Shortall gone but not forgotten

They are thinking – and hoping – at the top levels of the Labour Party that one of the most loyal members of the party, Róisín Shortall is already last week’s news.

But she has not gone away, you know. She has not resigned her Dáil seat. She is going to be up there on the back benches with other like-minded and independent TDs trying to ensure that Labour policies in the Programme for Government will be implemented.

 

Eamon Gilmore already has enough enemies in the Labour Party without Róisín Shortall – and her strong band of supporters, inside and outside the Dáil – to contend with.

While the Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, may be towing the Gilmore line at present, she is like a powder keg ready to explode at a time when we might least expect it. The party chairman, Colm Keaveney, may also be quiet at present, but Gilmore knows he cannot depend on him if ever there is a heave against the leadership.

It is not a good time for Labour. Róisín Shortall’s resignation came in the wake of Brendan Howlin’s embarrassing climb-down on the issue of public service allowances. Two separate opinion polls during September confirmed what we already knew: that Labour continues to languish in fourth place in voter support behind Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil. While that situation continues, there will continue to be tensions in the Labour Party.

Róisín Shortall really had no choice but to resign. Having listened to her interview with Marian Finucane on RTÉ radio on Saturday, it was clear that she was being constantly frustrated by her boss in the Department of Health, Minister Dr James Reilly. She might have stayed on – and most politicians will agree that she should have – but she did something that is unusual in politics, she did the honourable thing.

Basically, what she wanted was to have healthcare centres located in the places where they were most needed. That was not being done and she saw there was no hope of it being done while Dr Reilly held the reins of office.

He was not going to resign and there was no pressure on him to do so – either from Enda Kenny or, more to the point, from Eamon Gilmore. So Róisín Shortall fell on her sword.

It could be argued that Eamon Gilmore had no choice either; for the sake of government solidarity he had to stand by his cabinet colleague Dr Reilly and, if his party colleague Róisín Shortall had to be sacrificed, then tough luck. There are far tougher issues to be faced in the months and years ahead, not forgetting what is expected to be the harshest budget of them all in December.

Forget about all the promises made before the election, forget about the Programme for Government, forget about Labour policies and principles, forget about Róisín Shortall. The important thing is for the coalition to hold together for at least another two years.

In that determination he will have the strong support of cabinet colleagues such as Ruairí Quinn, Pat Rabbitte and Brendan Howlin.

I could say that, once again, the Labour Party struggled with its conscience and that, once again, the Labour Party was the winner. But I would be wrong; this time there was no struggle. This time there was a walkover for the Labour Party and to hell with policies, principles and conscience.

I, like others, wonder though, if Labour were in coalition with Fianna Fáil would Gilmore so meekly stand by the senior minister? Dick Spring certainly would not. He would come looking for a head and the head would have Fianna Fáil stamped all over it and not be a Labour one.

One also wonders where would Michael D Higgins be in this row or what does he think of the whole thing? It doesn’t really matter. The President has left all that behind him and is this week concentrating on relations with Chile, Argentina and Brazil. I have no doubt if he were still in the Dáil he would not stand idly by while his friend and colleague was being shafted.

Meanwhile, Joan Burton is coming under fire from the opposition and from other groups for wanting to cut child benefit payments for those who do not need them, while topping them up for poorer families.

I see nothing wrong with that, especially when there is so little money in the State coffers. Those who are well-off do not need child benefits while those who are poor certainly do. Isn’t that obvious? It should be but apparently it isn’t. It would be fantastic if the Government could afford to pay all of us extra allowances and benefits while at the same time reducing our tax bills.

The time for that is over but somehow that reality has not sunk in yet.

We have had too many cases of the most vulnerable being hit by cutbacks implemented by this and the previous government. Now when a minister is trying to bring some equity into some social welfare payments, she is being attacked.

We all think our own cause is the most deserving. None of us wants to give up anything we have. However, if sacrifices are to be made they should be made by those who have the means to make them and not by people who, through no fault of theirs, do not have any means.

I hope the Labour Party – and Fine Gael – stand by Joan Burton on this one.