Will The O'Dea Resignation Lead To A Major Govt Reshuffle

imme

Will the O'Dea resignation lead to a major government reshuffle? An Taoiseach has assumed the Defence portfolio. It's expected he'll announce changes next week.
Will it lead to a major reshuffle?

An amalgamation of existing portfolios, a reduction in the number of ministries? Will the door be shown to Mary Harney or Mary Coughlan. Will O'Cuiv's Department of Community etc be done away with.

yoshytoshy

I can't see how cowen can expect people to forget ,that he stood out and spoke up for O'dea.
And almost the same day ,Cowen said he won't break the law for ryanair.

Between this and cackling coughlan ,they all need to shuffle down to the dole office.

Liam Byrne

If all he does is move around the same heads, it won't make a blind bit of difference.

The only shuffle I want to see is FF and their toothless lap-dogs out the door - forever.

Sleepy

It's the perfect time to move Coughlan while allowing her to "save face"...

imme

Sleepy wrote: »

It's the perfect time to move Coughlan while allowing her to "save face"...

move her where? health?:rolleyes:
If she's still Tánaiste she'd still require a high profile ministry.

Will An Taoiseach use the opportunity to implement some of the recommendations in the McCarthy Report (remember that). Like doing away with Community etc Dept, doing away with Sport.

Sully

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVLzzvTDzp0

Video pointed out to me by a local Green Party member, very amusing!

Robbo

Cullen will be moved aside so that he can pursue his libel actions before they expire. He's already being laying some groundwork for this.

juuge

What are the chances of seeing Beverly Flynn wheeled out by Fianna Fáil?

johngalway

imme wrote: »

move her where?

Foreign affairs, send her off out to Israel to fcuk them out of it

Hopefully they'll arrest and keep her, problem solved!

Ashill5

John O'Donoghue to be back

rightwingdub

Ashill5 wrote: »

John O'Donoghue to be back

With Fianna Fail nothing would surprise me:mad: if JOD came back to the cabinet, if Lenihan has to step down I'd put Harney as Minister for Fianance, what this country needs is an absolutely ruthless slash and burn approach to the public finances.

dixiefly

The big question in this reshuffle imho is not who goes into the Dept of Defence but who goes into the Dept of Enterterprise Trade and Employment. As was mentioned this is an opportunity for Cowan to reverse the huge blunder when he appointed MC for either selfish or stupid reasons.

Here's my take on what will happen:

New Minister for Enterterprise Trade and Employment to be either Dermot Ahern or Michael Martin.

If it is Dermot Ahern then I think Barry Andrews could get the Justice portfolio.
If it is Michael Martin then Mary Hanafin or possibly Mary Coughlan that could get Foreign Affairs (personally I would go for Hanafin).

Pat Carey or possibly Batt O'Keeffe could replace O'Dea in Defence.

The only departments I could see Mary Coughlan going into is Education or Arts, sport & Tourism and he needs to keep her at the top table unless he wants to essentially sack her as Tanaiste.

Cowan and Aherne before him were always ultra conservative so even the above could be too much. If it was me I would introduce at least 3 new ministers and drop Martin Cullen & Eamonn O Cuiv while giving Mary Harney a sideways move.

RGS

cant see Cowen doing anything other than appointing a new Minister for Defence.

he should move some ministers and get rid of a few others but cant see it happening.

Biggins

RGS wrote: »

cant see Cowen doing anything other than appointing a new Minister for Defence.

For the time being, he is taking over the role himself for the near future.
He stated this himself to RTE.

The Taoiseach said he was assigning the Defence portfolio to himself for the present.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0219/odeaw.html
Second-last paragraph.

Red_Marauder

dixiefly wrote: »

The only departments I could see Mary Coughlan going into is Education or Arts, sport & Tourism and he needs to keep her at the top table unless he wants to essentially sack her as Tanaiste.

I think they would be such irrefutably clear demotions that it would be judged too much of a climbdown. I'd imagine she will move into social community and family affairs, since she seems to have a certain 'je ne sais quoi' as regards unemployment.

Personally I would like to see an external candidate being parachuted into the ET&E portfolio through a Taoiseach nominated senate seat. Perhaps the ever honourable Dan Boyle might finally relinquish a role in public life for the betterment of the nation, and give up his seat for a more distinguished petitioner from academic or commercial life.

If not there is always the Deirdre de Búrca vacancy to allow such an appointment. But please lets not anybody mention George Lee.

dixiefly

Red_Marauder wrote: »

Personally I would like to see an external candidate being parachuted into the ET&E portfolio through a Taoiseach nominated senate seat. Perhaps the ever honourable Dan Boyle might finally relinquish a role in public life for the betterment of the nation, and give up his seat for a more distinguished petitioner from academic or commercial life.

Do you not think that the George Lee debacle will make all parties very wary about parachuting in candidates in the near term?

I think Coughlan will be shifted and think that Ahern & Martin are very clear front runners for this v important post.

Red_Marauder

dixiefly wrote: »

I think Coughlan will be shifted and think that Ahern & Martin are very clear front runners for this v important post.

Yes, Coughlan should be shifted. I'm not entirely convinced, because remember she and Brian Cowen are very close within the party.

From the two candidates you mention I think Martin would be the frontrunner, but my bet would be him or Noel Dempsey.

imme

Media reports suggest that the govt is being prepared for a significant reform. Suggestions are that Eamon O'Cuiv and Martin Cullen's departments could be done away with and their functions split between other departments.
There was also a suggestion that there could be a new department created dealing with economic planning.

Would any of this have happened if an Taoiseach was not bounced into it by the forced O'Dea resignation.

markpb

imme wrote: »

Media reports suggest that the govt is being prepared for a significant reform. Suggestions are that Eamon O'Cuiv and Martin Cullen's departments could be done away with and their functions split between other departments.

Maybe I'm a cynic but I see this as a deliberate leak by the government to warm people up to the idea that they're actually going to do something. There'll be the same minor shuffle of incompetents, one or two will be given the boot and there'll be one new face who will come out with more of the same.

gandalf

markpb wrote: »

Maybe I'm a cynic but I see this as a deliberate leak by the government to warm people up to the idea that they're actually going to do something. There'll be the same minor shuffle of incompetents, one or two will be given the boot and there'll be one new face who will come out with more of the same.

Yep its going to be all the same old faces doing very little about sorting the mess out!

But as long as the spin doctors have a chance at a few eye catching headlines and a good sound bite or two the sheeple will be happy that our mandarins are leading the country again LOL

imme

markpb wrote: »

Maybe I'm a cynic but I see this as a deliberate leak by the government to warm people up to the idea that they're actually going to do something. There'll be the same minor shuffle of incompetents, one or two will be given the boot and there'll be one new face who will come out with more of the same.

No, you're not a cynic Markpb, you're a realist in this instance. I sometimes wonder why the govt employs a Government Info Service if they're going to leak everything to the media in advance of announcing it or having to deal with it.

Ashill5

I have to agree there is going to be no real change ! The only one that i would hold on to is Brian Lenihan As he is the only one that has no Bertie baggageand seems to have some grasp of whts going on. But the trouble is though not too Many on the Opposition would give you much hope either!:(