The great purge of Parnell Square turned out to be a weak Milk of Magnesia effort in the end.
In an interview before Christmas, Mary Lou McDonald promised a “significant reshuffle” at parliamentary party level come the new year. “Nobody is in a position indefinitely,” declared the woman who became leader of Sinn Féin once Gerry Adams decided to step down after 34 years in charge.
Certainly, her party has never been found wanting over the years when justifying why nobody is indispensable. So news she was about to announce her new front bench prompted much speculation about blood on the carpet in Kevin Barry Memorial Hall.
That struggle never materialised.
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Reports of a big clear-out of familiar faces were greatly exaggerated. It seems Mary Lou was gilding the Easter Lily when she made her Yuletide prediction. The new front bench is remarkably like the old one.
Having feasted on the red meat of Dáil Éireann in tumult last week, political reporters had been hoping she could keep the carnage going with this “significant” switcheroo. But all she delivered was a minor tweaking of the usual cast of characters.
Longford-Westmeath’s Sorca Clarke was the only one dropped while two first-time deputies – Donna McGettigan (Clare) and Joanna Byrne (Louth) – joined the team. Consolation may come soon for erstwhile frontbencher Sorca. “When the Government appoints junior spokespersons we will follow suit,” said her leader during Tuesday’s disappointing unveiling in the Alex Hotel near Leinster House.
The list of new Minister of State is out on Wednesday. This should bring some relief to a nation battling to cope with the aftermath of Storm Éowyn while simultaneously fretting over who will get what consolation prize for missing out on a seat at the Cabinet table.
Or maybe not. Because, let’s face it, nobody is that bothered.
So back to Mary Lou and her still in situ stalwarts, who found themselves in this hotel meeting room at the last minute because rain forced them to abandon plans to hold the event outside on the Leinster House plinth.
But in a nice twist, the four-star Alex is situated on Fenian Street. So they felt very much at home.
Not to be outdone by the Shinners, the new Coalition of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Michael Lowry’s leg is now frantically searching for a venue on Tribunal Street, Balls-up Boulevard or Audacity Avenue to host its ceremonial roll-out of the Juniors.
On Fenian Street, there was wasn’t enough time to set out tables for display purposes so the new old front bench stood in two lines in the middle of the parquet floor behind Mary Lou. There was more than enough space for everyone to launch into an impromptu Walls of Limerick.
Instead, the party leader took to a small lectern and made a “simple pledge to the working people of Ireland”.
An evocative reminder of the working people stood at the end of the first line. For it was Eoin Ó Broin, the party’s Blackrock College educated spokesman on housing, poignantly wearing the honest workwear of the toiling Irish navvy from the last century – a black donkey-jacket with distinctive leatherette patches on each shoulder.
English comedians of old used to joke about Paddy being asked the meaning of the word “fascinate”. And Paddy would say “Oi, I have 10 buttons on me donkey-jacket but I can only fasten eight”.
Mary Lou’s simple pledge to the working people was to guarantee that Sinn Féin “will be up and at it from day one, working for you, non-stop”.
As for Eoin, the toil never stops either. He kept his portfolio in the mini-shuffle as did high-profile performers Pearse O’Doherty (finance), David Cullinane (health), Mairéad O’Farrell (public expenditure and reform) and Claire Kerrane (children, disability and equality).
Sinn Féin’s top team may have hit the ground running, but Mary Lou called out the Government for going straight into a two-week recess as soon as it was reinstalled after the long break for Christmas and the general election.
Why do they need extra-time to familiarise themselves with the job?
“They have no excuse now: they’ve been in Government forever. At least it feels like forever.”
But never mind. Sinn Féin will get straight down to business when they “come back off their holibops”.
In the meantime, the row over the Regional Independent group and its controversial Stroke Whisperer demanding Opposition speaking time rumbles on.
“Michael Lowry simply will not be allowed to masquerade as an Opposition TD,” said the Sinn Féin leader, stressing that the combined Opposition remains firmly united on this issue.
And speaking of working together, what does she make of the call from Labour’s Ivana Bacik for parties on the left to consider nominating an agreed candidate to contest the presidential election later this year?
“It would make sense to have a joint approach, if that’s possible,” said Mary Lou. But the party has yet to discuss finding a successor to Michael D Higgins.
“Who ever gets elected will have big shoes to fill.”
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