Simon Coveney’s choice to resign from his role as a Cabinet Minister didn’t catch certain party mates off guard, given the frequent conjectures around his future. A specific TD mooted that Coveney chose to leave before he was forced out.
Despite the overall recognition and commendation of his 13-year tenure in Government, possessing five ministerial briefs, a few party members were seemingly cheerful about his exit. One declared enthusiastically, “He has overstayed,” upon hearing his decision to depart.
Three Ministers of State: Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Peter Burke and Patrick O’Donovan are apparently the key contenders for Coveney’s former enterprise role and the additional Cabinet post related to Further and Higher Education. However, one anonymous TD warned of mandatory geographical implications, implying that someone from Munster must occupy one of the Cabinet positions.
One anonymous TD strongly endorsed Carroll MacNeill, not just for a senior ministerial role but also a leading one. There is speculation that she is perceived as the main competitor by Harris and he might be hesitant to elevate her. The TD, citing Carroll MacNeill as an eventual leader of Fine Gael, expressed confidence in her potential leadership abilities.
A few preferred Paschal for leadership, believing in his statesmanship and competency, though there were acknowledgements of Coveney’s potential to perform well.
Another TD, who has remained unnamed, stressed on the necessity for experience, hinting at former minister Michael Ring, a long-serving TD for Mayo since 1994, as a possible choice. They expressed concern regarding the party’s reputation, warning of the need for a strong rural voice and criticising excessive focus on law & order over social conscience.
Richard Bruton, a former minister and party chair, lauded Coveney’s immense contribution in his various roles, including deputy leader, and minister for agriculture, defence, housing, foreign affairs and enterprise.
He further emphasized that selection for Cabinet roles hinged on the candidate’s intent of running in the forthcoming election, as it was crucial to establish a team for future leadership.
Mr Coveney has been non-committal in regards to his decision on running for office again. However, in Mr Bruton’s view, it’s critical that anyone hoping to secure a position in the Cabinet plans on participating in the upcoming elections. He states, “Exiting the frontline when the war is about to commence is not an option.”
In relation to desired priorities, the Dublin Bay North representative stated that the party harbours an array of skilled individuals and the goal would be to assemble a set of ministers who could properly convey these aspiration.
There have been words of accolade for Mr Coveney on his past accomplishments, notably from Ciaran Cannon, the ex-Minister of State. Mr Cannon was taken aback by Mr Coveney’s announcement and commended his substantial contributions in foreign affairs, mentioning his fruitful work at the United Nations, in Brussels and notably during Brexit. Speaking on the importance of peace, he went on to say that Mr Coveney was extremely cautious in dealing with the North to avoid interfering with the peace process. Mr Cannon refrained from speculating about Cabinet positions out of respect for the leader’s discretion.
When asked about his standpoint on potential candidates, TD Colm Burke from Cork North Central was hesitant to express a preference, stating that the decision on candidates was far from final. However, he did acknowledge that Mr Coveney’s withdrawal was a significant blow for Cork. He reflected on the remarkable increase in employment rates since 2011 when Simon took on ministerial duty, attributing a substantial part of Cork’s commercial growth and infrastructure development in the pharma and IT sectors to him.
David Stanton, TD of Cork East, also praised Mr Coveney for his considerable tenure in Irish politics, his contributions to various roles and for being held in high regard, notably for his personal commitment to restarting businesses affected by flooding.
Mr Stanton stated that Mr Coveney, his collaborator of four years in the Department of Justice, will leave a significant void in the region of Cork. He conveyed that the ministerial role requires ’48/7′ commitment rather than the standard ’24/7′. When addressing the matter of the fresh roles, he merely indicated, “Having two cabinet positions to his name now certainly facilitates him in elevating individuals.”