'I'm as motivated as I've ever been': Simon Coveney firmly focused on next general election

The Cork South Central TD scotches rumours of a move to Cork East, or Europe, and wants the people of Ireland to realise just how good they have it

Simon Coveney: 'I have no difficulty getting up in the morning to go to work. I'm very driven. I always have been in politics, and I still am.' Picture: Dan Linehan

Simon Coveney has spent exactly half of his 50 years in politics, and he is not going anywhere.

The Fine Gael TD may have moved to a home outside his own constituency boundary for "family reasons" but he is "loyal" to those he serves in Cork South Central.

"I think it's important to put that into context [moving house]. I mean, I'm looking at my constituency, I live a couple of hundred yards from Cork South Central," he says.

Mr Coveney claims he has never been more committed to politics but warns Irish people perhaps do not realise how good they have it and his party will have to work hard to reinforce that message.

He has also firmly ruled out a coalition with Sinn Féin, saying Mary Lou McDonald's party is "not compatible" with Fine Gael.

"I don't believe that a Fine Gael-Sinn Féin government would last."

The father-of-three sparked political rumours he might run in Cork East after recently purchasing Ballynoe House in Cobh.

The departure of long-serving TD David Stanton only added fuel to the gossip flames, as the upcoming vacancy now provides Coveney with an easy transition to Cork East.

Simon Coveney sparked political rumours he might run in Cork East after recently purchasing Ballynoe House in Cobh.

However, he strongly rules this out and instead points to a number of very promising councillors in the area who he hopes will "make the choice to step up and run".

He insists the move across constituency boundaries to the five-bed home set on about six acres was solely to provide more room for his family.

"I didn't move house just to move constituency.

"The reason why I moved was for family reasons, for my children mainly, but I'm still very connected to Cork South Central, my office is on the main street in Carrigaline, I'm in and out of Cork South Central when I'm in Cork all the time and we're as busy as we've ever been in the office.

"I'm as motivated as I've ever been," Mr Coveney says when asked about his intentions for the next general election.

A move to Europe, which has also been speculated after his tenure in the Department of Foreign Affairs, is also off the agenda, at least for now.

That's certainly not the plan. Who knows what the future holds? I mean, I'd be a fool to just sort of rule things out categorically, but I don't see myself as a European Commissioner in the foreseeable future."

Coveney, while committed to his party, has undoubtedly seen his standing within Fine Gael diminish since losing out to Leo Varadkar in the 2017 leadership race.

If he were to make another try for the top slot - he gives the standard answer that there is currently no vacancy - he would likely have the younger contenders of Simon Harris, Helen McEntee, and possibly Peter Burke or Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to take on.

His performance in this Government could be described as patchy, having inflicted significant damage on both his own personal reputation and that of Fine Gael with the Zapponegate controversy.

Instead of quashing the matter, he fanned the flames in the summer of 2021 when he suggested that the botched appointment of Katherine Zappone as UN special envoy was "a relatively minor issue" pointing out in a radio interview that he had just come back from Africa where he had been working on human rights issues linked to our role in the Security Council.

Coveney, however, did well in Foreign Affairs and gained respect for his quiet but effective approach to the Brexit protocol issue.

But in his current role, he was seen to have judged things wrong again when in February he claimed Ireland was over the worst of the tech sector layoffs.

'Coveney clause'

Coveney was viewed as one of the more conservative voices around the Cabinet table when a repeal of the Eighth Amendment was being discussed ahead of what would eventually result in a historic referendum result.

So much so that some within the previous government dubbed the insertion of the three-day wait period for abortion services as "the Coveney clause".

This reflection period has again come up for discussion following the publication of an independent review of abortion care in this country.

Last week, the report's author Marie O'Shea told an Oireachtas committee there was no legal or medical reason to retain the mandatory wait time and has suggested that it instead be made optional.

When it is put to Coveney that the three-day wait period has not worked well, he quickly says: "I don't think anyone has said that it has not worked well.

"I mean, not everybody has been interviewed in relation to people who've had abortions in Ireland in recent years."

He still believes the three-day clause was still the right thing to do.

"I advocated for a yes vote in the referendum on the basis of clarity around the legislation that we were going to pass, and I think that was the right decision now and I think it was the right decision then.

"I thought then, and I think now, that a reflection period on a decision as significant as a termination of pregnancy was an important part of a piece of legislation," he says before adding that he, of course, will have an open mind to listen to counter-arguments.

"But I believe that that was the right thing to do then, and I still think it has an important role to play today."

Simon Coveney: 'The way in which Ireland is seen from abroad is often not reflected in the way in which many people in Ireland see ourselves.'

As Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, he sees his job as ensuring we continue to have a strong economy where young Irish people have career options when they leave school or college and do not have to emigrate.

But with unemployment figures now at a record low, ensuring the workforce is there to meet demand from employers is a challenge he faces.

He says the first priority is to try to fill roles with Irish people who may be looking for work and he will not be moving to open up the visa system to those arriving here from Georgia.

I don't believe that we should move to a work permit system that simply allows anybody who wants to come to Ireland to come to work here."

Instead, a "balancing of needs" is required, particularly given the pressures we already have on housing and other services in this country.

He adds: "I don't envisage that we're going to do something special for Georgia. I don't think we should necessarily cross over people who are coming here seeking international protection with work permits. They are two separate systems and we need to keep them separate for good reason.

'You can't have an open-door migration policy'

"You can't have an open-door migration policy, particularly when you have housing pressures like we have, and when you have population growth at the pace that we have. So we need to be sensible about how we manage that."

While housing and healthcare are still serious issues that need to be addressed, he suggests Irish people sometimes do not recognise how good of a place the country is now in.

"The way in which Ireland is seen from abroad is often not reflected in the way in which many people in Ireland see ourselves. 

I think one of the challenges for the Government is to turn what is an extraordinary economic success story into contentment across Irish society. Ireland is actually doing quite well.

"I think that will be a big focus for Fine Gael going into the next general election cycle."

It's an election Coveney is very much focused on, despite rumours to the contrary.

"I have no difficulty getting up in the morning to go to work. I'm very driven. I always have been in politics, and I still am," he insists.