Why did Charlie McCreevy fall out of favour?

DublinWriter

Why exactly did Charlie McCreevy fall out of favour?

I have it at the back of my mind that when he was Minister for Finance he was obsessed with putting all those additional tax-revenues into paying off/lessening the national debt, and this made him unpopular with other cabinet ministers who were irked that they weren't getting the money for their pet projects.

I'm probably off the bat saying that, but I've thought that was the reason he was shuffled off to Brussels?

Sand

He wasnt politically popular - He made the mistake of going against Charlie Haughey, sparking a leadership struggle and his temporary explusion from Fianna Fail - the old boys network might forgive, but they never forget.

He was also the lightning rod for a lot of criticism of Fianna Fail, because he was always a strong supporter of cutting taxes & spending whereas a lot of the old left in this country have always been fans of old communist theories like tax everything till it stops moving, and spend money like you can print it. Hence Irelands wonderful record of unemployment, high inflation and emigration.

He began to control spending increases as the economy began to decline in the early 2000s which as you mentioned wouldnt make him popular with the Fianna Fail imperative of winning the next election at any cost - the constant mantra at the time was "We're rich, why cant we have gold plated hospital beds or sportscars for everyone?". More than anything else, thats what would have cost him his position in the cabinet. He was replaced with someone who considered Fianna Fail more important than the country, our own Brian Cowen. In his first budget, Cowen increased spending by 9%. His second moved 142,000 workers either out of the tax system altogether or down to a lower tax band. His third in 2007 was perhaps the biggest spree in the history of the state - just in time for the 2007 general election. You can see why McCreevy was dumped and Cowen brought in. Cowen has always been a Fianna Fail tribesman, never a statesman.

Also he has never shied away from trolling the opposition. Hence the continued bitterness.

Nodin

DublinWriter wrote: »

Why exactly did Charlie McCreevy fall out of favour?

I have it at the back of my mind that when he was Minister for Finance he was obsessed with putting all those additional tax-revenues into paying off/lessening the national debt, and this made him unpopular with other cabinet ministers who were irked that they weren't getting the money for their pet projects.

I'm probably off the bat saying that, but I've thought that was the reason he was shuffled off to Brussels?

I thought it was because he fvked up the figures one year, quite royally. Now fair enough "he" means him and whoever, but its his responsibility.....

Course I could be wrong. My interpretation of Irish events is often ruined by having learned of it on the TV news...after the first few seconds it often gets drowned out by me roaring "gobshyte..fvck off" over and over at the screen.

mike65

He had one bad (well wrong) budget I think and screwed up with decentralisation.

Mr.Micro

Not sure either but I think that he may have been percieved as a threat to Ahern's leadership so was offered a good number in exile. Not a fan.

thebman

Decentralisation wasn't his idea and lots of Ministers have had a single failed budget before like our own Brian Lenihan for one :P

mike65

I thought McCreevy was the main mover behind that. Memory going...

vincenzolorenzo

FF had a poor showing in the 2004 local elections and the party all went down to Inchdoney for a 'think-in' about where it all went wrong. Basically the thinking at the time was that people weren't happy with money being wasted and one of the top three should go (Ahern, Harney or McCreevy). With McCreevy being arrogant (he had to be IMO) and not being dictated to by Ahern when he disagreed with him about where money should be spent for the good of the country it was decided that he should take the hit. So Bertie sent him off on his way to Brussels. We could badly do with him now instead of Lenihan, someone with real experience.

OhNoYouDidn't

He was seen as too right wing and close to the PD's and the ff brains trust saw the writing on the wall for the Irish right (correctly) and he was packed off. The decentralisation debacle was the final nail in the coffin

getcover

Good Old Charlie was very much against regulation of financial markets too. Fair play to him, that sort of visionary outlook has certainly paid dividends for this country...

Dannyboy83

Charlie McCreevy was a pragmatist, to a large degree.
Fianna Fail are popularists & quite anti-pragmatic, to a large degree.

Certainly, if anyone doubted Brian Cowen before, it should be understood that he is willing to do what is necessary for Fianna Fail's success, and the ROI's success is secondary to Fianna Fail.

To be fair to Cowen, however, he didn't have much choice in his role as MoF under Bertie Ahern.
If he was pragmatic as Minister for Finance, he would have been shuffled out after his first budget.
Bertie, cunning as ever, has his hands washed of it.

It must be incredibly frustrating as Taoiseach now and the mess that he has inherited, that Bertie was recorded as saying "Well, everything was fine when I was Taoiseach!!", i.e. you should have kept me on lad, look at Biffo, its not my fcuk- uppance

Right back to the first shots of civil war, pragmatists have never really been very compatible with Fianna Fail.
Fianna Fail have stayed in power for the majority of this state's existence, solely by the lies they can tell and by promisiing the impossible.