Kenny’s reshuffle a case of the gun and the olive branch

“I GOT a good belt of that olive branch, didn’t I?” Fergus O’Dowd joked as Enda Kenny unveiled his attempt at post-heave healing.

But Mr O’Dowd was the only rebel with anything to smile about as he was actually promoted from transport to education in the reshuffle, while other plotters were expected to be grateful to be kept on at all.

The delicate balancing act of revenge and redemption doled out by Enda Kenny saw six of the 11 frontbench rebels, including Brian Hayes, Denis Naughten and Michael Creed, damned to the wilderness, while the archly ambitious Leo Varadkar had his wings clipped with demotion from enterprise to energy, while Simon Coveney was left dangling in the breeze until the announcement was made that he would take transport.