Bombshell of the year
Leo Varadkar’s resignation in March.
Good turn of the year
Leo Varadkar’s resignation in March.
When he stepped down as taoiseach upon his return from Washington, Fine Gael was in the doldrums. Leo recognised this and also knew he hadn’t the fight in him for another general election.
By stepping aside, he made way for keen-as-mustard Simon Harris who delivered on his promise to bring a new energy to the party. Unfortunately for Simon, he wore himself out in the process and by the time the election arrived he was absolutely knackered.
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Leaving wily old Micheál Martin to saunter up on the inside, bagging the most seats and bragging rights for Fianna Fáil.
Quote of the year
Fine Gael Senator John Cummins had flown beneath our radar for what may have been a stellar career in the upper house, but he’s John Cummins TD now. Perhaps this bit from a pre-election flyer where he castigated Sinn Féin over aspects of its housing policy got him over the line in Waterford.
“Sinn Féin have as much strategic direction as a goose in a tumble dryer.”
But Cummins is just pipped for the award by former Green TD Paul Gogarty, returning to the Dáil this week as an Independent to tell the house what he thinks of the current shower.
“The outgoing government had a chance to put in something new, but so far it looks like a cold lukewarm cup of tea with a bag still in it at a convenience store in Thurles.”
Welcome back, GoGo. We missed you.
Unexpected utterance of the year in the Seanad
Senator Micheal McDowell SC to Cathaoirleach (and now newly elected TD for Cork South Central) Jerry Buttimer: “I share with you a devotion to Marty Whelan.”
Order of St Patrick
To the 33rd Dáil, for bestowing upon us a blessed trinity of three taoisigh in the one government: Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris. And with the 34th Dáil on course to stick with the rotating taoiseach feature when a government is eventually formed, another triple rotation is not beyond the bounds of possibility if the next administration stays the full course.
Nostradamus will never be dead
“May I also say, Leo, that I enjoyed your reflections as you spoke earlier this morning which could be the beginning of a book or a publication in terms of your time in office. And I won’t say I await that with trepidation.”
That was Micheál Martin speaking in the Dáil on the day Leo Varadkar formally resigned as taoiseach – three weeks after he announced on the steps of Government Buildings that he was stepping down.
And guess what? Before the year ended Leo had signed that book deal.
Now here’s Mary Lou McDonald in June after Jack Chambers of Commerce was appointed Minister for Finance: “The country has had enough of Fine Gael in power, enough of Fianna Fáil propping them up… A general election is coming; it cannot come soon enough. When it does, Sinn Féin will make its case and the people will make their choice,” she declared.
“Today, as one minister moves on and another minister moves in, one thing is certain: everything will remain exactly the same”.
Which is pretty much how it turned out.
Quickest split of the year
A last-gasp winner on the last Dáil day of 2024 from Ruth Coppinger of the People Before Profit-Solidarity alliance.
In her first utterances in the chamber since returning to national politics, the Solidarity TD said she would be abstaining in the vote on Sinn Féin’s nomination of Mary Lou McDonald for taoiseach.
Speaking straight after her, a rather peeved looking Richard Boyd-Barrett said his party, People Before Profit, would be voting for Sinn Féin “because we believe parties on the left have an obligation to end 100 years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and put together the first left-wing government this State has ever seen”.
Ruth then left the chamber without speaking to her comrade, who looked daggers at her as she departed.
Foreign agent of the year
Who is Agent Cobalt? Will he be unmasked next year?
The Sunday Times brought news in October of an Oireachtas member allegedly in the pay of Putin and operating undercover in Leinster House. There was talk of a “honeypot”. Rampant speculation centred on the Seanad and a member of the upper house, leading to a session where a string of senators took turns to stand up and bravely proclaim: “I am not Spartacus!” – or words to that effect.
And with Seanad elections in the offing, will Agent Cobalt be neutralised in the shake-out?
Non-government (for now) politician of the year
Veteran Sligo Independent TD Marion Harkin was an excellent advocate on local transport, health, disability and other issues. She spoke on nearly every order of business to raise them and while she framed her contributions from a Sligo-Leitrim perspective, she frequently linked her concerns to national needs.
Honourable mention for Sinn Féin’s Tommy Gould, whose passionate speech about the war in Gaza on the day the Dáil voted to recognise the state of Palestine was a highlight. He brings that same passion – often in a highly entertaining fashion – to all matters pertaining to Cork North Central. Together with Limerick’s Richard O’Donoghue of Independent Ireland they serve as a Dáil reminder that there is more to Munster than just Kerry.
Do you want the good news or the bad news?
Congratulations to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns for giving birth to a gorgeous baby girl on polling day. Great timing. And kudos to Holly for taking the leave to enjoy it.
Commiserations to the Social Democrats for losing one of its new TDs before the new Dáil even convened. Eoin Hayes, who pulled off a stunning victory in Dublin Bay South, was suspended from the party after he misled it and the media about the time he disposed of shares in a controversial US company which supplies military technology to the Israel Defense Forces.
