Children’s hospital overrun: Key ministers on thin line between being characterised as fools or knaves

THE single issue arising for the Government from the nurses’ strike and the rolling debacle of the National Children’s Hospital is competence, writes Gerard Howlin.

It’s the essential quality people look for in government. Fine Gael had it from 1995-1997. It lost it afterwards — spectacularly so in the 2002 general election. Compensating taxi drivers and Eircom shareholders, made Fianna Fáil’s promise of medical cards for over-70s look like fiscal prudence. In 2007 when voters dearly wished to be rid of Fianna Fáil, they balked in the final week of the campaign, because Enda Kenny couldn’t put the ball into the back of the net of an open goal.