The Cedar Lounge Revolution

Willie Penrose speaks… November 19, 2011

In the Daily Mail this morning you’ll find this interesting interview conducted by Jason O’Toole with the bould Willie Penrose, first – one assumes – of some Labour Party TDs to break with the party over cutbacks. An emotional time for the man who in fairness has had no end of personal as well as political pressure on him:

It HAS clearly been an overwhelming few months for the affable Willie Penrose. Apart from falling on his sword and resigning from his super junior minister position, is also recovering from undergoing recent surgery for prostate cancer.
So, one can easily sympathise with him when, as we sit in his constituency office in Mullingar to conduct this interview, he’s suddenly forced to pause mid-conversation when he becomes tearful.
The emotional outburst is not one of self-pity however, it’s more that he still finds it extremely difficult to talk about the passing of his mother Mary Jo, who died four years ago at the age of 71.

And this has a political impact for him:

At first glance, Willie Penrose’s dramatic exit from Enda Kenny’s Cabinet over the closure of the army barracks in Mullingar had all the hallmarks of being nothing more than a politician actually keeping his promise to fall on his sword if he failed to keep an election promise.
But if one digs a little deeper under the surface, it would appear that Penrose gave up his high-powered job and all its perks because he was guided in the decision by his late mother. ‘She would’ve found Tuesday a hard day,’ the 55-year-old reveals.
‘But she always says that, “It’s never a hard thing to make the right decision.” I actually thought about what she would have wanted me to do. I have no doubt. That’s the way we were brought up. The closure is a very emotional issue for an awful lot of people in Mullingar.’

To be honest it’s refreshing to read a politician being so open.

The Westmeath politician — a man who clearly wears his heart on his sleeve — explains that his mother’s death had such a profound effect on him that it brought with it a wave of horrifying panic attacks which have since, thankfully, stopped.
At one stage, however, they had become so severe that he would faint. Back in October 2008, it was rumoured that the deputy had probably suffered a heart-related scare when he collapsed in the Dáil and was taken to hospital.
But he now says of the incident: ‘It was not long after the death of my mother. Stress related. Panic attacks. There were a couple of issues there. And I’ve had a couple of health-related issues. I’m particularly overweight. It was brought on by my mother dying as well. I’d say it was related to that.’
How long did they last?
‘I had them for nearly three years after my mother died.’
Sadly, no sooner had he conquered his anxiety attacks than he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

And although that’s been successfully treated this too impacted on the political…

He then reveals that he became annoyed that the contentious proposal to close the army barracks in Mullingar ‘erupted’ only a few short weeks after his therapy.

And he continues:

It was, he admits, an emotional moment when he drafted his resigna¬tion letter — so much so, that he couldn’t face delivering it personally and instead got someone else ‘to hand it down to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste’.
Did they try to talk him out of it? ‘Ah, look, they spoke to me. All the Government colleagues did. I have to say that they did try to convince me that I would still have a very positive role.
‘Everybody encouraged me to reflect upon the position. But people understood, I have to say that. There was a good understanding of where I was and the dilemma I was in.
‘But it wasn’t a dilemma for me insofar as once I make a decision, that’s it. It was a difficult decision. but I’d given my word. I was emphatically opposed to it, I’d spoken in public — and I mean what I say and I say what I mean. That’s the way I was brought up.’
He openly admits that by stepping down, Westmeath has lost its only voice at Cabinet. It was a decision he says he could not have made without the backing of his wife and three daughters.

Kind words for the Mail too…

‘I actually saw the editorial in the Irish Daily Mail (on Wednesday) and whoever wrote it said they probably wouldn’t agree with me but, at the same time, they said they understood where I was coming from.
‘It was a very fair point — unlike another editorial which said “good riddance”,’ he adds.

By the by there was an uncharacteristically reflective Irish Times editorial on the same topic during the week.

Penrose still clearly can’t under¬stand the Government’s supposed logic behind closing the army barracks in Mullingar.
‘The barracks is part of the very fabric of this town — not just in terms of the military personnel, who actually served in it and served overseas with great distinction. There are people who are the fourth or fifth generation of families who served in the barracks. There’s a socio-economic impact. There’s a disruption of life for people.’
He points out that Justice Minister Alan Shatter argues that the closure will save the Exchequer about €5million a year, but he says it is estimated that it could, ‘in theory’, take up to €10million out of the local economy. Such figures would suggest it has been a vital part of the lifeblood of the county.
‘I couldn’t see any sense in it in terms of the economics and figures. I was always of the view that if you subject it to a very stringent cost benefit analysis that the cost would outweigh the benefits.

