Elaine Loughlin: Martin shows more ruthless side than Harris but overall, Cabinet is 'very male'

Micheál Martin’s unexpected Cabinet picks shock many, but concerns over gender imbalance and disappointments within Fianna Fáil emerge

President Michael D Higgins and the new Cabinet at Áras an Uachtaráin. Picture: Maxwells

With a raft of surprise appointments and demotions, Micheál Martin has made Simon Harris' ministerial choices seem boring.

In choosing his picks for Cabinet, Micheál Martin blindsided political journalists and many within his own party with his selection of department positions, shredding up columns of informed speculation across print and online.