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IT WAS A quiet morning around Leinster House when the email notification dropped just after 11am.
Ruairí Quinn would be making a statement on the plinth at midday. But what would he be saying? Given the speculation in recent weeks it was reasonable to suggest that resignation was in the offing, but some were even going as far as to suggest he would quit the Dáil altogether.
In the end it emerged shortly before midday yesterday that Quinn was going to step down as a Cabinet minister, effectively asking the new Labour leader not to consider him in the reshuffle. He would also not be running for re-election in Dublin South-East.
Just before noon journalists, photographers, videographers and media handlers arrived in their significant numbers as they often do with announcements like this outside Leinster House. The last was Joan Burton when she threw her hat into the ring for the Labour leadership in May.
This was Quinn taking his hat out of the ring, deciding that it was time to step down and allow space for what he called “a new generation”.
It was a pre-emptive move given the likelihood that the new Labour leader would seek to refresh the ministerial ranks and dump Quinn and other veteran ministers as early as next week.
“I want to ensure that the new leader of my party – whoever that may be – has the opportunity to create their own team on their own terms,” he said .
“An opportunity to give a new generation a chance to lead, a chance to rebuild our party and to finish the work of cementing a real recovery for all of the Irish people.”
He was coy on the leadership battle that will be decided this Friday, declining to say who he had voted for as it is a “secret ballot”.
But there were a couple of giveaways not least when he confirmed he had spoken to his family, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and Joan Burton about his decision before he announced it. But not Alex White?
Then at one point mid-sentence Quinn said “I believe that our new leader, Joan” with an ever-so-slight hesitation before he added: “Or Alex.” Quinn may well have voted for White, but his remarks were indicative of the belief in Labour that it’s going to be Joan Burton.
It was put to Quinn that this was an act of petulance – to announce his resignation now in order to deny Burton – or White – the pleasure of sacking him.
“I don’t think I am noted for my petulance,” he insisted while acknowledging that the decision has come “sooner than I would like”.
Asked what the stand out moment for him in all his years in politics was, he responded with a question of his own: “How much time have you got?” adding that “there’s too many.”
On education he said that he had given Eamon Gilmore a letter with 12 items on education four years ago and as many as eight of them are on the way to being implemented as he steps down.
He talked-up Labour’s achievements in the several governments he has served in.
Ireland, he said, has become a “more tolerant country” noting the legislation for divorce, introduction of civil partnerships, decriminalisation of homosexuality and “recognising the right to life of pregnant women”.
He defiantly declared: “We will win a referendum to allow same-sex marriage later on.”
He insisted several times that he had made the decision “on my own behalf” and it was nothing to do with expectations of being sacked or demoted. Quinn said his choice would not be “transferable to anybody else” as thoughts turned to the other endangered Labour minister Pat Rabbitte.
Asked had he regrets, Quinn responded jokingly: “Do you have an orchestra?”, before going on to conclude:
“Do I have regrets? Who’s not human. But do I have a sense of achievement working in a party that I love and changing this country for the better? Yes, I do.”
And with that he was done, there was time for pictures and for the outgoing minister to joke about his hair:
Then he was back into Leinster House with more than likely just a few days left in his office at the Department of Education.
A colleague near the plinth noted that it was all “very Ruairí”. Indeed, the veteran minister had done it on his own terms.
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Smart move, he will spare himself being humiliated at the next election unlike so many other Labour hopefuls.
I don’t think himself or Rabbitte intended staying on after this term that’s why they both ramped the arrogance.
Quinn’s main mission was, in his own words, to set up education so that it would take years to undo what he had done or to make it impossible to undo what he had done. A quality politician?
Fortunately time (and the electorate) ran out on him and whoever takes over the job can now set about addressing education issues properly
Just as well his pension isn’t assessed locally.
Jan was on Live 95 this morning and was equally ambiguous. ‘I will be standing but you never know what could happen between now and the next election’. Jan will not be elected but will probably stand.
