Cowen snubs Greens on reshuffle

From TimesOnline March 7th 2010 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7052679.ece

The Politics.ie thread on this is here http://www.politics.ie/oireachtas/125238-cowen-snubs-greens-reshuffle.html

From the article ... "Brian Cowen is to reject the Green Party’s demand for a second junior minister in the face of growing anger among Fianna Fail backbenchers at their partners in government.

The taoiseach believes that any case the Greens had for a second post evaporated last year when five junior ministries were culled in a money-saving exercise, according to senior government sources.

He may offer his coalition partners the consolation of upgrading their junior minister to “super” status, a post that would give the party an extra voice at the cabinet table but not an extra vote.

Green TDs and senators failed to return phone calls about the reshuffle last week and a party spokesman would only say the appointment of ministers was a matter for the taoiseach.

Senior sources indicated that John Gormley, the leader, would press the party’s case with the taoiseach, arguing that an agreement for a second junior ministry was reached with Bertie Ahern, Cowen’s predecessor, in 2007, when the number of junior ministries stood at 17.

Ahern increased the number of junior posts to 20 without reference to the Greens, but Cowen cut that number to 15, under pressure from the media and his junior coalition partner, in April 2009.

“They are not going to get the second junior post because the government would fall. The Fianna Fail lads would say that is just too much,” said a senior figure last week. “The Greens have been behind a lot of the crises this government has faced because of their ineptitude. They have handled this really badly. What are they contributing except disharmony and crisis? This will not happen.”

Niall Collins, a Fianna Fail TD for Limerick West, said the taoiseach should not yield to the Green claims. “The reduction in the number of junior ministers has changed everything,” he said. “There is no case for that deal any longer. If they are insisting on one, then the taoiseach should create an extra post and not take one off a Fianna Fail minister. And they should have to make a business case for the post, establishing there is a need and reason apart from making people happy.”

Mattie McGrath, a Fianna Fail deputy from Tipperary South, said the taoiseach couldn’t possibly concede another post to the Greens. “It is a no-go area, we can’t accept it,” he said. “They did well with their six TDs when they entered coalition. They got two seniors and an important post for a junior. They have notions above their station.

“If this happens, it will just make people bitter and Fianna Fail will wonder when is a deal not a deal. I thought that they wanted to reduce the number of juniors.”

A Green party source said that Dan Boyle, the party senator who called for a reduction in junior ministers in January 2009, was simply seeking a return to the 17 posts that existed when they agreed to enter government with Fianna Fail in June 2007. But a senior Fianna Fail figure pointed out that almost half the Greens’ parliamentary party would hold ministerial office if a second junior post were granted."