Test for the Government is to survive the presidency

AS 2013 progresses, a problematic side-effect of Ireland’s six-month EU presidency will become obvious.

The presidency is a huge logistical challenge. It consumes the attention of senior officials and their ministers. People in demanding roles are double-jobbing. Much of government is put on hold.

If the Irish system is temporarily distracted, the beleaguered political system will be sorely tested. In any government, there may be a cast of hundreds, but a dozen people count. Only some of them are politicians. Their attention will be focused on EU business.