Minister for Finance Simon Harris has a hefty in-tray on his new desk. From managing an open economy amid global uncertainty and deciding what to do with the nation’s tax take, to managing whatever additional Government spending may be coming down the tracks, he has plenty to get on with.
These are big, knotty problems which require a cool head and a sharp mind. Much of the work on these issues, and in the Department of Finance generally, takes place behind closed doors where frank exchanges of views are key – especially where money is concerned.
Most importantly, the job needs a serious minister who is focused on the work at hand, and not necessarily the day’s headlines.
So it was curious to see a press release issued by the department on Wednesday night, Harris’s first full day on the job. It trumpeted that the Tánaiste had met Central Bank governor Gabriel Mahklouf (sic), Revenue Commissioners chairman Niall Cody and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers as well as department officials.
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In essence, the department announced that Harris had spoken to the people he would have been expected to speak to on his first day.
In a senior job anywhere, people expect a new person will get in touch with the people they will work closely with over the months ahead. Announcing this publicly was meaningless, self-serving and, if anything, a bit concerning as it could feed into the narrative that the new man is focused on style over substance.
And that is without even noting that in the eagerness to announce the “news”, Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf’s surname was misspelt.
Harris has, if not big shoes to fill, then at least a man to follow in Paschal Donohoe who was clearly respected in finance ministries around Europe as someone who was on top of his brief and well-liked internationally. And unlike some ministries, making a gaffe in public can have significant, and immediate, consequences when in Finance.
The main thing Harris needs to focus on for now is getting on top of his brief and showing he is prepared to put in the hard work, not putting out claptrap announcements telling us he is doing the minimum expected in the job as if they are great achievements.