I think it was good that he started the process of lessening the control of the Catholic Church on our public education system, though he got bashed for it. He also pushed ahead with much-needed reform of the education system to bring it away from a rote-learning, exams-based system – despite the resistance from some in the teaching profession. He also introduced Government guidelines for implementing a whole school approach to positive mental health and suicide prevention in post-primary schools and started the work to do this in primary schools too – although the Government now needs to do more to fund training and supports for schools to implement those guidelines, since only 37% of post-primary schools have done so. However, these things are all a good start in the right direction to drag our education system into the modern era, with evidence-based new approaches.
He’s not exactly leaving empty handed is he.
And do you also do your job just for giggles and cuddles, is it?
And your point is what exactly !!!.
Please show me your payroll and I hope it shows a lovely zero, otherwise, shut the f up about the fact that people do work for money. My point is that YOU had no point.
I think Mike’s point is that Quinn will be given an obscene pension [or pensions] and a grotesque severance package.
If the ordinary Joe on the street like myself decided to resign from my job, the best I could hope for is the door not slamming on my fingers on the way out.
@emilio.
Here mouthpiece, I am not and have not put myself forward as a “public representative” (the hint is in the job discription) and the taxpayer does not pay my wages so mind your own business smartass.
This man is heading off into the sunset with a very hefty pension.
As to if he deserves it or not…
That is my point .
Most political pensions are excessive, should have been capped at 75k. However Quinn will not receive a severance package and will not receive a pension until he retires from the Dail. He should be about 70 by then unless there’s an early election which is pretty unlikely.
Yea he will have to survive on a paltry TD’s salary plus expenses and perks.
Sense of achievement ? His socialist party implemented zero capital gains tax to investors in the property market . Now all the people who have all the money Can make tons more on the backs of lesser off individuals through extortionate rent and at the end sell off the house without penalty . Shame on the lot . Especially the likes of quinn who’s quitting like half the ff party before the last election lest the people get the chance to judge them
Not sure how the minister for education is responsible for the implementation or not of capital gains tax. But sure, rant along.
Maybe you should read the ‘rant’ before you comment . People look like idiots that way . I said his party . Of which he is a member of and a cabinet member at that so he is responsible more so than a backbencher for implementing policy
The article is about him, not the party. I’d be the last one to defend Labours decisions over past few years.
By the way, call me idiot all you like, coming from you, an honour.
An article about quinns political moves is always going to be about the Labour Party . He didn’t run as an independent .so consider it an honour again
History will be kind to him
Your hair is fine Ruairi.
The couple of grand pension (and perks) that you’ll get each week will buy you a nice collection of hairpieces for you.
Are you joking.
Are you joking
Please delete my two comments there as my reply is being placed in the wrong place
Quinn will not be afforded much sympathy here. He will be judged as a failure. In his entire career he never shot even one person or detonated one bomb.
Jeasus pickart, get help for that phobia soon before it’s too late and you end up like rodgers. Oh wait !!!!.
It is too late MIke, he suffers from sever diarrhoea of mouth!
He didn’t need to shoot people to do damage to them, his policy of ”life long debt” for students will do far more damage than anything any previous education minister has done.
All his predecessors in the job focused on EXPANDING opportunity and access to education, his central policy (in direct contradiction to what he ran on) was to narrow it and make it harder to access third level, and he compounded this with the insult of calling himself a progressive
Ruairí Quinn is a gentleman, one of the few in politics. I disagree profoundly with much of what he stood for but he was also one of the few thinkers in Leinster House, with a genuine commitment to social reform. He was a great Minister for Finance and he has been a good Minister for Education. His commitment to pluralism and the ending of the Catholic monopoly on education has to be admired as is his commitment to kids being educated rather than taught to pass exams. I know the teachers hate him, but then he was also committed to hard work which most of them know nothing about.
Deluded Ahippo!
@Ahippo.
I may not agree with you but I do respect your opinion.
Fair play.
He talked a good game about reform this or reform that but what has he actually changed?
Compare what he ran on to what he leaves office having accomplished?
