Michael Noonan communicated solidity, reliability and wisdom during his time as finance minister, according to former Labour TD Pat Rabbitte, who served alongside him in government.
On the latest Inside Business podcast, he joins Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy and Cliff Taylor for an analysis of Minister Noonan's legacy and who will be his likely successor at the department of finance.
Current Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe would have to be seen as the front-runner, Mr Rabbitte said, but Richard Bruton could also be a contender, after pledging his support for Leo Varadkar early on in his bid for the Fine Gael leadership.
“Richard Bruton genuinely surprised everyone, including, I believe, Leo Varadkar, by his early and definitive announcement. He could be a candidate for Minister for Finance, he would be more conservative than Michael Noonan.”
The real question for whoever becomes the next finance minister is whether or not to put prudence above purpose, according to Danny McCoy. The economy is crying out for the latter, he said, “in terms of ambitions, in terms of housing, infrastructure around the country and in terms of how to deal with Brexit.”
In the final part of the show, Davin O'Dwyer and Laura Slattery speak about the announcements made at Apple's conference earlier this week and how Netflix is managing to stay ahead of the competition.
