Resignation shock

IN one fell swoop, George Lee has pulled the rug from under Fine Gael and handed Fianna Fáil an unexpected lifeline.
With Fine Gael enjoying a comfortable lead over Fianna Fáil in the most recent opinion poll, the South Dublin TD’s shock resignation just eight months after his election to Dáil Éireann could seriously jeorpadise Enda Kenny’s chances of becoming Taoiseach.
Thanks to George Lee’s decicion, it’s advantage Brian Cowen, who has been struggling to claw back support for Fianna Fáil as the economic recession, growing unemployment, falling house prices, bank bail-outs and tough budgetary measures test the loyalty of even the most committed party supporters. 
The former RTÉ ecomomics editor’s exit from Leinster House certainly throws a spanner in the works as regards the concensus which prevailed that Enda Kenny was the taoiseach-in-waiting as part of a new coalition after the next election.
George Lee breathed new life into Fine Gael when he galloped to success in the June 2009 by-election, which followed the death of former Government minister, Fianna Fáil’s Seamus Brennan. While not the first high-profile figure to be parachuted into the Dáil, his allignment to Fine Gael confirmed an upward curve in the party’s fortunes.
An intelligent man, Mr Lee was hardly naïve enough to think he could change the world in a few months. As a seasoned journalist, he knew what to expect in terms of how slowly the political system works – most of the time. Wearing his new political cap, he wanted to do more and faster.
Unhappy that things weren’t going according to plan, on Monday he said that “despite my best efforts, I have had virtually no influence or input into shaping Fine Gael’s economic policies at this most critical time. The role I have been playing within the party has been very limited and I have found this to be personally unfulfilling”. 
Mr Lee’s claims have been rejected by Mr Kenny and other senior party figures who say he was given ample scope to set out his stall and position himself for promotion to the front bench and in the future, perhaps a ministerial post.
Too little too late was George Lee’s answer to the fact the party leader had offered him a front-bench post after he said he was leaving. Mr Lee insisted that being a front-bench spokesman wasn’t the issue; rather it was not being brought into the loop to utilise his expertise on the economy.
The problems must surely run deeper than what has been said publicly and no doubt, the full story will unfold in time.
The manner of George Lee’s resignation poses serious questions about leadership of Fine Gael. The party’s front bench has unanimously backed Mr Kenny and insisted that while damaging, Mr Lee’s resignation will not have a long-term impact on Fine Gael’s standing. But is it a case of solidarity at a time of adversity and that the noises of discontent will be heard soon enough?
Whatever about the response of Fine Gael TDs, how Enda Kenny managed to let slip from his grasp one of the biggest trophy catches the party ever hooked is something that ordinary party members and supporters will think long and hard about. 
Even if Mr Lee was petulant and hasty in ending his brief political career, the Fine Gael leader will have to come up with a very good reason as to why he failed to convince him to remain within the fold; to hold off for a relatively short period until he would be taking his place on the government benches.
If one of Fine Gael’s rising stars could not put his faith in Enda Kenny, how can the party expect to convince floating voters to back him when they head to the polling stations? While accepting that Mr Lee’s departure had been damaging, he maintained that Fine Gael had come through a hell of a lot worse in the past. 
This positive approach, coupled with a commitment to “be myself” may help Enda Kenny in his efforts to rebound from the serious setback but George Lee’s resignation could prove to be a defining moment in Mr Kenny’s own political career. 

Councillors’ expenses online

AT a time when the earnings and expenses of people in the Dáil, civil service, judiciary and major financial institutions are a matter of considerable public debate, an initiative to bring more openness and transparency to expenses incurred by the executive and members of Clare County Council is to be applauded.
The county council this week became one of the first local authorities in the country to make the expenses of its councillors and executive available online.
In recent times, several Clare councillors indicated they had no difficulty with their expenses being published as a matter of course rather than people having to resort to Freedom of Information (FOI) Act queries to get the details. They felt that by making people aware of what is being claimed for, they could lift the suspicion that all is not above board.
The move to put the information into the public domain by way of the Clare County Council website www.clarecoco.ie, which met with unanimous approval from the elected representatives, will allow members of the public to view all allowances and expenses paid to councillors, including income from committees and boards, mayoral allowances and travel and office expenses.
The online details, which will be updated on a regular basis on the council website, also includes the council executive’s expenses and numerous examples of meetings attended by councillors.
The first upload provides details of all expenses for 2009, during which there was an election in June, so allowances should be made in this regard where comparisons are being made.
With the online service, the Clare electorate can, in a matter of seconds, see if they are getting good value for money from their local public representatives and factor this in when deciding how they vote. This is certainly a good example of modern technology being used to provide an invaluable public service.