Cowen’s new Cabinet live blog…
6:20 Whilst I work to try and get this thing to work (given up and gone fishing), the first thing of note: Cowen made the Dail wait fifteen minutes and then announced that the debate on his appointment of the government would only be allowed two hours. Kenny and Gilmore have asked for three, with Kenny citing day long debates on past occasions.
RTE pushing out that Batt O’Keefe is to take over Education; Brendan Smith Agriculture; Mary Hanafin goes to Social and Family Affairs. Pat Carey becomes Government Whip… No word on Mary Coughlin, but some speculation that the Donegal SW TD is to become Tanaiste.
Cheann Fein no longer minister for education – on my way to but a bottle of champagne and a sphinx.
Daíl Live
Mary Coughlan as Tánaiste and Brian Lenihan as Minister for Finance.
Irish Times report
“Ms Coughlan will also be Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, while Micheál Martin will move from that ministry to head up the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Dermot Ahern is the new Minister for Justice, replacing Mr Lenihan. New faces in the Cabinet are Batt O’Keeffe who is the new Minister for Education and Brendan Smyth who has been appointed as Minister for Agriculture.
Pat Carey has replaced Tom Kitt as Chief Whip, while Mary Hanafin has moved to Social and Family Affairs, the position vacated by Martin Cullen. Mr Cullen has been moved to Arts, Sport and Tourism, filling the position left by Seamus Brennan who didn’t put himself forward for inclusion in the new Cabinet.
Noel Dempsey stays in the Department of Transport, while Mary Harney has retained the health portfolio. Eamon O’Cuiv has retained the Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs brief. Green Party ministers John Gormley and Eamon Ryan have retained their ministries in Environment and Communications respectively. Willie O’Dea has again retained the Defence portfolio.”
They’ve given the gun to Willie again..
Hanafin gone from Education is a cause for celebration among Gaelic speakers everywhere.
And the new Taoiseach’s bilingual speeches set the standard for the future. Maith é.
Mmmm,
some thing to paw over here
Additionally, from the full list
I’d have to say that with Coughlan as Tanaiste, Lenihan in Finance, Ahern in Justice and Martin in Iveagh House, Cowen has surrounded himself with an exceptional team. There’s some serious talent in that cabinet, and few weak links.
It would be churlish not to congratulate Taoiseach Cowen on his elevation to the Holy Grail of Irish politics. I heartily do so and wish him well. Sad to see eye-candy like Tom Kitt go. He waited 11 yrs as a junior minister and then Chief Whip, and was long-overdue a promotion. Cullen should have been sacked because of a legacy of cost overruns as former Transport Minister, and the e-voting debacle as Environment Minister.