An outdated process - Change the system not the Cabinet

THE idea of a Cabinet reshuffle seems to be gaining momentum, but whether Taoiseach Brian Cowen will be swept along in the excitement remains to be seen.

If Mr Cowen’s natural conservatism prevents him from making substantial changes, then the relatively limited alternatives may convince him that caution is again the better part of valour. Dipping into a relatively shallow gene pool and constrained by the fact that anyone to whom he offers a Cabinet post must be a member of the Oireachtas, Mr Cowen does not seem to have too many game-changers waiting on the subs’ bench. If he, as he certainly would, factors in party interests by recognising geographical expectations his options are even less alluring. This is one of the consequences of our electoral system where the cut-throat turf wars and overriding local demands produces, by and large, under-qualified and overstretched politicians who are not natural catalysts for change.

This may be why we were among the very last of the last century’s new democracies to adopt it.