This article is from page 16 of the 2006-06-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
WHEN Fisheries Minister Brendan Daly attended cabinet meetings under the directorship of Charlie Haughey, he arrived on time. He knew better than to be late.
The “boss” held a tight reign on his ministers and he made no secret that there was always someone who could take their place.
“The meetings started on time and if you arrived late you wouldn’t do it again,” said Senator Daly.
The meetings were “electric” and the Taoiseach went through the agenda at speed. He had no time for wasting or time-wasters.
Senator Daly remembers occasions when ministers were sent from the cabinet table back to their departments to solve on-going issues and report back before the end of the meeting on their success. And success it would be because nobody would face Charles J Haughey with failure.
Cabinet sub-committees dealt with any issue that might take up the time of the ministers at the cabinet table. Personnel were called in from outside to assist the committee and were given days to offer a solution or suggestion.
“He kept a very close eye on what was going on in the media. If a minister made a statement that wasn’t with Government policy, they were quickly called in,” said Daly.
But the somewhat controversial Taoiseach also sought advice from the experts when it came to drawing up policy.
Dermot Desmond is believed to have offered the suggestions and ideas that led to the financial services centre. Mr Haughey also brought experts in to address the cabinet on different issues when policy was being decided.
“He was very good at close quarters. If a minister was going to give a statement, he would give a look at it and change around paragraphs to improve it in a matter of minutes.”
Although Senator Daly had known Charles Haughey long before he was elected to the Dáil, he admitted that very few people really knew him.
“He kept an aura around him. I knew very little about him in real life,” he said.