Pat Cox - our next EU Commissioner

[Lefournier]

Miriam Lord has a story today in the IT that Pat Cox will be nominated to replace Charlie McCreevy next November

And she has a source, sort of:

Apparently a Government Minister let the cat out of the bag in an unguarded moment during a visit to Brussels, and the rumour mill immediately cranked into action.

It would make a lot of sense. Having won an astonishing concession (merci, Nicolas) to hold onto 27 Commissioners if we say Yes to Lisbon, we have to send someone capable. Imagine what crumbs we'd get if we send someone second-rate and 26 others get a slice before us (or if we say No again!)

The Government can't afford a byelection, so that rules out any sitting TD (including Mary Harney). They have no one of stature in the Senate (Eoghan Harris?.....aaaggghhhh...). The AG is a tried and tested route but Paul Gallagher has no claim on a European job.

The elder statesmen of FF are either tied up with Tribunals or have "cognitive impairment".

So they will have to look outside the party. Naturally, they won't give it to anyone associated with FG or Labour (forget John Burton or Ruairi Quinn)

So the PDs would be an obvious source of candidates. I would have thought McDowell a possibility before today's story in the Mail (another thread here) but he had a Eurosceptic streak which would not endear him to his future colleagues (the last thing they want is McCreevy Mark II).

So the field is very thin and Pat Cox has a lot going for him. He's head of the European Movement so his Euro credentials have not diminished since he left the Parliament. He broke with the PDs but Cowen won't hold that against him. He wouldn't mind living in Brussels and would relish the job. Most importantly Barroso (or his replacement) would be delighted and would probably give him a substantial job liaising with the Parliament.

I'm beginning to think the "slip of the tongue" was no accident and the official denial is so limp as to virtually confirm that Cox is at least in the frame.

A Government spokesperson says no decision on a new commissioner has been made at this stage, and it is far too early to speculate on Mr McCreevy's replacement.

Miriam Lord's week - The Irish Times - Sat, May 09, 2009

[evercloserunion]

Is there like an unwritten rule that we have to send PDs? McCreevy was practically one, and the only two seriously tipped to replace him were both members of the party. Pat Cox is a very able an intelligent politician who has achieved much in Europe but would it hurt to choose someone on the other side of the political centre?

[Pauli]

He wouldn't be the worst we could send to Brussels and it would indicate to the rest of Europe that we take the position seriously. Some of the others mentioned for this would convey the opposite message.

[Lefournier]

Is there like an unwritten rule that we have to send PDs? McCreevy was practically one, and the only two seriously tipped to replace him were both members of the party. Pat Cox is a very able an intelligent politician who has achieved much in Europe but would it hurt to choose someone on the other side of the political centre?

Is there an FFer who could fit the bill? Even at the best of times it was unlikely Cowen would nominate someone linked to FG or Lab but the tenor of our politics in the past few months would make that impossible.

FF simply don't have much talent to draw on outside the Dail because their top people will hang onto office as long as possible. The Greens have had such a tetchy relationship with Brussels and they don't have sufficient history to build up a team of "elder statesmen" outside the Dail (Roger Garland, Patricia McKenna )

A Commissioner has to have a substantial political background if he or she is to be taken seriously in Brussels, so the PDs are it.

[jerryp]

Despite his PD background, I think we could do worse.

[arnaudherve]

M. Cox was very active in the enlargement of Europe to Eastern countries, thereby withdrawing much of the European funds from Ireland.

[BodyofEvidence]

Surely not . Surely Mary o the Glens is the clear obvious candidate...

[Pauli]

The reasons I believe he is a credible candidate are two-fold.

1. He is not an embarrassment.

2. The positive to be drawn from his previous experience in Europe outweighs the negative of his PD background. I certainly wouldn't support the candidature of any other PD, not after McCreevy.

[brettmirl]

Is there an FFer who could fit the bill? Even at the best of times it was unlikely Cowen would nominate someone linked to FG or Lab but the tenor of our politics in the past few months would make that impossible.

After the election results, Cowen might opt to send himself to Europe...

[jmcc]

Fianna Fail and its damned PD loving perversions have got the economy into this mess. The European Commissionership should not be used as an escape route for failed politicians. The balance of power in the government has shifted and will shift more towards the Greens after the by-election loses in June. This creates a the potential for a Green Party candidate.

Regards...jmcc