Embattled Reilly deserves praise for some unheralded achievements
It says a lot about this minster’s shockingly poor reputation that any word of approval seems misplaced and unwarranted. During his period in office this Fine Gael minister must have broken records for the amount of controversies in which he has been involved. At times he has appeared to be a magnet for anything going around that could cause trouble for the Government. The latest, and perhaps most damaging of these, the medical card issue, has almost guaranteed his exit from that portfolio in the upcoming reshuffle. It is not just Labour Party politicians calling for his head, but also his own parliamentary party colleagues. First, though, they have to form an orderly queue behind the general public.
What got me going on typing a few words of praise for Dr Reilly was a conversation I had quite recently while attending an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the smoking ban. Dr Reilly was one of the speakers, as was former health minister Micheál Martin. One of the small things that made an impression that day was hearing that the minister displayed no preciousness to organisers at who spoke when, or that a former health minister, Micheál Martin, had equal billing.
