at the right time.