An interesting point made here too… and in a way one wonders is this a tool used to keep people in their offices long after they might wish to go [though of course it works both ways]…

Penrose explains that he’s more concerned for his two drivers, who chauffeured the ex-minister around in his modest six-year-old Toyota people carrier, who have now lost their jobs following his decision.
‘One of the things that is lost in all of this is that the two drivers I had are now unemployed. They were local guys.
‘To be honest with you, on the Monday night when I knew that this was going to come to a head that was something that caused me deep concern. Those guys, who were excellent and loyal, worked any hours, day and night. They were unemployed and now they’re unemployed again. That’s a big wrench that nobody puts into the equation either.
‘They’re very decent people, they come from great families, and they understood the position.’

He’s quite coy about his [former] leader:

Penrose explains that he’s more concerned for his two drivers, who chauffeured the ex-minister around in his modest six-year-old Toyota people carrier, who have now lost their jobs following his decision.
‘One of the things that is lost in all of this is that the two drivers I had are now unemployed. They were local guys.
‘To be honest with you, on the Monday night when I knew that this was going to come to a head that was something that caused me deep concern. Those guys, who were excellent and loyal, worked any hours, day and night. They were unemployed and now they’re unemployed again. That’s a big wrench that nobody puts into the equation either.
‘They’re very decent people, they come from great families, and they understood the position.’

And what of this?

‘I can live with myself with what I have done. It’s a loss and a lot of people would say I shouldn’t have done it. I had a seat at the Cabinet table — I didn’t have a voting right but that didn’t inhibit me from expressing viewpoints.
‘There are a lot of difficult decisions and I have great empathy and sympathy for my colleagues who have to make those decisions. But, if they’re not made, at a glo¬bal level, or the macro level, we’re going to end up like Greece.’
So our situation is actually worse than people realise? ‘It’s a continual battle to ensure that we keep on the road. I sat at a Cabinet meeting going on for hours and there was nobody jumping with joy with all the things that have to be done. They’re difficult. It’s an evolving situation.
‘In Greece now, pay is cut 35 or 40 per cent and 30,000 public servant workers were suspended or let go. Tax free allowances (are) down to €5,000. They were only the original (cuts) and now there’s more…

Ideology or localism – you decide [though localism can be its own ideology I suppose].

Two other things:

‘Look, I didn’t think the economy was in such a state or we had so many difficult decisions until I was in the middle of it to be honest.’ Speaking of being in the thick of it, what does he make of the whisper¬ings in Leinster House about the so-called ‘Cult of Gilmore’ and his apparently abrasive style of leadership since getting into power?
‘Where do they get all this?’ he asks. ‘I absolutely find that amazing. I read the media and wonder, “Did I sleep through it all?”’

Cult of Gilmore? Shurely shome mishtake.

And check this out…

And what about Fine Gael members who have apparently been saying that there are too many so-called ‘flakes’, those who can’t stomach making hard decisions, in Labour.
It’s a comment that clearly irks Penrose: ‘They obviously don’t know me personally. I generally disregard sources. I love people who speak out. I could’ve laid low when I was speaking at public meetings and played the cute boy. There are not that many flaky people.’

Erm… those FG members might do well to reflect upon the name of Denis Naughten.

Meanwhile it doesn’t appear that for all his heterodoxy Penrose has quite left the fold. As O’Toole writes:

…it appears that Penrose is still a Labour man in all but name, and will continue to toe the party line.
‘I will look at every issue and see what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. But, for the most part, I subscribe to the Labour Party policy so I’m not going to be an opportunistic politician.
‘That’s not the way I work.’
He adds: ‘I have freedom and I’ll give expression to that freedom, but in a balanced way. I wouldn’t be just mouthing off for the sake of being heard.
‘I joined the Labour Party in October 1969 when I was only just 13. So, my DNA is in the Labour Party and my family’s association with it.’
Listening to his comments about his strong allegiance to the party, it appears that it will only be a matter of time before the former member will be welcomed back to the fold.

Very likely true, though I’d wonder a bit about the following:

And his resignation is a move that will probably save his seat when it comes to facing the electorate next time round by keeping his word — unlike his former colleagues at the Cabinet table.

A certain Joe Behan pulled a not entirely different stunt during the last Coalition, but due to voting with the government in part weakened his ‘independent’ stature. Penrose might need to think about that.