High time to end the Cult of the Leader

[Marlowe]

Policies and their implementation:That is what matters if we are to get out of this mess.There is far too much emphasis on the personality of whoever is,or would be,Taoiseach.For a long time people were saying that Cowen would be a great Taoiseach.This was based not on any analysis of his record in office,or on any new ideas or policies he was initiating,but simply on the perception that he would a 'strong leader'.As we know to our cost the opposite has happened. As Taoiseach,Cowen has called all the shots,with disastrous consequences.Lenihan is simply doing what he is told.Cowen's style is way too dictatorial,and this illustrates the danger of putting all your eggs in the Taoiseach's basket:When he lets the basket fall we are all in deep trouble.
Having watched the FG Ard Fheis coverage this morning and listened to the radio coverage at 1 pm it really struck me that FG have the right idea here;They have plenty of bright spokespeople who are encouraged to develop new policies and ideas,and their emphasis on job protection,job creation and helping SME's,was spot on.
On the radio coverage Fionan Sheehan,who is no great lover of the party,acknowledged that FG were 'in fine fettle' and in his own words,were virtually unique in proposing tough policy measures while in opposition.But he still harped on about Kenny having to prove that he is 'Taoiseach material'. Kenny has proved by the way he has re-organised his party,his front bench,and the stream of policy that is now emanating from his energetic team,that he is exactly that.
John Bruton was lambasted before he became Taoiseach;Just like him,Kenny will prove his critics wrong.I don't care about how he speaks or how he looks or what his hairstyle is like.I want a future for my family,for myself,and for all the good honest hard working people of this country.

[Right is right]

Policies and their implementation:That is what matters if we are to get out of this mess.There is far too much emphasis on the personality of whoever is,or would be,Taoiseach.For a long time people were saying that Cowen would be a great Taoiseach.This was based not on any analysis of his record in office,or on any new ideas or policies he was initiating,but simply on the perception that he would a 'strong leader'.As we know to our cost the opposite has happened. As Taoiseach,Cowen has called all the shots,with disastrous consequences.Lenihan is simply doing what he is told.Cowen's style is way too dictatorial,and this illustrates the danger of putting all your eggs in the Taoiseach's basket:When he lets the basket fall we are all in deep trouble.
Having watched the FG Ard Fheis coverage this morning and listened to the radio coverage at 1 pm it really struck me that FG have the right idea here;They have plenty of bright spokespeople who are encouraged to develop new policies and ideas,and their emphasis on job protection,job creation and helping SME's,was spot on.
On the radio coverage Fionan Sheehan,who is no great lover of the party,acknowledged that FG were 'in fine fettle' and in his own words,were virtually unique in proposing tough policy measures while in opposition.But he still harped on about Kenny having to prove that he is 'Taoiseach material'. Kenny has proved by the way he has re-organised his party,his front bench,and the stream of policy that is now emanating from his energetic team,that he is exactly that.
John Bruton was lambasted before he became Taoiseach;Just like him,Kenny will prove his critics wrong.I don't care about how he speaks or how he looks or what his hairstyle is like.I want a future for my family,for myself,and for all the good honest hard working people of this country.

Marlowe, Marlowe, Marlowe....surely in this age of sound bites, media spin doctors, political pundits etc etc do you really expect people to vote for someone who can actually do the job ahead of someone who can do a sound bite???

[Marlowe]

Marlowe, Marlowe, Marlowe....surely in this age of sound bites, media spin doctors, political pundits etc etc do you really expect people to vote for someone who can actually do the job ahead of someone who can do a sound bite???

Maybe,just maybe,the horrors of this recession will finally make people sit up and realise that unless they take serious interest in how we are governed,this kind of thing will happen over and over again.Old trite comments like 'sure they,re all the same' and 'I wouldn't like the look of that fella',simply won,t do any more.

[Michael Moloney]

Policies and their implementation:That is what matters if we are to get out of this mess.There is far too much emphasis on the personality of whoever is,or would be,Taoiseach.For a long time people were saying that Cowen would be a great Taoiseach.This was based not on any analysis of his record in office,or on any new ideas or policies he was initiating,but simply on the perception that he would a 'strong leader'.As we know to our cost the opposite has happened. As Taoiseach,Cowen has called all the shots,with disastrous consequences.Lenihan is simply doing what he is told.Cowen's style is way too dictatorial,and this illustrates the danger of putting all your eggs in the Taoiseach's basket:When he lets the basket fall we are all in deep trouble.
Having watched the FG Ard Fheis coverage this morning and listened to the radio coverage at 1 pm it really struck me that FG have the right idea here;They have plenty of bright spokespeople who are encouraged to develop new policies and ideas,and their emphasis on job protection,job creation and helping SME's,was spot on.
On the radio coverage Fionan Sheehan,who is no great lover of the party,acknowledged that FG were 'in fine fettle' and in his own words,were virtually unique in proposing tough policy measures while in opposition.But he still harped on about Kenny having to prove that he is 'Taoiseach material'. Kenny has proved by the way he has re-organised his party,his front bench,and the stream of policy that is now emanating from his energetic team,that he is exactly that.
John Bruton was lambasted before he became Taoiseach;Just like him,Kenny will prove his critics wrong.I don't care about how he speaks or how he looks or what his hairstyle is like.I want a future for my family,for myself,and for all the good honest hard working people of this country.

