Tánaiste’s resignation - Harney may have done PDs a favour

THE bombshell news that Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney is stepping down as leader of the Progressive Democrats with immediate effect will inevitably cause disarray in the ranks of the junior Government partner, leaving her party facing an uncertain political future.

As widely forecast when she took on the health portfolio, a department once described by fellow Minister Brian Cowen as Angola, where minefields are endemic, it has proved something of a poisoned chalice for the Tánaiste.

Characteristically, however, her desire to remain on as Minister for Health signifies a determination to face up to the daunting challenge of resolving the health crisis unburdened by the weight of the leadership role.