The more things change, they more they stay the same, the old adage goes. And this is particularly true in Irish politics.
Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, the parties in power by the magic of the ‘deal for the greater good of the nation’ have been accused of ‘old backroom deals approach’ when appointing people to the Seanad.
Applying a distorted version of the ‘leave no man behind,’ motto, Enda Kenny picked two former Fine Gael ministers, James Reilly and Paudie Coffey, for places in the Seanad, after they both lost their seats as TDs in the latest, and largely irrelevant, General Election.
It seems the only losers in politics are the voters, as leaders are imposed on them, rather than be chosen by them.