The most radical of them all… October 29, 2020
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The Examiner has a piece on a former Minister’s account of the last Cabinet. That would be Shane Ross. Who writes…
The deep dysfunction at the heart of the Kenny Government is laid bare in the book and Mr Ross recounts telling Mr McGrath on their way into their first Cabinet meeting “that you and I are probably propping up the most conservative government in the history of the State”.
And:
“Looking around the table was a sobering experience. The gang in the room contained not a single radical voice. It was a mixture of dyed-in-the-wool Fine Gael families, teachers, privately educated prima donnas and the odd farmer,” he writes.
And;
“Over his 40 years in the Dáil, Enda Kenny had never rocked a single boat. He was instinctively on the conservative wing of the party. His father had been a close friend and political ally of Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave, a man whose views were always on the right of the political spectrum,” he adds.
Apparently:
He said they needed to make up their minds quickly whether we would be Trojan horses in this political coalition or converts to conservatism. It was not a dilemma they ever really sorted out.
Well there’s a surprise…
Apparently FG are none too pleased with the memoir being published.
I’ve heard a few stories about Ross being the butt of many jokes in cabinet meetings, over Stepaside and the like, that he never took kindly to. I’m sure this tome is a bit of revenge.
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Clearly there’s no love lost between him and them. But what did he expect?
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Regina Doherty really angry with him on radio yesterday – though she said, teacher-style, she was ‘disappointed’. Ross’s attitude was ‘I’m a journalist. What did you expect?’like the scorpion in the fable.
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Can’t say I’m a fan but I almost admire that response by him. I once had a chat with him years back where in passing I suggested he would be right of centre. He wasn’t affronted but he did disagree. I still figure he’s right of centre. 🙂
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His centre is probably somewhere quite different to yours?
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“privately educated prima donnas”
Sez a man who went to Rugby.
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The whole thing drips irony.
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