Simon Harris’ inaugural day as Taoiseach was rather unconventional, marked by absentees – including the Taoiseach himself – and misunderstandings over key positions such as the Gaeltacht Minister of State and whether Michael Ring, TD for Mayo, was ever proposed for a junior ministerial role.
In today’s headline, we highlight that Taoiseach Harris managed to hold his initial Cabinet gathering where he instated new State Ministers, engaged in phone dialogue with British premier Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and began planning his whistle stop visits in Brussels and Warsaw today. During this trip, he is scheduled to encounter EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a handful of EU leaders.
Whilst in Brussels, he will broach the subject of Ireland’s plan to officially accept Palestine as a recognized state – a move that Ireland shares with a few other European Union members.
However, yesterday was more notable for Harris’ absence from the Dáil during the Opposition’s first Leaders’ Questions – an incident Miriam Lord has likened to a disappearing act by Houdini.
Not surprisingly, the Opposition seized upon this with relish. Mary Lou McDonald posed uncomfortable queries to Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton, seeking to unravel why he was absent, only to discover he had committed to a Cabinet meeting and global leader calls. McDonald declared, “His absence is because he had three phone calls to make,”, also noting Harris’ remarks yesterday “Let’s get to work.” Given that his first day at work was marked by absence, she declared, he is a no-show.
As Miriam highlighted in her compelling article, McDonald did not miss her chance to score a political point. McDonald did not disregard this golden opportunity, as she and her colleagues from across party lines capitalised on the situation.
Taoiseach Harris might have missed the Dáil session, but he made time for a photo opportunity with the newly appointed junior ministers, and amusingly enough, managed to create a TikTok video about his first day at work. Marie O’Halloran captures the essence of the Dáil’s reactions to the absentee Taoiseach.
Sinn Féin was angered and initiated a verbal feud on TikTok, chastising the Taoiseach for his absence, and even provided visual proof of his empty seat in the Dáil. McDonald, on TikTok, criticised him heavily saying, “Absolutely not on”, he had promised to commence vital work the prior day which was clearly untrue. The TikTok confrontation attracted massive public interest – Harris received 133,000 views, while McDonald’s response gained a stunning 280,000.
The puzzling case of the disappearing Gaeltacht portfolio
The Cabinet’s duty is to officially name Ministers of State. There were no unexpected appointments with the three selected – Alan Dillon; Eimear Higgins; and Colm Burke – having been well anticipated. Cormac McQuinn has written about the new Ministers and their responsibilities.
The unexpected arose with the assigned, or unassigned, portfolios. By the afternoon, it was revealed that none of the new Ministers of State were given the responsibility of the Gaeltacht, despite it previously being assigned by Fine Gael in the second term.
Subsequently, information was leaked that the role had been presented to the Fianna Fáil Minister of State for Sport, Thomas Byrne, as no Fine Gael minister was interested in accepting the responsibility. This caused some confusion as Fine Gael sources had suggested that Hildegarde Naughton would assume the position.
Ultimately, it turned out that the portfolio had been reassigned to Fianna Fáil as no suitable Fine Gael Minister could be found, either due to a lack of interest or ability in Irish. Byrne, a fluent Irish speaker and avid supporter of the language, was pleased to accept the role.
This led other party politicians to observe Fine Gael’s lack of priority and regard for the Irish language. The term “shameful” was frequently voiced during the day’s talks.
The perplexing case of Michael Ring’s ministry offer
Yesterday was filled with odd stories, but perhaps the most peculiar was Michael Ring’s assertion on Mid West Radio (MWR) that Simon Harris had proposed a Minister of State position to him, which he had turned down.
In recent developments, MWR received word from Ring that he did not perceive his abilities to deliver in any significant capacity as a junior minister for the remaining nine months of the government’s lifespan. Ring claimed that none of the two roles offered to him held any budgetary authority.
The issue was brought up during the photo op for the newly assigned junior ministers, that included the fresh State Minister Alan Dillon from Mayo TD. On being questioned about Ring’s assertion to have rejected a junior ministry, Harris addressed Ring as a valuable co-worker.
In relation to the roles offered to Ring, he chose to withhold this information, yet corroborated his initial assertion of having been proposed two positions. The details of these roles remain undisclosed, adding to the existing mystery.
Renowned for his unique understated style, Michael McGrath openly expressed his disapproval of Danny Healy-Rae and Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty amidst a Dáil debate over fuel duties, reports Marie O’Halloran.
Furthermore, a dissection of the reasons behind Ireland’s push for the early recognition of Palestine as a state has been conducted. In a separate analysis, Bobby McDonagh, an ex-diplomat, scrutinised the recent report by the IIEA pertaining to the expected cost of Irish unity, a report prepared by John FitzGerald and Edgar Morgenroth.
In today’s editorial section, Israeli ambassador Dana Erlich exposed the recantation of her invitation to the Fine Gael Ard Fheis last week, blaming the rise in anti-Israeli sentiment across Ireland.
Reports from Jack Power and Sorcha Pollak suggest Ireland will expedite the return of asylum seekers with unsuccessful applications, in the wake of new laws approved in the European Parliament. These laws aim to tighten EU borders.
On his travel agenda, Taoiseach Simon Harris plans to visit Brussels and Warsaw. During his Brussels visit, he plans to discuss with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, Ireland’s plans to officially recognise the state of Palestine. Further, he aims to discuss the situation in Gaza during his time in Warsaw, where he is set to meet Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, and prime ministers from six EU nations, including Donald Tusk of Poland.
In terms of parliament proceedings, it seems to be a light day.
The day in the Parliament of Ireland’s lower house, the Dáil Éireann, will begin at 10:30 with a Q&A session involving Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien. At midday, there will be Leaders’ Questions, but Simon Harris won’t be present. At 13:44, there will be a commemorative presentation marking two decades since the enforcement of the Smoking Ban in Ireland.
Meanwhile, in the upper house, Seanad Éireann, a 12:15 motion will discuss enlisting into an EU programme that heightens police collaboration against human trafficking, a cause spearheaded by the Department of Justice. At 13:15 will be the committee and remaining stages of the Road Traffic Bill 2024.
Regarding committee meetings, due to many being deferred from Wednesday to today, some may experience a sense of déjà vu. Two discussions will commence at 09:30 – one regarding Healthcare, discussing financing and carrying out the National Cancer Strategy, and the other focussing on Social Protection, evaluating the effect of Means Testing on the State Pension and similar Social Welfare Schemes.
At 13:00, the Select Committee on Housing will proceed with examining the Planning and Development Bill 2023 in the presence of the Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien. The Finance Committee will scrutinise the Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023 at 13:30.
Also at 13:30, the Tourism, Arts, Sports and Media committee will contemplate the fusion of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Camogie Association into the Gaelic Athletic Association. Ex-president Mary McAleese in her capacity as chair of the integration steering committee will participate in the deliberations.
At the day’s conclusion, at 17:30, Education Minister Norma Foley will discuss key concerns pertaining to the Department of Education.