Tony Blair was noted during his heyday as prime minister for pursuing a form of governance that became known as “sofa government” leadership.
It basically involved a small group at the top of government discussing the most sensitive topics in private offices, away from the traditional structures of policy formulation, deliberation and decision-making taking place at cabinet subcommitees.
In his 2004 report on the lead-up the Iraq war, veteran civil UK servant Lord Robin Butler took issue with the approach of Blair’s government. He noted that in the year before war the cabinet discussed Iraq 24 times, but the ministerial committee on defence did not meet.
“One inescapable consequence of this was to limit wider collective discussion and consideration by the cabinet to the frequent but unscripted occasions when the prime minister, foreign secretary and defence secretary briefed the cabinet orally,” he wrote. “Excellent quality papers were written by officials, but these were not discussed in cabinet or in cabinet committee.”
While the matters that concern those in Government Buildings are not as grave as war and peace, insiders say that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is adopting a sofa government approach, with the importance of Cabinet subcommittees downgraded.
Varadkar too, it seems, favours a more informal approach – away from minuted meetings packed with anywhere up to 40 civil servants and political advisers.
Stark difference
Figures released to Fianna Fáil TD Jack Chambers show a stark difference between Varadkar’s approach and that of his predecessor, Enda Kenny. In 2016, a year punctuated by a general election and then months of government formation talks led by Kenny – cabinet subcommittees met 46 times.
Last year, Varadkar’s first full year at the top of Government, there were 15 meetings of the various committees that are supposed to look at issues such as Brexit, health, infrastructure and national security.
So far this year, there have been six such meetings. The Brexit subcommittee has not met, nor have the health or economy groups. These do not make Government decisions but they discuss policies and draft Bills to a point where they can be sent to the Cabinet, which more often than not rubber stamps what comes before it.
Internal civil service chatter about structures that have worked well in the past no longer being used has gathered pace. Some sources point towards crises such as those over the CervicalCheck screening programme and the national children’s hospital overspend and say that holding these formal minuted meetings can be useful in getting ahead of such issues.
Varadkar has made no secret of the fact that he did not like the structures that were in place. He halved the number of subcommittees from 10 to five soon after becoming Taoiseach. When he defends his decision to turn his face against Cabinet committees, Varadkar often refers to the extensive ongoing conversations that happen at Cabinet on Brexit.
“The Brexit committee now almost never meets because we discuss Brexit at every single Cabinet meeting. There is also a separate officials group. Brexit affects everyone and I want everyone around the table,” he told the Dáil in February.
Approach
Privately, Ministers say this is absolutely true but that such long-term conversations about health and the economy are not a feature of every Cabinet meeting. But the same Ministers also defend the Taoiseach and suggest that his approach cannot be compared to the informal “call me Tony” style used by Blair.
They say he frequently calls bilateral meetings, often involving department secretaries general and other senior civil servants. One Minister said it worked because meetings can be arranged at short notice. The Minister said that the Taoiseach “cuts to the chase” and when they had discussions, they are entirely solutions-driven. They are not informal chats, another said, but rather concise conversations.
Another Minister said it took a while for politicians and the civil service to get used to the change between the Kenny and Varadkar regimes, and that some officials do believe it is the only proper face time they can get with the Taoiseach.
“It is a very different leadership style (when compared) to his predecessors, but actually it is very effective. In most scenarios, the Taoiseach sits down with a Minister and his officials, and it is productive. A lot of work gets done,” they said.
“If you want to run through the top five or six issues in your department, over a meeting of up to two hours, it is the best way. I personally don’t remember Enda Kenny having a sit-down with his ministers in that type of form. And it should be done, any CEO of an organisation should be sitting down with his various heads, reviewing progress, it’s the same here.”
Perhaps another factor at play is the fact that a number of Independents are members of the Government
Again, Varadkar’s mannerisms are described in these meetings as being less chatty or pally, and more about “getting to the point”.
“It is useful if you need the support of another department or some other help, he will remove those road-blocks,” a source said. “You can have all the meetings in the world but it does not mean you are actually getting things done. This is a new way of working, but it works.”
While Kenny was said to be happy to allow his senior civil servants or advisers – figures such as Martin Fraser, the secretary general to the Government, or his staff such as Mark Kennelly or Andrew McDowell – do the running in his meetings, Varadkar, sources says, is not as keen to delegate.
Knows best
To admirers, it shows a confidence in his own abilities. To those who express concern, it is a worrying indication that he believes he always knows best. But the Government is facing increasing criticism on the topic.
Chambers says the details he obtained reveal that “behind all the Government’s announcements these figures reveal the deficit of substantive engagement at a senior level on key policy areas”.
“The Taoiseach has had more meetings with Donald Trump this year than his own health, economy and Brexit committees combined,” he said. “The engine room of Government is clearly dysfunctional with such a systemic trend without Cabinet committee meetings.”
Labour TD Joan Burton said the “Taoiseach’s dismissal of Cabinet subcommittees is constitutionally wrong and foolish”.
They are, she says, a mechanism for Ministers, advisers and senior officials such as secretaries general to share information and become more broadly advised on important topics.
Perhaps another factor at play, and one which Varadkar has hinted at before, is the fact that a number of Independent Ministers are members of the Government. Varadkar has said his favoured approach is the best method of keeping those such as Shane Ross, Finian McGrath and Katherine Zappone fully involved.
“The best way to include them in decision-making is to make all the big decisions at Cabinet meetings when they are present,” she said.
Catastrophic consequences
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told The Irish Times that given the potential catastrophic consequences of a hard Brexit, it was “extraordinary that the Cabinet committee on Brexit has not met this year”.
“It all seems bizarre and I am genuinely concerned about the country’s preparedness with just 90 days to go to what looks more and more like a hard Brexit.”
Regardless of these concerns, it seems Varadkar has no intention of changing his approach to governance.
