Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011) was an Irish
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...
politician who served as
Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011,
Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011,
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2007 to 2008 and
Minister of State for Children from 2002 to 2007. He served as a
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...
(TD) for the
Dublin West constituency from 1996 to 2011.
Early and private life
Born in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
in 1959, Lenihan grew up in
Athlone,
County Westmeath until the age of 12, attending the local Marist Brothers primary school. He was then educated at
Belvedere College, where he was school captain, then at
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
where he obtained an LL.B. (first class). He was
elected a foundation scholar of the college in 1979. While in Trinity, he was Treasurer of the
College Historical Society
The College Historical Society (CHS) – popularly referred to as The Hist – is a debating society at Trinity College Dublin. It was established within the college in 1770 and was inspired by the club formed by the philosopher Edmund ...
. Lenihan was later awarded an LL.M. (first class) at
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and was called to the
Irish Bar
The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...
by the Honorable Society of
King's Inns.
He began lecturing law at Trinity College Dublin in 1984 and in the same year was called to the Irish Bar. From 1992 to 1995, he was a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal and the
Garda Síochána Complaints Appeal Board,
[
] and in 1997 he became a
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel (post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdictio ...
.
Lenihan was married to
Circuit Court Judge
Patricia Ryan. They had one son named Tom and one daughter named Claire.
[
In December 2009, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
]
Early political career
Lenihan is a member of a famous Irish political dynasty. His father Brian Lenihan Snr
Brian Patrick Lenihan (17 November 1930 – 1 November 1995) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Tánaiste from 1987 to 1990, Minister for Defence from 1989 to 1990, Minister for Agriculture from March 1982 to December 1982, Min ...
, first elected in 1957, was a cabinet Minister for over twenty-five years, Tánaiste
The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Tao ...
, MEP, and a candidate for President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
in the 1990 election. His grandfather was Patrick Lenihan, who followed his son into the Dáil, serving as a TD from 1965 until 1970. Lenihan's aunt Mary O'Rourke was first elected as a TD in 1982, served for a time in the Senate, and is also a former cabinet Minister. His brother Conor
Conor is a male given name of Irish origin. The meaning of the name is "Lover of Wolves" or "Lover of Hounds". '' Conchobhar/Conchubhar'' or from the name ''Conaire'', found in Irish legend as the name of the high king Conaire Mór and other hero ...
was a TD from 1997 to 2011 and served as a Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
. Despite these facts, Lenihan said that he resented any implication that he was a member of the political establishment.
Lenihan first held political office in 1996, when he was asked to stand in the Dublin West by-election caused by the death of his father.[ ] Noel Dempsey
Noel Dempsey (born 6 January 1953) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Transport from 2007 to 2011, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources from 2004 to 2007, Minister for Education and Scien ...
, who was Fianna Fáil's Director of Elections in the contest, did not expect his party to hold the seat. Lenihan topped the poll, with 252 more first-preference votes than Joe Higgins of Militant Labour, and was elected on the 11th count. Following his re-election at the 1997 general election Lenihan became Chairman of the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution. He served in this position until 2002, when he was appointed Minister of State for Children.
Lenihan was often deployed as a representative of government on topical issues or television shows, and was known for giving his own personal opinion on some matters. He was involved in a dispute with the Labour Party over its leader Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte (born 18 May 1949) is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2011 to 2014, Leader of the Labour Party from 2002 to 2007 and a Minister of State from 19 ...
's desire for a presidential election in 2004; Lenihan said the party was "turning the presidency into a political football". He defended the government again in February 2005, this time against Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...
who he suggested were "milking the peace process for political gain". He would later suggest his preference for becoming the Opposition if the alternative was to enter government with Sinn Féin. When three Irishmen fled convictions on terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
charges they had received in Colombia, the Minister described their return as "most unhelpful to the peace process". Lenihan spoke at the Fianna Fáil Ardfheis
or ''ardfheis'' ( , ; "high assembly"; plural ''ardfheiseanna'') is the name used by many Irish political parties for their annual party conference. The term was first used by Conradh na Gaeilge, the Irish language cultural organisation, for i ...
in Killarney
Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...
