Government in a spin as Garth reshuffles political news

IN A week when the Dáil’s set piece theatre of Leaders Questions was reduced to the status of Leaders Stetsons, the Cabinet reshuffle was in danger of becoming a sideshow to a country singer’s no show.

Indeed, concern that the petulant posturing of Garth Brooks could steal the headlines even delayed the much trumpeted attempted relaunch of the Government.

Despite a real sense of drift for the past three months as sectional, petty party interest in the local and Euro elections, then Labour’s self-indulgently long leadership contest gave the Coalition the look of a caretaker government, the Government clearly did not know how to take care of its own image as the Cabinet carve-up shows.