The cult of the leader is just one of the factors at the core of our present economic woes but a very significant one; however I have no doubt that this view would not be shared by many who are part are parcel of the present system.

In the Constitution the Oireachtas is the body which elected by democratic mandate, forms Government and which in turn comes back to the Oireachtas to pass legislation for the benefit of the people of the nation with the safety valve of The President to have proposed legislation tested in the Courts should the occasion arise.

This been the case, one would believe then that from time to time, on seeing events unfold, be it societal or economic ( the property bubble) or some combination of events, that some members of the Legislature would have taken a view that would see them call for a policy shift.

If you consider, up until after the general election of 2007 there was no voice in the Houses of the Oireachtas that could be heard making the case that the whole property speed train was going to end in disaster.

There was no dissent within the Government; with Ahern you had the full flowering of Mara’s famous words from the dark days of the 1980s “Uno voce – Uno duce” but where were the voices in the main opposition parties calling for a policy shift, surly one or two members were taking on board the warnings been issued from commentators such as the ESRI, the Economist and to a lesser extent the Central Bank?

But again, in the opposition parties, all control is with the Leaders, how else can an explanation be found for the lack of participation in debates or controversies outside the Oireachtas by elected members of any party to the many issues confronting our society today?

On Ahern, he dispensed with the need for collective leadership altogether, even more so than CJH, and while one would feel that this was impossibility, the fact is that Haughey allowed certain Ministers get on with policy delivery. Ahern was, in an unseeing manner, the final arbiter, where often a Senior Minister, discovering a change in policy direction in his Department, after hearing comments made by Ahernin public.

The bottom line is that the leader of FF holds all power and once one become’s holder of that office he or she stops been tea boy / door mat for the former incumbent. This is the gulf that exits between the one who sits on the throne and those who sit around his table.

It is critical to understand this, if one wants to make any sense of how we got ourselves into the economic quagmire that we now find ourselves in. From the programme broadcast on Ahern shortly after he stepped down, it was shockingly obvious that the central role of Ahern and the Drumcondra mafia was not the forward progress of the nation, not even that of the Fianna Fail party, but only that of one Bertie Ahern.

If ever there is ever a reason for coming up with an alternative to this type of leadership it is the legacy of Ahern.




Michael Moloney MCC (Indep) Laois CC

[Marlowe]

The cult of the leader is just one of the factors at the core of our present economic woes but a very significant one; however I have no doubt that this view would not be shared by many who are part are parcel of the present system.

In the Constitution the Oireachtas is the body which elected by democratic mandate, forms Government and which in turn comes back to the Oireachtas to pass legislation for the benefit of the people of the nation with the safety valve of The President to have proposed legislation tested in the Courts should the occasion arise.

This been the case, one would believe then that from time to time, on seeing events unfold, be it societal or economic ( the property bubble) or some combination of events, that some members of the Legislature would have taken a view that would see them call for a policy shift.

If you consider, up until after the general election of 2007 there was no voice in the Houses of the Oireachtas that could be heard making the case that the whole property speed train was going to end in disaster.

There was no dissent within the Government; with Ahern you had the full flowering of Mara’s famous words from the dark days of the 1980s “Uno voce – Uno duce” but where were the voices in the main opposition parties calling for a policy shift, surly one or two members were taking on board the warnings been issued from commentators such as the ESRI, the Economist and to a lesser extent the Central Bank?

But again, in the opposition parties, all control is with the Leaders, how else can an explanation be found for the lack of participation in debates or controversies outside the Oireachtas by elected members of any party to the many issues confronting our society today?

On Ahern, he dispensed with the need for collective leadership altogether, even more so than CJH, and while one would feel that this was impossibility, the fact is that Haughey allowed certain Ministers get on with policy delivery. Ahern was, in an unseeing manner, the final arbiter, where often a Senior Minister, discovering a change in policy direction in his Department, after hearing comments made by Ahernin public.

