‘Ministerial visits abroad really matter’
On Tuesday, he will visit US president Barack Obama at the White House and then go to a lunch on Capitol Hill.
My experience of White House visits in the Clinton and Bush eras is of the extraordinary access provided. Politics and business may be driven by interests and not friendships, but a huge part of those interests is based on impressions that key people make.
It matters that global leaders can look at our politicians and make a judgement. Personal relationships support institutional ones. Summitry has been going on since the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon. “She came to prove him with hard questions”, according 1 Kings 10:1.
Ministers are uniquely placed to influence at the highest level. It is an irony that as we celebrate President Higgins’ visit to Britain’s Irish community, we carp about ministers doing the same. In far flung parts, it matters that somebody arrives from Government. It matters to Irish communities and it is a means by which we can advance our cause abroad.
St Patrick’s Day is a showcase disproportionate to Ireland’s importance. Given our dependence on exports and investment, it is an opportunity that should be embraced. Perception matters and reaching out to influencers in government, business and media is the bread and butter of Irish business.
I remember vividly the St Patrick’s Day I spent in St Louis in the late 1990s. Over two days, hundreds of the most influential people were reached in a succession of functions. An Irish ministerial visit was front-page news, as well as on radio and television.
The culmination was when the minister, James McDaid, and me, his reluctant adviser, wore outsized tricolour sashes, of the sort favoured by Latin American presidents, to walk at the head of the parade through St Louis. Keep smiling, keep waving and keep the flag flying.
Years later, those White House visits and tours of the offices of Congress leaders were times when real business was done. I saw contacts and traction that Irish diplomats had garnered. But a political presence seals the deal.
It matters that we can get a firsthand impression of American policy at the highest level. Having been in the Oval Office with a Taoiseach, I can attest that these talks go beyond platitudes. If nobody ever doubted Bill Clinton’s command of Irish issues and his commitment to the peace process, George W Bush was a revelation.
Contrary to the caricature, he was as commanding of his brief on the North as he was as clear in his world view. The point was not whether you agreed but that you came away with an impression of a forceful leader who knew what he wanted. Nobody was running the show for him.
On Tuesday morning, Mr Kenny will arrive at the White House and he will present Mr Obama with a bowl of shamrock. Then he and his small party will be led out across a corridor into the Oval Office. The principals will take their seats in armchairs on either side of the fireplace. Irish ambassador Michael Collins and the other officials will sit on the adjoining sofa. The remaining bum is put on a chair at the end. Coffee will be served in exquisite White House China.
And herein lies the conundrum.
In that chair by the end of the sofa, your elbow is at the famous desk. Do you make yourself at home and put your cup and saucer on the President’s desk or do your hold onto it? I held on. It was a value judgement I made about President Bush and I think I was right.
The visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama are proof of the value of engagement abroad. Most ministerial visits this St Patrick’s Day will not be at that level. But they will be influential and they are important. Around the world, Ireland will be celebrated and Ireland’s interests can be advanced. It is a chance to show what Ireland has to give and it must be seized. I wish the Taoiseach and his ministers success in their missions.
* Gerard Howlin is a public affairs consultant and was a government adviser from 1997 to 2007
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