Harney was impressive in her day but her legacy leaves a lot to be desired

IN justifying his decision in 2007 to enter government Green Party leader John Gormley cited advice given to him during coalition negotiations by Mary Harney, a woman who at that stage had been a senior minister for 10 years (and who had been a junior minister earlier in her career).

Harney told him that even the worst day in government was better than the best day in opposition. I wonder if she still thinks that now after the disasters that have been experienced during this Fianna Fáil/Green/Independent (the latter being her, nominally at least given that she has shown more loyalty to Fianna Fáil than many in the party) coalition.

She had plenty of time to consider the last three and a half years of misery during her recent holiday in Thailand. Even if she was basking in considerable physical comfort — she’d want to be at a reported cost of up to €434 per night for rooms in the Peninsula Hotel she shared with her husband Brian Geoghegan — she must be tortured mentally by what she has participated in politically as the economy crumbled.