Mary Harney, Minister for Health, Trinity graduate and former Auditor of the College Historical Society, has been a major figure in Irish politics for her entire life.
Mary Harney, Minister for Health, Trinity graduate and former Auditor of the College Historical Society, has been a major figure in Irish politics for her entire life.
As the PDs wind down their party once and for all, it seems fitting to cast an eye on Mary Harney, Health Minister, former Tánaiste and alumnus of this college.
Although she is the longest-serving female member of the Dáil ever, and also the first female auditor of the College Historical Society, the Minister does not like talk of breaking glass ceilings. She once said that it wasn’t the fact that she was born a woman that was the problem, but that she wasn’t born a man. The focus is to be always on what she has and has not achieved as a TD, not the fact that she happens to be a woman.
Although she had Galway roots, she was brought up and educated in Dublin. She recalled: “I used to canvass the nuns in primary school, so I think I was (always) heading for some sort of political life.” She graduated with a BA in Modern Studies in 1976. Shortly after leaving college, she was appointed to Seanad Éireann, becoming the youngest ever Senator. From there, she was elected to Dublin County Council, and then to the Dáil in the 1981 general election.
“Sorting out problems is something I’m always keen to do. You don’t like to invent problems or discover them for the sake of it, but when they arise they have to be dealt with”
When asked if she had any regrets about diving into politics directly after college, Harney said, “I have known no life other than politics. I went from being a student at Trinity to being a member of the Seanad. Hopefully one day I will have the experience of doing something else before it is too late.” Harney was expelled from Fianna Fáil in 1985, after voting in favour of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. She went on to become one of the founding members of the Progressive Democrats, who launched on a platform of tax cuts and social liberalism.
One of her finest achievements in government was the elimination of the notorious Dublin smog, with the banning of bituminous coal. She also set up the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, with a view to crack down on false or exaggerated personal injury claims.
In 2001, Mary Harney was embroiled in a controversy over her use of a Government plane. The European Commission half-funded the plane, but she used it to fly to the opening of a friend’s off-licence in Manorhamilton. She apologised for using the plane for private purposes and admitted that it was the wrong thing to have done.
Harney has been a controversial Minster for Health since her appointment in 2004. Just a few months after her appointment, it came to light that charges imposed on holders of medical cards in State-run homes were illegal. The illegal charges amounted to over €1 billion. Unfortunately for her, this was only the beginning of her troubles. In May 2006, the Irish Nurses Organisation passed a motion of no confidence in Harney, accusing her of being both negative and antagonistic towards nurses. In June 2006, the Health Consumer Powerhouse ranked the Irish health service as the second least “consumer-friendly” in the European Union, second only to Lithuania.
Of the problems, Harney said, “Sorting out problems is something I’m always keen to do. You don’t like to invent problems or discover them for the sake of it, but when they arise they have to be dealt with. One thing that we must all recognise is that if you delay resolving a difficulty or you ignore it — which was the case with the [nursing home] charges issue — and if you take an illegal chance, you pay a very heavy price for it.”
As the Progressive Democrats close down shop, the question of Mary Harney’s position as Minister for Health will have to be addressed. It is thought that she may continue in government as an independent, or possibly rejoin Fianna Fáil, but she has yet to comment on her position.
