Tánaiste rejects reshuffle claims and vows to hold onto ministry

UNDER-FIRE Tánaiste Mary Coughlan yesterday made what amounted to a public plea to keep her job as speculation she would be made to carry the can for the Government’s election rout intensified.

The Trade and Employment Minister insisted the Taoiseach had never accused her of being out of her depth in the role and there were no plans for a cabinet reshuffle.

However, Ms Coughlan went out of her way to counter criticism from within Fianna Fáil that she has failed in her key economic position.

Despite an outspoken attack on her abilities by her sacked deputy John McGuinness and other rumblings of discontent regarding her record from within the Fianna Fáil ranks, Ms Coughlan insisted she still had the full confidence of the Taoiseach because he had never told her she was putting in a poor performance.

“I can tell you one thing about that man [Cowen], if you are not up to the job he will certainly tell you – and he hasn’t done so,” she told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland as she offered a lengthy list of reasons why she felt she had done well in her role over the past year.

Ms Coughlan, who was responsible for Fianna Fáil candidate selection at the local elections, admitted the party had achieved a “huge negative” result.

Ms Coughlan said she wanted to hold on to her employment portfolio, but was less forthright on the question of remaining Tánaiste, which she acknowledged was an office in the gift of the Taoiseach.

However, Ms Coughlan dismissed talk of her being demoted in an autumn reshuffle, saying she knew of no such plans by the Taoiseach to shake up his top team.

Ms Coughlan’s abrasive style has ruffled feathers in the Fianna Fáil party and her attitude at a crisis meeting following the October emergency budget was cited by TD Joe Behan as one of his reasons for resigning from the party.

Sacked minister John McGuinness said he had told the Tánaiste that she was not up to the job when he was her deputy at the Department of Enterprise because he believed she had turned her back on struggling small firms and did not understand how the economy worked.

Ms Coughlan is known to be personally close to the Taoiseach and any demotion of her in the expected autumn reshuffle will be a difficult decision for him to make.