The first 100 days of this Government began amid rancour in the Dáil chamber. They came to a close with disunity and open disagreement around the Cabinet table. The intervening period has seen little of the fresh thinking and renewed vigour that one might have hoped for from a new administration.
It is clear that the Taoiseach, for one, is keen to leave his mark in what may be his final spell in front rank politics. Micheál Martin made little attempt to conceal his irritation at the outraged reaction to the deal that had been concluded with the Regional Independents for their support, in particular the prominent involvement of Michael Lowry and the absurd proposal that the group’s backbenchers should be granted Opposition speaking time. He seemed puzzlingly oblivious, however, to the very real concerns the arrangement raised. It was a bad start.
The ensuing stand-off with the Opposition meant that it would be three months before the committees which are responsible for conducting much of the business of the Oireachtas would even be set up.
That added to the overall impression that the Government was failing to launch. It is notable that the two Ministers who appeared to approach their briefs with some reforming zeal are new entrants to Cabinet, Jim O’Callaghan in Justice and Jennifer Carroll MacNeill in Health.
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In fairness, much of the Government’s attention will have been taken up by the threat posed by the wildly erratic pronouncements of US president Donald Trump on tariffs, trade and Russia’s war in Ukraine. With Ireland’s economic model in real peril, the Taoiseach managed to emerge unscathed from his encounter with Trump in the White House, while Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris and his ministerial colleagues have been seeking to defend the country’s interests in the debate over the European Union’s tariff response. Whether those efforts are successful remains to be seen.
Against that uncertain backdrop, it is not surprising that the Government’s message to the public has been cautious, flagging the end of one-off payments to consumers and making clear that other financial commitments are contingent on the economic situation. That is the correct approach to take.
But one particular spectre hangs over this Government. It remains haunted by the wildly inaccurate housing numbers for 2024 put forward by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael during the general election campaign. A series of further dismal reports so far this year mean the targets laid out in the Programme for Government are now the stuff of fantasy. This week’s row over the appointment of a “housing tsar” inspires no confidence that a credible plan is in place. One hundred days in, that is a damning – and depressing – verdict .