on 22 October 2005, and at the Ardfheis in Citywest on 24 March 2007. Appearing on '' The Week in Politics'' in the wake of unfounded allegations published by a number of Sunday newspapers on Liam Lawlor's death in October 2005, Lenihan said Lawlor's legacy would be the setting up of a Press Council to deal with such matters as they arose in future and was also among the politicians who paid tribute to Lawlor in Dáil Éireann. When other Fianna Fáil ministers were silent, Lenihan stressed as "unthinkable" the acceptance of illegal payments by former Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
Bertie Ahern
Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...
in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, a comment highlighted positively by Pat Rabbitte in Dáil Éireann following Ahern's public apology in October 2006. Lenihan denied Brian Cowen was "setting a bad example" following a 2007 ''Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' interview in which the future Taoiseach admitted smoking cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
in his student past. He was involved in the negotiations between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
to form a government in 2007.
Minister for Children (2002–2007)
In 2002, Lenihan was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and at the Department of Education and Science, with special responsibility for children.
In this capacity, Lenihan announced a new news television programme targeting young people, dealt with matters relating to the internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
and pedophilia
Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty ...
, announced changes to Ireland's adoption laws and increased the numbers of gardaí employed in the Central Vetting Unit which assesses childcare workers. In 2005, Lenihan was permitted to attend cabinent meetings, although not being a member of the government. He was involved in a proposal to outlaw domestic spanking
Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or im ...
in June 2005. On 25 October 2005, representing the government, he expressed upset at the "repeated failure and gross dereliction of duties" highlighted in the Ferns Report
The Ferns Report (2005) was an official Irish government inquiry into the allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland.
Scope
The Inquiry was set up by the Government of Ireland to identi ...
. He spoke at the Irish Nurses Organisation conference in May 2006 in place of the Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney
Mary Harney (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish former politician and the current Chancellor of the University of Limerick.
She was leader of the Progressive Democrats party between 1993 and 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008, resuming the role aft ...
. He addressed a United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
committee on children's rights in September 2006. On 16 October 2006, Lenihan announced that legislation increasing the age of criminal responsibility by five years from 7 to 12 would come into law immediately. Before leaving office in 2007, he announced several new items, including a review of pedophilia and an increase in the number of judges and other officials working with criminal children. He received criticism from a number of nurses in a disagreement over their working hours at another conference of the Irish Nurses Organisation on 10 May 2007.
Cabinet career (2007–2011)
Minister for Justice (2007–2008)
After the 2007 general election, Fianna Fáil formed a new coalition government under Taoiseach Bertie Ahern with the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
and the Progressive Democrats
The Progressive Democrats ( ga, An Páirtí Daonlathach, literally "The Democratic Party" ), commonly referred to as the PDs, was a conservative-liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.
Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Ma ...
, and the support of Independent TDs
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independen ...
. Lenihan was appointed as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the only Fianna Fáil TD to be promoted to the cabinet. Lenihan's father had held the post from 1964 to 1968, making them the only father-son pair to have held that office. Lenihan stated that a referendum on children's rights would take place. His first function as Minister for Justice was to attend the graduation of newly trained members of the Garda Síochána Reserve on 16 June 2007. As Minister for Justice, Lenihan was involved in several high-profile deportation cases.
Minister for Finance (2008–2011)
Considered a "close ally" of Brian Cowen
Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011.
Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1984, for the constituency of Laois–Offaly and served in a ...
, Lenihan was promoted to the office of Minister for Finance, following the election of Cowen as Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
on 7 May 2008. His 2006 intervention to assist with the development of emergency legislation when it emerged rapists were being freed from jail was seen as a major factor in his promotion to the Department of Finance. Lenihan's time as Minister for Finance was dominated by the financial and banking
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becau ...
crises which faced Ireland in the late 2000s. He unveiled three government budgets within the space of fourteen months, nationalised Anglo Irish Bank
Anglo Irish Bank was an Irish bank headquartered in Dublin from 1964 to 2011. It began to wind down after nationalisation in 2009. In July 2011 Anglo Irish merged with the Irish Nationwide Building Society, forming a new company named the Iri ...
and unveiled the National Asset Management Agency
The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA; ga, Gníomhaireacht Náisiúnta um Bhainistíocht Sócmhainní) is a body created by the government of Ireland in late 2009 in response to the Irish financial crisis and the deflation of the Irish ...
or NAMA.
2008 Bank guarantee
On 18 September 2008, Lenihan issued an emergency phone call to Director-General of RTÉ
The Director-General is chief executive and editor-in-chief of public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The current director-general is Dee Forbes, who replaced Noel Curran in the role in 2016.
