Paul Hosford: Healy-Rae resignation a shock but not a fatal blow for Government
After his announcement, Mr Healy-Rae went to the Taoiseach's office to hand in his letter of resignation, but was forced to wait as Mr Martin was on a scheduled phone call with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney. Picture: Collins
Michael Healy-Rae's resignation came as a shock. Indeed, both Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris only found out when it happened.
A spokesperson for Mr Martin said there had been no prior warning and that both Mr Martin and Mr Harris had found out about the resignation as it happened.
After his announcement, Mr Healy-Rae went to the Taoiseach's office to hand in his letter of resignation, but was forced to wait as Mr Martin was on a scheduled phone call with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney.
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Mr Martin had been due to meet Mr Carney in Ottawa on Monday, a trip which was postponed as the Government scrambled to put together a €505m package of tax reliefs on fuel in a bid to quell angry protests which swept across the country last week.
As Sinn Féin put forward its motion of no confidence in his Government, the Taoiseach may well have wished he had boarded the new government jet to head to the Great White North — with or without a meeting with Mr Carney on the books — when word reached him of his minister's departure.
Mr Healy-Rae's resignation was not just about the Government, but its leadership, and he was keen to make that known.
"When I see people begging on the side of the road, when I see grown men crying last night inside in the Plough Bar and when I met tractormen, lorrymen, and farmers who were telling me how unhappy they were, the leader of the country should have listened.
"Because of the fact I believe this Government has let the people of Ireland down, I will be voting no confidence in the leader of the country and I will be tendering my resignation as a Minister of State from now."
He put his decision down in part to a prayer to his deceased father, Jackie Healy-Rae, who himself navigated many a tricky political water.
"I remember my late father today. He supported governments when things were bad and things were tough. Last night before I went to bed, I asked him what should I do.
Since his brother Danny had called for new leadership in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on local radio in Kerry on Monday, speculation had been rife that he would vote against the Government in Tuesday's no-confidence motion, which posed the same question of the younger Healy-Rae.
While he had not stated his intentions, Seán Canney, the leader of the Independents group in Government — Mr Healy-Rae operated separately — was keen on Sunday to point out that Mr Healy-Rae had been in negotiations all weekend on the final shape of the excise package, evidently keen to remind the Kerry man of his obligations to the Government.
Some in Government had questioned the utility of having a deal with Michael Healy-Rae if Danny wasn't also inside the tent. Surely the price for one vote could not be as high as a junior ministerial role, they argued.
Indeed, up to Monday, Mr Healy-Rae's office was sending emails to confirm his support for the Government, but that all changed in The Plough Bar in Milltown, Co Kerry, he said.
"There are people who cried at the protests. These were workers. These were respectable people. They are the people I represented since the first day I started. Any day I get up, I do not mean to hurt, offend, or do harm to anybody.
"When I canvassed in the election of 2016, people asked me in Kerry if we got an opportunity to go into government, would we? I said I would if the opportunity was right and it was good for the people of Kerry.
So the Government ships two votes in support of its agenda and while the name and circumstances felt explosive, the confidence vote was easily won, with the Government having a 14-seat majority once buttons were to be hit.
Despite some online commentary and a lot of pressure, Government TDs were never likely to collapse themselves over an issue which had been pinned on their parties.
Turkeys don't often vote for Christmas.
But what was more telling was that none of Mr Healy-Rae's Independent colleagues joined in his defection. The so-called Lowry group all voted with the Government, standing in a sweltering kitchen and handling the heat.
Further scrutiny is expected from Fianna Fáil backbenchers and junior ministers. Some have laid blame for the week’s events at the feet of what one TD described as “a group at the top which never believes they are wrong”, criticising a lack of “humility” in ministerial contributions to the fuel costs debate.
This week and Mr Healy-Rae's departure have wounded the Government, though not fatally. How deep those scars run will play out over the coming weeks.
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