Government must be elected Ð not picked off a wish list

Date Published: {J}

You must always be careful what you wish for – and that’s a warning we’d do well to heed in the midst of this growing clamour for specialist experts to be appointed to run specific Government departments.

The idea is perfectly well intentioned – if you want someone to run the Department of Finance, bring in a financial expert, or if you want an individual who will take on the health portfolio, get yourself a medical expert.

The problem arises when it comes to putting names on doors – for two reasons.

First up is the long history of clientelism, croneyism and jobs for the boys when it comes to state or semi-state appointments, and we’ve paid a heavy price for that sort of political patronage in the past.We’ve seen massive tracts of land and dilapidated buildings bought by state bodies for a multiple of their real worth, and we’ve seen plush trips to far-flung places that were utterly unnecessary – not to mention millions paid out in expenses by way of remuneration as opposed to compensation for costs incurred.

And we’ve been subjected to big Christmas parties, gold watch ceremonies and something small and gold for the wife – all paid for by the taxpayer as a little gesture to the political supporters who have been rewarded for their loyalty with a place on a state board or two.But the bigger problem here is just who will decide who the best man or woman to run the Department of Finance or Health or Social Welfare is – and if these individuals don’t stand for election, what power have the people to influence that decision?

Take for example this regular call from the great unwashed to make Michael O’Leary the Minister for Finance – do we want Ireland Inc run by a man who would effectively shut down the public sector if he could?

Which of the many economists who grace the airwaves and the small screen would we like to see in charge? David MacWilliams who would default on the bail-out repayments? Constantin Gurdgiev and his right-wing rhetoric? Fintan O’Toole? One of the ‘experts’ from the financial institutions who brought us to this situation in the first place?Who would be put to sort out our health crisis? Not a doctor, for a start – although James Reilly might end up there anyway, but at least he’ll have to come through the democratic process.

But we had a doctor in charge of the HSE when Brendan Drumm came in, in a blaze of glory – and how much had changed before he quietly departed the stage again?

Garret FitzGerald broke the mould by nominating Jim Dooge to the Seanad in 1981 and then making him Minister for Foreign Affairs. But Professor Dooge had previously been an elected Senator of longstanding – and anyway, Foreign Affairs isn’t the Angola that health or finance might be.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.