Appointment and role
The RT ...
Cathal Goan after an edition of radio phone-in programme ''Liveline
''Liveline'' is an Irish radio interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 each weekday afternoon between 13.45 and 15.00. The programme, which is currently presented by Joe Duffy and known for its slogan "Talk to Joe", seeks the ...
'', presented by Joe Duffy
Joseph Duffy (born 27 January 1956) is an Irish broadcaster employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). One of RTÉ's highest-earning stars, he is the current presenter of ''Liveline'', an interview and phone-in chat show broadcast on R ...
, led to mass concerns that Ireland's banking system was on the verge of collapse. The Minister warned in an interview the following day with Economics Editor for RTÉ George Lee that the public need not react "on the basis of unfounded allegations made on radio programmes". On 29 September, Lenihan agreed to issue a broad state guarantee of Irish banks for one year, with the intention of recapitalising them to enable them to continue to lend into the Irish economy. The decision was highly contentious and required a sharp recovery of the world economy that did not occur, but the guarantees were renewed in 2009, in 2010, and in 2011.
In February 2008, an Irish Department of Finance presentation stated that: ".. any requirement to provide open-ended/legally binding State guarantees which would expose the Exchequer to the risk of very significant costs are not regarded as part of the toolkit for successful crisis management and resolution."
The scope of the guarantee - whether it could, or should, have been limited or broad - was examined by an Oireachtas committee in 2010. By late 2010, the costs were so high that the government sought help from the ECB and IMF (see below). By mid-2011 the banks' debts were downgraded to junk status
In finance, a high-yield bond (non-investment-grade bond, speculative-grade bond, or junk bond) is a bond that is rated below investment grade by credit rating agencies. These bonds have a higher risk of default or other adverse credit even ...
.
Budget 2009
Lenihan delivered the 2009 Budget on 14 October 2008 – the budget had been called early due to the worsening economic conditions. The controversial measure of removing Medical Cards from most over-70-year-olds (by means testing) caused a massive public outcry. This caused a backlash against the government and backbench unease; one Fianna Fáil TD, Joe Behan, left the party in protest.
Public outcry meant the government had to twice revise the budget in an attempt to satisfy the pensioners and unions, and indeed the backbenchers. Lenihan was not present at the press conference, which included Brian Cowen, John Gormley and Mary Harney, to announce the removal of minimum wage employees from the 1 per cent income levy and a promise that 95 per cent of senior citizens would keep the medical card.
Second (emergency) Budget 2009 and NAMA
On 7 April 2009, Lenihan delivered an emergency budget overriding the measures previously announced, amounting to a further €3.25bn increases in taxes and reductions in spending programmes in the current year, as well as corresponding fiscal changes to future years. Explaining the purpose of the budget changes before the Dáil, he said: "we must stabilise our public finances. Until we show that we can put our own house in order, we cannot expect those who have invested here and who might invest here in the future to have confidence in us".
The emergency budget also saw the announcement of the National Asset Management Agency
The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA; ga, Gníomhaireacht Náisiúnta um Bhainistíocht Sócmhainní) is a body created by the government of Ireland in late 2009 in response to the Irish financial crisis and the deflation of the Irish ...
(NAMA), designed to house banking assets. The Cabinet approved 150 pages of draft legislation outlined by Lenihan at a meeting in late July 2009; it was published later that week. In September 2009, Lenihan announced €54 billion would be given by NAMA to Irish banks in exchange for an estimated €77 billion in loans. The legislation enacting NAMA was passed in Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house).
It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...
before being signed by President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...
during November 2009. Lenihan identified nine prospective NAMA board members on 22 December 2009.
In February 2010, Cowen defended his claim that NAMA would increase the supply of credit into the economy, despite the International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glo ...
(IMF) saying it would not lead to any significant increase. "''People should contemplate what level of credit accessibility we'd have in this economy without NAMA,''" he said.
