In a referendum campaign dominated by debate on jobs, recovery, foreign investment, workers' rights and the minimum wage, why has the minister responsible for these areas kept such a low profile?

Oh, yeah, it's Mary Coughlan. You'd kind of forget she's the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and deputy leader of the country.

The Tanaiste is being given a less starring role in Lisbon II, similar to the approach adopted by Fianna Fail during the first referendum following her two-European Commissioner gaffe.

On that occasion, Coughlan decided in her wisdom that the EU's bigger countries still had two commissioners each, even though they lost their second position in 2004.

Twice in the space of four days, an experienced politician who had spent the previous seven years at the EU Council of Ministers displayed an abject lack of knowledge about the workings of the Commission.

When the error was pointed out to her, she angrily denied it. Since the last referendum, Brian Cowen and Charlie McCreevy have cleared up their blunders by stating clearly they have read the treaty cover to cover.

Unfortunately, thus far it hasn't been possible to hear Coughlan quizzed about her knowledge of EU affairs.

Fianna Fail says the focus of their various events has been the Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan yesterday hosted his second press conference on the economic importance of Lisbon.

Defence Minister Willie O'Dea even gave his own press conference last week.

Aside from attending the original Fianna Fail launch, still no sign of the Minister for Business, Exports and Jobs stepping up to this plate with just 10 days to go to polling day on October 2.

Watching Lenihan dealing admirably with the fire on Pat Kenny's new show 'The Frontline' on Monday night, it's difficult to see Coughlan coping in a similar role.

Thus far in the Lisbon campaign, the Tanaiste has had an opinion piece published in 'The Irish Times', done an interview with INN radio and spoken on a number of local radio stations. She has also canvassed in a number of counties.

Perhaps Fianna Fail are keeping her in reserve to lead the line on NAMA, given the importance to businesses of all sizes of getting credit lines from the banks flowing again.

Hardly, as she's been virtually anonymous in that debate as well.

How often has she been heard on the airwaves or read in the papers over the past four weeks as this most vital measure was being defended and sold by the Government?

When she did pop up on the Lisbon trail this week, in her native Donegal, the Tanaiste managed to cause annoyance within Fine Gael by appearing to suggest other parties weren't doing enough for the 'Yes' vote. She claims she was taken out of context and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, to his credit, didn't make a meal of it.

Whether it was a good idea to be commenting at all on other people's campaigns, given the damaging bust-up last year, when Cowen seemed to attack the opposition, is another matter.

The explanation behind her remarks by Cowen is telling and reveals an awful lot about her peripheral role in the campaign.

"You need to look at the context of the constituency where there was a very large 'No' vote last time. She was speaking as a constituency TD and asking that everyone get out and work together to make sure the 'Yes' vote comes through there," he said on a break from the UN climate change summit in New York.

Coughlan is effectively reduced to being just a local TD in this Lisbon campaign.

IS it really a coincidence to link her capacity for putting her foot in her mouth with her absence when important matters are being debated?

The lack of confidence in the Tanaiste's abilities is none too surprising when her Dail performances are observed, mainly because of their slapstick quality.

This, after all, is the minister who credited Einstein with explaining evolution at an IDA 'Innovation Ireland' launch. Hang on, the Tanaiste claims she didn't and she was misquoted -- again. (Amazing how often that happens with her.)

Let's see what the actual recording shows Coughlan as saying: "And, eh, some of it is actually based on something that has been around for many, many years and that is what Einstein did when he was trying to explain what evolution, innovation was all about in his day."

The Irish Independent reports she said the IDA would be marketing Ireland as the innovation island -- "like Einstein explaining his theory of evolution".

Coughlan certainly did credit Einstein with explaining evolution, when this was Darwin's territory.

Rather than simply pointing out that she didn't use the word "theory" and moving on, the Tanaiste demands a "retraction and apology".

The sooner Cowen sees the error of his ways, the better. The over-the-top response does beg the question: does the Tanaiste and her staff not have anything better to do with their time?

In case the Tanaiste hasn't noticed: 550 jobs are being lost per day. The number of unemployed has doubled in 12 months to 264,600.

The country is in the grips of a devastating recession. The banking system and the public finances are barely above water.

Her Government is fighting to pass Lisbon, NAMA and the budget.

And all the deputy leader of the Government, Fianna Fail and the country can do is get upset about her latest foot-in-mouth incident being highlighted by the media.

God bless the people on the dole because they wouldn't want to be relying on her to get them back to work.

fsheahan@independent.ie