The budget has come and gone. Well, it was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it?
The overwhelming consensus around Leinster House (always a dangerous thing, mind you) yesterday was that Paschal Donohoe had delivered a budget that was savvy enough and safe enough to merit admiration, however grudging. He kept enough people content and did not make enemies.
The question on the day after a budget is always: Is there a landmine? Has it blown up? Beyond some grumbling, there’s none so far. He breezed through the traditional RTE phone–in yesterday.
A series of pieces in The Irish Times continues our coverage of the budget today. Often the second day is more informative because we have more time to consider the measures. Kitty Holland looks at the plans to build social housing, Carl O'Brien is on the education package, Hugh Linehan on culture and Martin Wall has a detailed piece on the cost of public sector pensions.
Sarah Burns reports a developing row on mental health funding, while Harry McGee looks at all the things that were promised but didn't make it into the budget in the end.
But politically, nobody was howling too loud or too convincingly yesterday. Donohoe hasn’t had to say: “We’ll look at that in the Finance Bill”. That makes the budget a qualified success. Government politicians always hope the budget will transform their fortunes; more likely is it undermines them. But Donohoe avoided both outcomes.
In doing so, he has firmly established his position as the most powerful finance minister since the pomp of Charlie McCreevy. It has been quite the meteoric rise. People forget that he was half-expected to lose his seat at the last election.
However, Donohoe took ministerial and then Cabinet office as a first-termer on the back of colleagues’ misfortunes. He clung onto his seat. He backed the winner in the Fine Gael leadership contest – ignoring suggestions, if the rumour mill is half correct, from both Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan that he should run himself – and now occupies the second and third most powerful positions in the leadership of the country.
Finance ministers have usually been big personalities, often dominating many aspects and areas of Government. Sometimes, like Noonan and McCreevy, policy seemed almost an expression of their personalities.
Paschal is different. His cheerful and courteous disposition is evident to all; those who have sat in rooms negotiating with him are as familiar with his sticky determination and flinty persistence when he chooses.
Moreover, he is a realist and a quick learner. He has been rolled over a few times as Minister for Public Expenditure (on the Garda pay issue, for one), but that will be harder in future. Much harder, I think.
More importantly for those of us trying to report, interpret and explain to people how they are governed, his power across Government has been extended and his treasury of political capital greatly augmented in recent days.
Such is the Tao of Paschal Donohoe.