Do we have universal third level education restored? NOPE
Did the state nationalize the school system? are Sunday Schools replacing the confirmation and communion interfering with class time for real subjects? NOPE
Has the LC finally been changed to continuous assessment by external examiners? NOPE
The education system, but for some token reforms in the JC, is being left almost exactly as he found it, he reformed sweet FA
I agree that Quinn was a very good Minister for Finance. However his sojourn in Education will be remembered as a divisive, incompetent mess. Ruairi unfortunately has let his considerable ego get in the way of running our children’s current and future education. I’ve seen at first hand how children with special needs have their educational performance stunted by cutbacks to Sna and other supports.
The new Junior Cycle reforms threaten the good reputation of our second level education. I’m all for reform which is completely necessary. However he has been attempting to implement the worst features of a English system which they themselves are moving away from. At least he won’t be able to claim expenses from his holiday home now.
Must be a quiet day at the office for yesterday’s news to be dredged up again – the man resigned yesterday and there have been no development since, EXCEPT, the announcement on Morning Ireland that when he retires in 2016 he will be on a pension of €90,000 pa.
Not bad, if you can get!
It bothers me that I heard at least 12 news reports of this guys resignation yesterday and they were all genuflecting and groveling before him not a single one mentioning he lied his arse off to get into power by signing a pledge to support universal third level education then not only did not deliver but changed to the polar opposite position post-election (not even being in favor of the most reactionary option of state backed loans).
His claims afterwards to not think the economic situation was as bad as it was are nonsense (they got DOF briefs all the time they knew exactly how bad it was, besides free fees scheme is not expensive esp compared to some other items in the budget that are far less popular). He has also claimed oh but I thought Labour would lead the government, anyone in politics as long as him knew that was not going to happen and the Gilmore for Taoiseach thing was just to get more Labour seats, besides that does not explain why he flipped to the polar opposite position (you could still fight for the policy within the cabinet).
For goodness sake, the man is 68. He is entitled to retire and draw a pension after 40 years of dedicated public service. We may not agree with everything he has said and done through his long career but he has not been afraid to take on powerful vested interests such as the developers who were destroying Georgian Dublin, the Catholic Church and the teachers’ and other public sector trade unions. He has been on the right side on many issues including civil rights and liberties, apartheid and Northern Ireland. History will look kindly on him.
If you actually look into his history as a minister you’d never call it ”dedicated public service”, before getting into the whole business of him claiming the equivalent in petrol expenses which would have meant he was driving in circles for 12 hours his history as a minister is appalling, and far from being a Labour minister he’s been a more reactionary conservative than some of the most right wing FF and FG ministers.
He clearly suffers from something a lot of Labour people suffer from, they believed in communism and then when it collapsed they did not know what to do, didn’t have the political maturity to just believe in a social democratic system instead and just stopped believing in anything other than looking after their own back side.
Hugh, you take it all a bit too serious in fairness you.
He got out because he knew well trying to get back in would have been humiliating
Clearing the way for a new party leader to make whatever changes are necessary I think Quinn was a decent enough politician, if there is such a thing and he didn’t allow public opinion get in the way of doung his job. Some might say that this is a bad thing but at the end of the day he leaves with a good track record and I hope that his contribution to Irish politics will be looked upon favourably.
History is only kind to the winner,s
Clearly Quick failed when you put a comma before the s in winners
*Quinn
Quinn delusional and arrogant to the end he will be remembered for what he is one of the group of selfish champagne socialists who destroyed the once fine Labour party in persuit of his own pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Good riddance.
Pity he didn’t take a few of his fellow liars and traitors with him.
Sad part is the vulgar pension he will get.
Mike
There is profound dishonesty in your statement that you respect the opinion of others where they disagree with your own . Time after time you abuse those that disagree with yours or Sinn Feins position.
Ah here’s richard (Walter Mitty) rodgers venting its bile again.
How come you didn’t reply to the questions asked of you yesterday when you made your idiotic lunatic ranting… I’ll tell you why, your a gombeen that suffers from sinnerphobia.
Get yourself seen to idiot.
Oh yeah, when you switch between trolling accounts don’t forget to log out.
Gotta admire the guy. Can’t help thinking the government has lost two good ministers with the departures of Mr Quinn & Mr Shatter.
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