The bottom line is that the leader of FF holds all power and once one become’s holder of that office he or she stops been tea boy / door mat for the former incumbent. This is the gulf that exits between the one who sits on the throne and those who sit around his table.

It is critical to understand this, if one wants to make any sense of how we got ourselves into the economic quagmire that we now find ourselves in. From the programme broadcast on Ahern shortly after he stepped down, it was shockingly obvious that the central role of Ahern and the Drumcondra mafia was not the forward progress of the nation, not even that of the Fianna Fail party, but only that of one Bertie Ahern.

If ever there is ever a reason for coming up with an alternative to this type of leadership it is the legacy of Ahern.




Michael Moloney MCC (Indep) Laois CC

I would agree with a lot of what you are saying,and your assessment of Ahern is spot on. I am heartened by the fact that,firstly,FG under Kenny is now espousing a different kind of leadership,whereby senior spokespersons are given a key role in policy formation and are encouraged to speak their own mind in media debates.I think it is far better that a Taoiseach would be a co-ordinator and team leader rather than the old traditional method of trying to be 'the boss' and promoting his own image and safeguarding his own political security.
What is even more encouraging is FG's willingness to come up with constructive proposals,some of which might be tough and unpopular with some sections,for the good of the country.

[Pauli]

In Switzerland there are 7 Ministers for 7 departments. The "Prime Minister" is chosen from one of these. After a year he/she is rotated and another one comes in for a year. And so on until there are fresh elections. No chance for anyone to develop an ego built on sand and there is far greater accountability as a result . It works for them.

[Marlowe]

In Switzerland there are 7 Ministers for 7 departments. The "Prime Minister" is chosen from one of these. After a year he/she is rotated and another one comes in for a year. And so on until there are fresh elections. No chance for anyone to develop an ego built on sand and there is far greater accountability as a result . It works for them.

It certainly does.Now I don't think we need to go that far here.The problem is that people reduce it to a simplistic arguement like 'should the country be run by Kenny or Cowen or,indeed,Gilmore' and then use shallow and illogical reasons for choosing between them.

[Michael Moloney]

I would agree with a lot of what you are saying,and your assessment of Ahern is spot on. I am heartened by the fact that,firstly,FG under Kenny is now espousing a different kind of leadership,whereby senior spokespersons are given a key role in policy formation and are encouraged to speak their own mind in media debates..

My only observation on FG's leader is that his personal poll ratings and the ongoing negative comments on this fact has to be unnerving him and it is bound to have an effect on his leadership style, but is this more for optics and keeping his colleagues on side, than an actual leadership style that might be termed more ‘Chairman than chief’? (Title to Brian Farrell’s short book on Eamon De Valera’s leadership of FF - early 1970s).

Of course it is unfair to down the man without giving him a chance to see has he got what it takes to run the country but that is a separate matter to that of Party Leader and I feel that he no different to Cowen, Bruton, Rabbitte or Gilmore with everything getting the once over from the Leader's office to avoid upsetting any voting sector. Taking on board the Late Late fiasco of a few weeks ago with regarding who or who not should appear on behalf of FG and also the fact that the Senators received briefing notes from headquarters, lends one to the view that Kenny has his hand firmly on casting and content of his production.

I think it is far better that a Taoiseach would be a co-ordinator and team leader rather than the old traditional method of trying to be 'the boss' and promoting his own image and safeguarding his own political security.

But, herein lies the $50,000 question. Is it possible to get a leadership coming out of our political system that is a ‘co-ordinator and team leader?

The short answer is no and if one should emerge, he or she would not last as the evolutionary process that is the profile of most senior politicians is one that forms the protagonist’s into behaving at every stage in one’s political apprenticeship / career, like that of the hunter whose cardinal rule is; Man mind Thyself and if a shadow should cross one’s path on the road to the next position of power, then, full exposure of that perceived (or otherwise) treat, in the worst possible light is called for.


Could one attribute Albert Reynolds short reign and his fall from office to his scenic route to the leadership of FF. He did not come through the FF party apparatus of Cumann membership, selection for party ticket to local elections, and from County Hall to Dail Eireann. No he was a successful business man getting onto the party ticket in the 77 election. It was only at this stage that he had to draw blood, which was the business of ousting the FF incumbent in the Dail, (Abbott was the sitting FF TD, if memory serves me correctly) which was undertaken more on the lines of a business plan than good old fashion political skulduggery.

From here been a member of Haughey’s comeback team saw him been awarded with a Ministerial portfolio and in time due to a number of fortuitous factors ( ie.senior FFs leaving to form the PDs) he became leader without much difficulty.