"''It's not just sufficient in itself obviously for credit flow, it's certainly an important and necessary part of restructuring our banking system, of that there's no doubt, in terms of improving as a location for funding of banking operations,''" said Mr. Cowen. He previously said that the government's objective in restructuring the banks through NAMA was to "''generate more access to credit for Irish business at this critical time''". In September 2009, Lenihan expressed a similar view, saying it would lead to more lending for business and households. Cowen was responding to reports published on 8 February that the IMF had told Lenihan in April 2009 that the NAMA would not lead to a significant increase in lending by the banks. The comments, which appear in internal Department of Finance documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, were made by senior IMF official Steven Seelig who will join the board of NAMA in May 2010. Minutes of a private meeting at the department between Mr. Lenihan and IMF officials on 29 April 2009 last state that the "''IMF (Mr. Seelig) do not believe that Nama will result in significant increase in bank lending in Ireland''". The Government has maintained that NAMA's purchase of bad loans from the banks with State bonds would increase the flow of credit in the economy since the plan was unveiled April 2009. Speaking at the publication of the NAMA legislation in September 2009, Mr. Lenihan said it would "''strengthen and improve''" the funding positions of the banks "''so that they can lend to viable businesses and households''". The IMF estimated in their published report the domestic banks would face losses of up to €35 billion, though the department pointed out this would be partly funded from operating profits and provisions already taken against some loan losses.
In July 2010, after the a revised business plan was published it was revealed that it is now predicting a possible profit of €1bn, with the possibility of losses of up to €800m, after an initially projection of more than €4bn in profit. The plan published today updates and revises the interim business plan published in October of last year which was prepared on the basis of information supplied at that time by the five participating institutions (Anglo Irish Bank, AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS and Irish Nationwide) and in advance of the detailed examination of any of the key loans by NAMA. Minister Lenihan has denied that the Government got its sums wrong on NAMA.
The original business plan estimated a profit of €4.8bn based on a rise in assets value of 10%. Today's revised figures say that if they recover the full value of the loans plus 10% it will result in a profit of €3.9bn. NAMA chairman Frank Daly said the plan confirmed that the five institutions covered by NAMA had not disclosed or had been unaware of the extent of the financial crisis afflicting their borrowers. He said the banks had shown 'remarkable generosity' towards their borrowers, adding that NAMA had no intention of maintaining that approach. 'To say the least we are extremely disappointed and disturbed to find that, only months after being led to believe that 40% of loans were income producing, the real figure is actually 25%.
Budget 2010
On 9 December 2009, the government budget for 2010 was delivered. Referred to at home and abroad in such terms as "the harshest budget in decades", "the most austere Budget in the history of the State" and "what can only be described as one of the toughest Budgets in the history of the State", it was marked by pay cuts for the public sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...
, and social welfare
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
cuts. Also announced at the same time was €70 million for those impacted by floods which had affected parts of the country. Global investors approved the measures introduced by Lenihan, with Irish government bonds receiving a boost following the Budget.
Citigroup conference call
On 1 October 2010, Lenihan was in a telephone conference
A conference call is a telephone call in which someone talks to several people at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into ...
with Citigroup when due to a mistake made by Citigroup, the bank's clients were all able to be heard on the line. As the 200–500 investors realised within 2 minutes their lines were not muted, many began to heckle Mr. Lenihan. Some traders made what the ''Telegraph'' described as "chimp sounds", while another cried out "dive, dive". Another was heard saying "short Ireland" before adding "why not short Citi too?". Another investor on the line stated "this is the worst conference call ever". After 20 minutes, the call was restarted, with the clients now muted.
On 2 October 2010, Lenihan denied that he was heckled, with his spokesperson stating: "A number of media organisations were on the call. None offered a similar analysis to the Telegraph, which was not on the call. At the end of the call, spreads on Irish bonds narrowed which indicated that the 200 investors on the call were reassured."
The Department of Finance has stated that the reports were inaccurate, stating: "The Minister was not interrupted as reported by the Telegraph. There was no heckling – indeed, participants congratulated the Minister and the NTMA."
EU-IMF bailout, November 2010
As the Irish banks were unable to raise fresh capital in the bond markets on the expiry of the one-year bank guarantee (see above), in September 2010 the government needed to provide them with further billions, amounting to a budget deficit of 32% of GDP. This led in turn to questions about the value of Irish government bonds, and they were re-rated to AA- on 6 October. From 21 November negotiations started with teams from the ECB and the IMF, resulting in an agreement on 28 November.
