Almost two months after the local and European elections, the Government is finally again ready to resume normal business, after a long, and quite unacceptable, delay. The election of a new Labour Party leader was followed, first by negotiations on the Government's policy priorities, and later by an extensive reshuffle at Cabinet and junior minister level; all of which reflect the Coalition's anxiety to regain the initiative, and to recover lost public support quickly.
A mid-term ministerial reshuffle is always a delicate exercise, fraught with political risk. Both Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton have had to balance competing interests and pressures: how much to reward or disregard loyalty, and how to take geography and gender into account in deciding who to promote, and who to demote. Labour, which suffered the greatest electoral setback, has taken the bigger gamble. Ms Burton, replacing age and experience – with the dispatch of three former party leaders from Cabinet – has refreshed her team with the promotion of Alan Kelly, Jan O'Sullivan, and Alex White.
The appointment of Simon Harris, who at 27 is the youngest member of the Dáil, to the key junior ministerial post, Minister of State for Finance, is Mr Kenny's recognition of youth and ability. However, the Taoiseach has failed to rectify the gender imbalance. He has instead prioritised geography over gender, by failing to include any women among the Fine Gael deputies he chose to be junior ministers.
Health, as successive ministers have discovered, has been the graveyard of political reputations. James Reilly, the previous incumbent is the Department's latest victim. Can his successor, Leo Varadkar, avoid a similar fate? Time, and the chaotic state of Government health policy, is not now on Mr Varadkar's side. Wisely, there has been no change in the Economic Management Council, a key Cabinet sub-committee, which the Labour leader – an earlier vocal critic – now joins.
Since Ireland left the EU-IMF bailout in December, the Government has lost focus, and mishandled a succession of domestic issues. Neither Coalition party can now afford a break-up of government, while the Cabinet reshuffle and the rapid pace of economic recovery has given Fine Gael and Labour every incentive to stay together. The Government has indicated a willingness to ease up on austerity, to cut taxes, and to boost social housing.
And it claims that it can now do so – while making an adjustment of less than the agreed €2 billion in the 2015 budget, while still meeting the requirement of a budget deficit under 3 per cent of GDP. Both Coalition parties in contesting the 2011 election, raised expectations they failed to fulfil in office – for which they have been punished. They would be wise to remember that chastening electoral experience.
