The departure of Paschal Donohoe from ministerial office is the most consequential political development since the general election. It removes from Government one of its most experienced figures, a minister whose calm authority and technical command made him a central presence in three successive administrations. Donohoe’s tenure in public life has already been dissected at length, yet the speed and characteristic efficiency of his exit leave Irish politics facing an abrupt readjustment.
Tánaiste Simon Harris’s decision to assume the Finance portfolio himself is the most consequential element of that shift. It overturns a convention that has held in every coalition government since the foundation of the State: that the role should not be occupied by the leader of a governing party. Since 2011, when responsibility for economic and fiscal policy was divided between the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure, the partnership between the two ministers has become, in effect, the spine of modern Irish government. Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin set a pattern that continued right up to the Donohoe–Chambers axis that ended this week. The arrangement has encouraged cooperation rather than rivalry, insulating economic management from day-to-day partisanship.
That balance will inevitably change now that the leader of Fine Gael holds the Finance brief. Whether it changes for the better remains an open question. Harris, acutely aware of his party’s electoral prospects, will always have one eye on the political calendar. His return to the taoiseach’s office in two years’ time cannot be ignored. The priorities of a party leader seeking to address negative poll numbers may well diverge from those of his predecessor, for whom the job was defined by stability, discipline and the careful tending of relationships across Government. Harris is a different sort of politician. His move into Finance could herald a different sort of Coalition.
This Government is entering what may prove its defining year. Having been criticised for a sluggish and unfocused start, it has recently tried to convey greater urgency on housing, infrastructure and delivery. Such signals will be dismissed as hollow by a sceptical electorate unless they are matched by rapid progress on legislation and by evidence of improvements on the ground. Voters have grown weary of announcements and strategies; they want to see results.
RM Block
For Harris, the new role represents a test unlike any he has faced. His success has rested on communication skills and an intuitive sense of the modern political landscape. He must now show that he possesses not only agility but depth. A Minister for Finance must provide clarity, direction and a long-term view. The coming months will reveal whether he can meet that standard.
