Fionnan Sheahan: A mute minister's sense of entitlement shows little focus and even less vision

"Mercosur debacle shows Cabinet ministers are too busy eyeing up another gig for themselves in the second half of this Government to focus on the task at hand"

"The cat was let out of the bag. Timmy Dooley, the junior agriculture minister, was talking at the AGM of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) as though his audience was part of the Coalition."

""I'd be careful from ye're perspective. Jesus, I wouldn't lecture any farmer, but I certainly wouldn't lecture the IFA how you'd play this. I think you've played it very well, but I wouldn't be seeking to divide people now," he said about the Government's vote against the Mercosur trade deal. "I think you are in a good space.""

Cabinet ministers have prioritized positioning for future roles over immediate governing duties as attention shifts toward planning for the second half of the Government. Junior agriculture minister Timmy Dooley addressed the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) at its AGM as if the audience were part of the Coalition and praised the IFA's handling of the Government's vote against the Mercosur trade deal. He urged caution about dividing people. Those remarks reveal ministers courting interest groups and engaging in political calculation, which distracted from managing the Mercosur fallout and diluted focus on core policy tasks.

Read at Independent