The suddenness of the €85 billion bailout deal led to worries that Irish sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
had been lost, and that the Irish economy might not grow fast enough to afford the bailout costs. Others complained that the new regime would increase taxes and reduce social welfare payments at a time of recession. The deal became a part of the European sovereign debt crisis
The European debt crisis, often also referred to as the eurozone crisis or the European sovereign debt crisis, is a multi-year debt crisis that took place in the European Union (EU) from 2009 until the mid to late 2010s. Several eurozone memb ...
debate.
As a result of the bailout required following Lenihan's renewed bank guarantee, the government's coalition partner, the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
, called for an early election and withdrew from government on 23 January 2011. The ensuing 2011 general election, on 25 February, led to a loss of 75% in the numbers of Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...
deputies returned to parliament in the election and the complete loss of all seats by their Green Party coalition partner.
International comments
''Financial Times'' ranking
In 2009 and 2010, the ''Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' annual survey of the 19 Eurogroup
The Eurogroup is the recognised collective term for the informal meetings of the finance ministers of the eurozone—those member states of the European Union (EU) which have adopted the euro as their official currency. The group has 19 membe ...
finance ministers, ranked by European economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...
s, named Brian Lenihan as the Eurozone's worst Finance Minister.
''Vanity Fair'': Lenihan is "tricky"
The March 2011 issue of ''Vanity Fair'' described Lenihan as "tricky," for allegedly manipulating his meetings with the members of the Dáil so that when they emerge, they are the ones who must announce the bad news about the latest budget cuts and tax hikes to the media (and thus bear the brunt of the anger and blame for the austerity measures). Lenihan's role in post-collapse Ireland is likened in one particularly lurid passage as "normalising a freak show" and attempting to assure the Irish that they didn't all just see what they saw. Yet, he is also described as "the last remaining Irish politician anywhere near power whose mere appearance does not cause people on the streets of Dublin to explode with either scorn or laughter" because of his perceived innocence and his well-publicised illness.
Opposition (2011)
Lenihan barely held onto his seat in the 2011 general election. He was declared elected on the fifth count without reaching the quota with his first preference vote declining from 32.7% in 2007 to just 15.2%. He was the only Fianna Fáil TD, out of 47 outgoing TDs in Dublin constituencies, returned in the Dublin region.
He was the Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil and party Spokesperson for Finance until his death.
Lenihan contested the 2011 Fianna Fáil leadership election
The 2011 Fianna Fáil leadership election was called by party leader Brian Cowen on 22 January 2011, when he announced that he was resigning as president and leader of the party. He remained as Taoiseach until after the 2011 general election.
...
on the 26 January 2011, losing to Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence since December 2022. He served as Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022 and has been Leader of ...
.
April 2011 interview
In an April 2011 interview, Lenihan claimed the European Central Bank
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the prime component of the monetary Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's most important centr ...
forced Ireland into taking a bailout and rejected claims by a senior ECB figure that the bank warned Ireland in mid-2010 of the dangers it faced. He has also accused members of the ECB executives of briefing against Ireland and of "betrayal". Lenihan criticised some of the 17 governing board members of the bank for the "damaging" manner in which they had briefed some media about Ireland. He said, "On the betrayal issue, I did feel that some bank governors should not be speaking out of turn and that only the president should speak for the bank." The position of the ECB on Ireland's seeking of assistance was different from that of the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
, said Mr. Lenihan. "I don't think the commission were anxious to bounce member states into a programme. "That was my strong impression from my discussions with Commissioner Rehn." he said, adding that "the ECB clearly subscribed to a different view." He gave a graphic description of his feelings when the bailout talks were concluded. "I've a very vivid memory of going to Brussels on the final Monday to sign the agreement and being on my own at the airport and looking at the snow gradually thawing and thinking to myself, this is terrible. No Irish Minister has ever had to do this before."
Health and lifestyle
After a visit by Lenihan to David McWilliams's house, McWilliams publicly claimed that Lenihan had eaten large doses of raw garlic during the visit, and that Lenihan had said he had developed the habit since becoming Minister for Finance. An unnamed source described in the '' Irish Examiner'' as "close to Mr Lenihan" subsequently said: "It's true he does like eating garlic, but he doesn't chew it like gum – it's good for the blood, apparently". Then Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
Pat Carey
Pat Carey (born 9 November 1947) is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-West constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs from 201 ...
said on the radio at the time that Lenihan "constantly chew dgarlic".
Lenihan was hospitalised on 16 December 2009, complaining of insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
and a possible hernia
A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin herni ...