Contemplative order of the Monk
This is shared by a few. Among the honorees is Fine Gael’s unsuccessful election candidate in Louth, outgoing senator John McGahon, who went to ground (rather like the man he punched repeatedly during a fight outside a pub six years ago) when video footage of the brawl resurfaced during the campaign. Taoiseach Simon Harris faced repeated questions about the appropriateness of putting McGahon on the party ticket while his candidate said nothing.
Less controversial was the lack of communication by his European election candidate, former champion jockey Nina Carberry. Nina appeared to have taken a vow of silence when it came to facing the media. It did her no harm at all as she got elected anyway.
As for Gerry Hutch, the Dublin crime boss known as The Monk, he stood for election in November and had no bother talking to anyone, apart from RTÉ’s tenacious crime correspondent Paul Reynolds.
The Monk nearly got elected.
Jawdropper of the Year
The exquisitely bog-standard little Leinster House bike stand. A steal at €336,000.
Election one-upmanship, Cork South Central-style
During the European election campaign in June, former tánaiste and Fine Gael deputy leader Simon Coveney was photographed on a horse. During the general election campaign in November, Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was photographed on a buffalo.
Luvvie of the year
Socialist to the stars, Clare Daly of Independents4Change attracted some high-powered celebrity endorsements when she sought re-election to the European Parliament. Hollywood actors Susan Sarandon and John Cusack and singer Annie Lennox backed her campaign.
Clare still didn’t win a seat.
Couples choice
One couple exited the Dáil, a new couple took their place and an old couple failed to make a triumphant return.
Outgoing Minister for the Arts, Catherine Martin, and her husband and fellow Green Party member Francis Noel Duffy, both lost their seats. Meanwhile, Cllr Maeve O’Connell was elected a first-time TD in Catherine’s constituency of Dublin Rathdown and she now joins husband Colm Brophy in Dublin South West (where Francis Noel lost his seat) on the Fine Gael benches.
The left-wing power duo Click, aka Clare Daly (Dublin) and Mick Wallace (Ireland South), failed to get re-elected to the European Parliament in June. They regrouped after their disappointments and tried to get re-elected to Dáil Éireann in June.
But no luck there either.
Perhaps they might run for the presidency as a matching pair.
Tin ear award for getting it arseways
The Government for its woeful handling of the family and care referendums.
The electorate administered a punishment beating. Thing is, they didn’t seem to care. Canvassing was almost non-existent. Information was sadly lacking and when it was advanced, it was garbled and unconvincing.
Senator of the year
Michael McDowell, who recognised the shortcomings in the proposals and the government’s ham-fisted attempts to explain them to increasingly dubious voters. He took the campaign by the scruff of the neck and did what the Coalition failed to do – he brought the people with him.
The Government went down in flames on both referendum questions.
Tribute of the year
Danny Healy-Rae, speaking from the heart in February during an emotional Dáil tribute to the late Irish Times parliamentary correspondent Michael O’Regan, could pay no higher accolade than this:
“He was one of the best Kerrymen that ever came out of Kerry.”
And so he was.
Comeback kid
Former minister of state and TD for Longford-Westmeath Kevin “Boxer” Moran made a triumphant return to local politics in June and followed up with a triumphant return to Dáil Éireann where he immediately found himself in contention for a job in the next government as a leading light of the new Regional Independents group.
Winners
Verona Murphy landed the coveted Ceann Comhairle’s chair as the Taoiseach and Tánaiste showered the Regional Independents with tokens of loyalty and generosity to underline their willingness to enter into a respectful coalition with them.
Young Jack Chambers could do no wrong. Micheál Martin promoted him to the deputy leadership of Fianna Fáil and also made him Minister for Finance, despite his lack of experience in a money department and uninspiring media outings.
His overwrought performance on Virgin Media’s Tonight programme when he continually shouted down Coalition colleague Hildegarde Naughton while Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty looked on in delight was a general election treat.
The Greens may have been trounced in the polls but the party managed to get a fair amount of policies implemented or part-implemented despite strong and frequently unfair pushback from Government backbenchers and more senior figures dissing them behind their backs.
And Fianna Fáil has emerged victorious in the dogfight with Fine Gael for post-election possession of the prized fourth-floor party meeting room in Leinster House. They were gleefully evicted in 2011 by the party which is now their partner in government.
Fianna Fáil now has 10 more seats than Fine Gael. New Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy signed their occupied territory over to them on Friday.
Survivor of the year
The award goes to Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman who endured a torrid year of abuse and insults while trying to get to grips with the myriad issues thrown up by his hydra-headed Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
He is the last Green TD standing after all his colleagues lost their seats in a brutal electoral clear-out.
Politician of the year
This award looked nailed on from early out when Simon Harris made a spectacular start as the new Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, but that ship – already looking a bit battered – sailed in a supermarket in Kanturk near the end of the election when Harris dealt brusquely with a care worker who wanted to talk to him.
It was an unfortunate lapse and very much out of character and the Taoiseach’s happy-clappy image took a severe knock. So did the Fine Gael campaign, which was specifically constructed around approachable everyman Harris and his new energy.
It was a mishap-strewn campaign. He will be back in government next year having learned a harsh, but very valuable lesson.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald had a difficult year dealing with party scandals and personal health issues while poll figures declined. However, she rallied and led from the front in the election campaign, halting the slide.
But the winner has to be Micheál Martin, who delivered the goods when the chips were down.
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