Dysfunctional?

There’s a former Independent, who wound up in government some time back, of whom one would hear it said they never saw a microphone they didn’t like the look of. That thought came to mind reading the following reports:

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has moved to clarify remarks he made that suggested talks were ongoing between the Minister for Education and teaching unions on schools reopening.

In a comment posted on Twitter, Minister Donnelly explained that the talks “had concluded” and the Government “intends on making an announcement” on school reopenings after Cabinet this afternoon. 

And:

His suggestion on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live last night that talks were ongoing, less than 24 hours before the Cabinet was due to make a major announcement on the topic, prompted the Labour education spokesman Aodhán Ó Ríordáin to characterise the Government as “dysfunctional”.

This line about dysfunction is being bandied about a lot in relation to the government this last while. And understandably so, as it happens. Messaging, even simply keeping its story straight, appears to be a challenge too far for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in particular. Why would a Minister for Health appear on a television programme and have to clarify remarks on something so fundamental? Why is there a seeming lack of communication between An Taoiseach and the Tánaiste? One has to wonder is this a function of the very nature of the government itself? And that raises the question as to whether all the often expressed sentiments that ‘four years are a long time’ and matters will improve for FF in polls or FG will be there or thereabouts to lead the next one are somewhat overly positive…