. Surgery, described as "a minor procedure that was brought forward", was performed. Leader of the Opposition Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
wished him well in a speech. On 26 December 2009, TV3 reported that Lenihan had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. ''The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
'' then reported that "a number of authoritative sources" had said the claim was true. Public service broadcaster RTÉ stated that Lenihan had contracted what it described as "a serious condition". The Government Press Secretary stated that the health of a politician is a private affair. The "unwarranted intrusion" by TV3 was met with disapproval – even by opposition politicians; Labour Party deputy leader and Finance Spokesperson Joan Burton
Joan Burton (born 1 February 1949) is a former Irish Labour Party politician who served as Tánaiste and Leader of the Labour Party from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Social Protection from 2011 to 2016, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2 ...
offered her condolences: "It's certainly not a departure in the media that I would welcome. I'm really shocked that a story like that could be broadcast at Christmas". However, the journalist in question who made the disclosure, Ursula Halligan
Ursula Halligan was the political editor of Ireland's main independent television station, TV3.
Biography
Halligan grew up in Templeogue, Dublin. She is a Catholic. Her late brother, Professor Aidan Halligan (1957–2015), who held a number of s ...
, received support for report from many publications and journalists, including the political bi-weekly ''Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
'' magazine, Ger Colleran
Gerard Colleran is an Irish journalist, the editor of the ''Irish Daily Star'' from 1999. to 2014, and since 2017 the editor of ''Kerry's Eye''.
In 2009, ''Village'' listed him as one of Ireland's 100 most influential people.. He is a native of M ...
(then editor of the ''Irish Daily Star
The ''Irish Daily Star'' (formerly known simply as ''The Star'') is a tabloid newspaper published in Ireland by Reach plc, which owns the British '' Daily Star''.
The ''Irish Daily Star'' became known for its comprehensive in-depth coverage o ...
''), ''The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' and '' The Phoenix'' magazine, who stated that "If a report of the finance minister facing a serious illness while simultaneously grappling with the biggest financial crisis in the history of the state is not in the public interest, then nothing is".
In a personal statement on 4 January 2010, detailing the precise nature of his illness, Lenihan said he underwent tests prior to Christmas which identified a blockage at the entrance to his pancreas
The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an en ...
. He said cancerous tissue was identified in the material that had caused the blockage, and he intended to begin treatment for cancer. Having discussed the matter with his doctors and the Taoiseach, he said he will continue on in the finance portfolio and "to fulfil the essential functions of my office".
Death
Lenihan died on 10 June 2011, at the age of 52, from pancreatic cancer. It was reported that he died in the early hours of the morning at his home in west Dublin. He was survived by his wife, their two children, his mother, three brothers and one sister. His death received attention from the international media. President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...
said she was saddened by the death of "such a young and talented public servant". Thousands of people queued to sign books of condolence nationwide, with the figure soon reaching 10,000 while thousands of others clicked a tribute page on Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
. Thousands of people also visited Lenihan's Dublin constituency office, travelling from all over Ireland including County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...
, County Galway and County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...
. He was buried in the Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
graveyard at Saint David's Church, Kilsallaghan, County Dublin, near where he grew up. He had chosen the site during a visit to the graveyard the previous December.Laid to rest in spot he'd come to love
''Irish Independent'', 19 June 2011.
See also
*
Families in the Oireachtas
There is a tradition in Irish politics of having family members succeed each other, frequently in the same parliamentary seat. This article lists families where two or more members of that family have been members ( TD or Senator) of either of th ...
References
External links
"David McWilliams: The night Lenihan banged on my front door"nbsp;– extract from ''Follow the Money''
*Oireachtas, 2008 The Houses of the Oireachtas, "Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Act 2008 No.x of 2008
Published: 18 April 2007, Accessed: 25 October 2007
*Oireachtas, 2008 The Houses of the Oireachtas
Broadcasting Bill 2008 to establish the BAI to take over BAI, RTÉ Authority, Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and Broadcasting Complaints Commission duties, and establish RTÉ and TG4 (previously Téilifis na Gaeilge) as corporate semi states and establish Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Oireachtas TV) and Irish Film Channel (Irish Film Board/Board Scannán na hÉireann)
''EU-wide approach needed'' Irish times Opinion Piece
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenihan, Brian Joseph, Jnr
1959 births
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