WHEN HE WAS dropped from cabinet a year ago, Pat Rabbitte was widely-reported to have been sporting a face “like thunder”.
The former communications minister was informed that he would not be retained as a minister by new Labour leader and Tánaiste Joan Burton in what he later said was a “20-second conversation”.
Speaking at the time, Rabbitte said he was told by Burton of the need to bring newer, younger TDs into the cabinet fold.
He’s kept a relatively high-profile since then with a regular Sunday newspaper column and plenty of broadcast media appearances.
In a wide-ranging interview with TheJournal.ie today, Rabbitte said:
The woman [Joan Burton] told me that she felt it was time to let [a] new younger generation through and that took about 20 seconds at the time. I didn’t discuss it before that with her and I haven’t discussed it with her since, nor have I commented on it…
But did he really have a face like thunder?
Despite the change of leadership and the cabinet reshuffle, Labour is still suffering in the opinion polls.
The latest Sunday Business Post/Red C puts the junior coalition partner at 7 per cent – the same level of support it was at when Burton took over a year ago.
But Rabbitte, a TD for Dublin South-West, insisted the Tánaiste is “doing the best she can”.
There will be more from our interview with Pat Rabbitte on TheJournal.ie later this week
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