E-Minister with a whip

Dangger

Kerlin Lillington wrote in todays Irish Times (8/6/02) p-19 about the new E-Minister.....

Appointment by stealth - that seems to have been the Taoiseach's rather strange approach to announcing that he had created the role of e-minister and given it to the new Chief Whip, Ms Mary Hanafin.

Ths position is to be welcomed and industry had lobbied for such an appointment, not just because it felt that information and communications policy towards business, spread across several departments, needed focus and co-ordination. Many individuals and organisations also felt a single point of reference was needed for the multiplicity of information society projects and policies. And most definitely, the whole sprawl needs a galvanising, central force to drive all these initiatives.

So this should have been a key appointment. But the fact that seasoned political writers did not even mention these duties for Ms Hanafin clearly demonstrates that the role was far too hazily defined in the Taoiseach's speech. People understand that Mr Dick Roche is Minister of State for Europe, but what, pray tell, is Ms Hanafin Minister of State for?

Even senior figures in indistry are confused by whether there was an e-minister job created - or was this simply putting a face to the information society side of the technology brief? Only Ms Hanafin's own description of her new role to Vincent Browne on morning radio yesterday clarified that she would indeed be co-ordinating policy across all relevant departments.

This is to be welcomed, as is Ms Hanafin's appointment to this role. The immediate response within knowledgable poltical circles and from within industry was entirely positive. Ms Hanafin, said many people, is a hard working and ambitious politician willing to tackle tough jobs.

She has admitted that technology is not her strong point. But she is starting, she said, from a strong committment to the social policy side of technology. She will need to prove herself quickly across the braoder picture however, as many pressing areas of policy must be addressed, and quickly.

For that reason, too, the Government - which sources say dithered up to the last minute over whether to create this role - must immediately show the commitment to and certainty about the position, which failed to come across in the announcement of the appointment.

One assumes the Government will use the British e-minister and e-envoy as models for Ms Hanafin's job, as there is little else to go by.

But the British position is different in significant ways from what an Irish position should be. We do not have the same layers of bureaucracy. We need to move more quickly - and we have the ability, as a smaller nation, to implement decisions more rapidly. We need to keep in mind our legal e-commerce framework, which differs from Britain's.

It is also essential that Ms Hanafin's role be properly resourced - funded adeqequately and given a staff that can actually get the job done. She has been given an enormous task and that needs to be recognised by Government giving it full backing.

And finally, there are concerns about how seriously the Taoiseach sees this job, since it is apparently just an adjunct role for the Chief Whip. Ms Hanafin will have plenty on her hands in fulfilling that role - although it should prove less onerous than it did for Seamus Brennan.

Still, the Government has everything to prove in making this appointment. It has started from a rather clumsy position. Let's hope things improve rapidly.

ando

Originally posted by Dangger
She has admitted that technology is not her strong point

Note: When ppl say that technology is not their strong point, that means she doesnt even know how to open up her email....

I can see we're off to a great start :mad:

dahamsta

Note: When ppl say that technology is not their strong point, that means she doesnt even know how to open up her email....

Probably. There's plenty of us here to teach though, ain't there?

I can see we're off to a great start

Nah, we're not ando. If we spend more than a month or two working with her, with no results, then we'll be in trouble. In the meantime, we have to give her a chance. Government is odd that way, sometimes a Minister just /fits/ into their Department, they pull out all the stops and they fix things. And sometimes they simply can't handle it, and it's all for nowt. We won't know which applies to Hanafin until we give her an opportunity to prove herself.

I would be much more worried about the disorganisation around the whole area. We have a Minister for Communications, an e-Minsiter, the Department of Public Enterprise, etc. Who's in charge folks? And as Karlin points out, we'll be in trouble if they use Pinder or his predecessor in the UK as a role model. Pinder was clueless, a spin doctor, a Mini-Byers.

adam

Cork

She has admitted that technology is not her strong point

sHE IS VERY CAPABLE. sHE IS A LADY TO WATCH.

I think that She is one of the brightest sparks in the dail.

BKtje

well if she doesnt know much to begin with maybe she wont be like the rest who believe that the slow speed at which things are happening is normal. Maybe she'll give em a kick up the arse

Jorinn

Originally posted by Cork



sHE IS VERY CAPABLE. sHE IS A LADY TO WATCH.

I think that She is one of the brightest sparks in the dail.

Heh, as soon as I saw your nick I didn't even need to read your post, when someone admits they basically haven't a clue to begin with it hardly inspires confidence. She may be capable elsewhere but she has to prove herself in the tech arena.

rymus

Originally posted by Cork


sHE IS VERY CAPABLE. sHE IS A LADY TO WATCH.

I think that She is one of the brightest sparks in the dail.

And thats the problem

Lets hope she is willing to take advice from IOFFL