However, could it be said that he came to the Leadership of FF and to the Office of Taoiseach lacking the understanding that in power politics there is no such thing as NOT compromising. That you compromise to hold power and position. That if you are unwilling to compromise, then sooner or later all power and position will fall from your hands.


When the moment came, he failed to grasp that the other players in the saga were serious; and that to hold all; he needed to give up Harry Whelehan. His predecessor Charles J., faced off many treats ( the Irish Press on one occasion went to press with what was a premature obituary by the time it hit the newsstands’).

Was it Reynolds business schooling that always had a bottom line that was fundamentally different to a politician’s apprenticeship which teaches that you never have totals but sum-totals that are always carried forward; forward for another day and a chance for balancing the books on past issues, but still always remaining only a sum-total for a future event.

No our system, is unfortunately, not structured to give up the best of the crop to lead the country.


Michael Moloney MCC (Indep) Laois CC

[adamirer]

I aree with much of whats said. Kenny has proven a great party leader, but he isnt proving a great opposition leader. But its pointless railling against it... you cant change the public opinion, you can only surf it.

Even politically smart people here dont see beyond the soundbyte - just watch the reaction to the 'together we will' line right at the end. They focus on one sentance at the expense of all weekend.
#
The captain does not need to be the best player, they need to be the person best placed to get the most from their team. If Cowen was doing that we might not be so buggered.

[Marlowe]

My only observation on FG's leader is that his personal poll ratings and the ongoing negative comments on this fact has to be unnerving him and it is bound to have an effect on his leadership style, but is this more for optics and keeping his colleagues on side, than an actual leadership style that might be termed more ‘Chairman than chief’? (Title to Brian Farrell’s short book on Eamon De Valera’s leadership of FF - early 1970s).

Of course it is unfair to down the man without giving him a chance to see has he got what it takes to run the country but that is a separate matter to that of Party Leader and I feel that he no different to Cowen, Bruton, Rabbitte or Gilmore with everything getting the once over from the Leader's office to avoid upsetting any voting sector. Taking on board the Late Late fiasco of a few weeks ago with regarding who or who not should appear on behalf of FG and also the fact that the Senators received briefing notes from headquarters, lends one to the view that Kenny has his hand firmly on casting and content of his production.



But, herein lies the $50,000 question. Is it possible to get a leadership coming out of our political system that is a ‘co-ordinator and team leader?

The short answer is no and if one should emerge, he or she would not last as the evolutionary process that is the profile of most senior politicians is one that forms the protagonist’s into behaving at every stage in one’s political apprenticeship / career, like that of the hunter whose cardinal rule is; Man mind Thyself and if a shadow should cross one’s path on the road to the next position of power, then, full exposure of that perceived (or otherwise) treat, in the worst possible light is called for.


Could one attribute Albert Reynolds short reign and his fall from office to his scenic route to the leadership of FF. He did not come through the FF party apparatus of Cumann membership, selection for party ticket to local elections, and from County Hall to Dail Eireann. No he was a successful business man getting onto the party ticket in the 77 election. It was only at this stage that he had to draw blood, which was the business of ousting the FF incumbent in the Dail, (Abbott was the sitting FF TD, if memory serves me correctly) which was undertaken more on the lines of a business plan than good old fashion political skulduggery.

From here been a member of Haughey’s comeback team saw him been awarded with a Ministerial portfolio and in time due to a number of fortuitous factors ( ie.senior FFs leaving to form the PDs) he became leader without much difficulty.


However, could it be said that he came to the Leadership of FF and to the Office of Taoiseach lacking the understanding that in power politics there is no such thing as NOT compromising. That you compromise to hold power and position. That if you are unwilling to compromise, then sooner or later all power and position will fall from your hands.


When the moment came, he failed to grasp that the other players in the saga were serious; and that to hold all; he needed to give up Harry Whelehan. His predecessor Charles J., faced off many treats ( the Irish Press on one occasion went to press with what was a premature obituary by the time it hit the newsstands’).

Was it Reynolds business schooling that always had a bottom line that was fundamentally different to a politician’s apprenticeship which teaches that you never have totals but sum-totals that are always carried forward; forward for another day and a chance for balancing the books on past issues, but still always remaining only a sum-total for a future event.

No our system, is unfortunately, not structured to give up the best of the crop to lead the country.


Michael Moloney MCC (Indep) Laois CC

Again,very valid points,and obviously you yourself have plenty of practical experience.I would hope though that attaining the office of Taoiseach might actually be a liberation for Enda Kenny.He would certainly not have to worry about any heaves against his leadership[Idon't believe there is any in the offing anyway].Ithink he would be able to delegate from a far greater position of strength.At that stage we will be in a position to judge the man on his merits rather than on shallow perceptions.