Not so junior minister
He's been described as the 'intellectual powerhouse of Fianna Fail'. As the party goes into electoral meltdown special advisor to the Taoiseach turned Junior Minister Martin Mansergh talks about George Lee, the Government's unpopularity and the prejudices faced by a member of the Anglo-Irish community who dared go into politics.
Jason O'Toole, 19 Jun 2009
It’s not a great time to be part of the Fianna Fail government – with the party at its lowest ever ebb in the opinion polls after suffering a bloodbath in the recent local, European and by-elections.
Unfortunately for him, Minister of State Martin Mansergh only became a TD for the first time two years ago – which allowed him but a mere glimpse of a government at the height of popularity before the recession. As Mansergh readily admits in this candid Hot Press interview, it’s not easy being in his particular shoes, as a Minister working in the Department of Finance. But Mansergh – like his Taoiseach Brian Cowen stated in Hot Press last month – is far from downbeat; in fact, he is adamant that any “true politician relishes challenges even in the most difficult of situations”,
While Mansergh might have only been elected to the Dail for the first time back in 2007, it must be stressed that he is far from a novice politician. In fact, the 62-year-old’s political resume is an impressive one. After graduating from Oxford with an M.A., D Phil. degree in politics, philosophy and economics, Mansergh soon afterwards entered the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs as a civil servant, rising to the position of First Secretary by 1977. By 1981, he’d come to the attention of Charlie Haughey, who recruited him to work for Fianna Fail as a special advisor and speech writer. During the next 20 years, Mansergh went on to work as a political advisor for the party’s next two Taoisigh, Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern.
He authored the paper that formed the basis of negotiations for the Fianna Fáil-Labour Coalition (1992-94). But perhaps his most notable achievement was his invaluable work in helping to advance the peace process in Northern Ireland. The English-born Mansergh was responsible for the Irish government’s initial dialogue with the Republican movement, using Father Alex Reid as an intermediary, as well as having contact with intermediates in touch with Unionists and Loyalists. He worked on the Hume-Adams statement, which ultimately lead to the Downing Street Declaration. He was also a key member of the Irish government’s delegation during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations.
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