THE NEW Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, moved to put his stamp on his first Government last night by making more Cabinet changes than expected.
Most of the senior Ministers were moved to new departments to give a fresh look to the Coalition.
The biggest surprise was the appointment of Brian Lenihan as Minister for Finance after less than a year in cabinet. Mr Lenihan, who is an ally of Mr Cowen, and has made his mark as an able minister for justice, is now the second most powerful Minister in the Government. Interviewed shortly after his appointment, Mr Lenihan said it was a "fantastic honour" for him after only 11 months in the Cabinet and he added: "The Minister for Finance has to know how to say 'no'."
Another of the new Taoiseach's supporters, Mary Coughlan, was appointed as Tánaiste and promoted from agriculture to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It means that the two most powerful economic ministries are now held by confidants of the Taoiseach.
The two Ministers who were regarded as Mr Cowen's main rivals for the leadership, Micheál Martin and Dermot Ahern, were moved sideways, although both were reported to be happy. Mr Martin takes over the senior position of foreign affairs, while Mr Ahern moves from there to the Department of Justice, which is regarded as a key department.
After Mr Lenihan's appointment, the biggest surprise was the promotion of Batt O'Keeffe to the Department of Education and Science. Mary Hanafin's move from that department to social and family affairs was widely regarded as a demotion, as was Martin Cullen's move from that department to arts, sport and tourism.
The arrival of Brendan Smith in the Cabinet as Minister for Agriculture was expected, and there was no great surprise that Pat Carey was promoted to Chief Whip, although the fact that Tom Kitt was dropped to make way came as a shock. The promotion of Barry Andrews to the post of Minister of State for Children, which carries with it a seat at the Cabinet table, was another surprise.
The remaining members of the Cabinet stayed put in the posts they occupied in Bertie Ahern's government.
Yesterday's hectic events began with the Dáil debate on the nomination of Mr Cowen for appointment by President Mary McAleese to the position of taoiseach. Mr Cowen was proposed by acting taoiseach Bertie Ahern and by Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny was also proposed for the position as was Labour Party leader Éamon Gilmore. Mr Cowen was elected by 88 votes to 76.
Accepting the nomination, Mr Cowen told the Dáil that his immediate task was to ensure ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. He added that, in considering his role as taoiseach, he had given a great deal of thought to Ireland's place in the world today.
"The 'common good' is enshrined in our Constitution and should have special relevance in Ireland at the start of the 21st century.
"The ultimate test of our progress will be the extent to which we can mobilise all of the people to think and behave in a manner that puts the interests of society as a whole ahead of their own private interest," he said.
Mr Cowen was driven to Áras an Uachtaráin for his formal appointment by Mrs McAleese. He then returned to the Dáil and announced his new Cabinet shortly after 6pm.
Mr Kenny congratulated the new members of the Cabinet, but he added that he could not allow the good feelings on the Government benches to distract from the reality. "The reality is that, out of the best times any Irish government was ever handed, Fianna Fáil has created catastrophe and chaos."
Mr Gilmore said that while it was a pleasure to congratulate those who had been appointed to the Cabinet, he warned that there would be no honeymoon for the new Government.
"The captain's armband has been changed, there are a few substitutions, and some positional switches, but this is essentially the same government that has been in office for the last 11 years," he said.
The new Cabinet met for the first time in Áras an Uachtaráin last night, where the main business was to ratify the appointments of four Ministers of State - the Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence, Pat Carey; the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews; the Minister for European Affairs, Dick Roche; and the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Trevor Sargent.
