Miriam Lord: Varadkar plays ‘fake news’ card over Cabinet grumbles

Donald? Maybe he’s not the worst.

If dudemeister Macron likes him, Trump can’t be all bad. The French and US presidents seemed to be getting on like a house on fire in Washington this week.

So if it’s good enough for Emmanuel Macron (wonder what Justin Trudeau thinks?) well then, it surely must be good enough for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

The Donald is also on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world today. He's up there with Emmanuel and Justin and Leo.

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Furthermore, the Taoiseach was glad to have Trump to call upon in the Dáil on Wednesday when asked a question about grumpy Ministers and Cabinet hissy fits. He shot the subject down with a move taken right from the US president’s playbook.

“Fake news,” declared Varadkar.

He had been asked by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan about a reported row in Cabinet over judicial appointments. Apparently the Minister for Justice was very annoyed at what he saw as attempted interference by the Minister for Posh Hockey in his decision to appoint the next president of the Court of Appeal.

But Shane Ross, aka Winston Churchtown, is much more than a mere Minister for Posh Hockey, Stepaside Garda station and Transport. He is also figurehead of the Independent Alliance group, Varadkar’s cherished Government partner. This association has allowed him certain expectations, one of which is that his Judicial Appointments Bill will be passed into law by the summer.

Clear-the-air session

In the meantime, Winston feels he can meddle in what the Minister for Justice believes is his business. Or at least that’s the way an irritated Charlie Flanagan viewed it at a private pre-Cabinet clear-the-air session on Tuesday between the Taoiseach, the Attorney General, Charlie, Winston Churchtown and his faithful batman, Finian McGrath.

When these little spats occur in Cabinet, they don’t stay in Cabinet. Somebody always blabs. And it’s usually to a journalist – first-hand or at a close remove.

This week’s minor contretemps over appointing a judge wasn’t long reaching the press.

"It was claimed afterwards that Mr Flanagan threatened to resign as a consequence of the dispute. But he later denied this," wrote Sarah Bardon in this newspaper on Wednesday.

Ryan, a former minister, was quite alarmed when he read her report of “a further row where the Minister for Justice is saying he has the authority to propose the appointment of judges and that there can be no veto of the appointments”.

Kicking up a fuss and muttering about resigning is a far different kettle of fish to actually resigning

The leader of the Green Party asked the Taoiseach how this could be if Cabinet rules had been altered; and, if so, where did this leave collective responsibility and collective authority?

“If you’re a member of Cabinet you have that power to be able to say ‘No’,” he pointed out. This, in his understanding of the law, means that any Minister has the right to stop an appointment.

“Has that changed?” If so, Varadkar would have to amend the Cabinet handbook, or rule book.

Leo moved to assuage his fears.

“There has been a lot of fake news on the front pages this week,” he explained, without troubling Ryan with the actual detail.

Unanimous decision

There would be no need to change the Cabinet handbook, because the decision to appoint the new president of the Court of Appeal was unanimous.

The Taoiseach didn’t address the unanimity or otherwise of the rancour at his pre-Cabinet loggerheads between Winston Churchtown and Charlie Flanagan.

We wondered what part of the story was he labelling “fake news”. Was Flanagan threatening to resign fake? Or was his denial that he threatened to resign fake?

“I think it’s the third time I’ve read a story in a newspaper in the past three or four weeks about a Cabinet Minister threatening to resign, but I’ve have yet to have one do so,” continued the Taoiseach, who clearly has a lot to learn about the ancient art of political shape-throwing.

Kicking up a fuss and muttering about resigning is a far different kettle of fish to actually resigning.

"This is more fake news, I'm afraid. This time it was in The Irish Times, it was the Irish Examiner earlier on in the week."

Really?

If it is fake news, then he is hanging about with political liars.

But go ahead, Taoiseach. Pin the blame on the media.

If it’s good enough for Donald Trump, it’s darn good enough for you.

Meanwhile, a date for the diary.

Sorry for such short notice. Thank God it’s Friday, because that’s when the Seanad byelection counts begin.

Campaign excitement has been convulsing the nation for weeks now. To snaffle a famous phrase from the British general election in 1970, Seanad byelection candidates have been “going up and down the country stirring up apathy”.

They were talking about nothing else in Leinster House on Wednesday (that’s fake news, it was hardly mentioned). However, it is widely expected that Ian Marshall, former president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union, will take one of the seats. The anti-Brexit unionist has the backing of the Government and the backing of Sinn Féin in full inclusivity mode.

The destination of the second vacant seat on the agriculture panel may be a much closer call. Former Fianna Fáil TD Niall Blaney has been seen as the frontrunner all along, but on Wednesday night, it emerged that Sinn Féin is seriously considering backing Anthony Lawlor, a former Fine Gael TD for Kildare.

It seems the Shinners are fed up with Fianna Fail “bad-mouthing” them at every opportunity while Fine Gael is being nicer to them these days.

That’ll be a turn-up for the books.

If anybody notices.