Providing a suitable jet for the Taoiseach should not be a flight of fancy

Sinead Ryan

The government Learjet. Picture by Defence Forces

May 18 2022 02:30 AM

An embarrassing incident involving an Air Corps plane scheduled to fly Taoiseach Micheál Martin from Brussels was the latest in a series of failures by the Department of Defence to properly attend to its duties involving Government personnel carrying out State business abroad.

The issue arose in February when the Learjet used for such things was out of commission; a second plane we also own had a technical issue grounding it and a small but unsuitable third aircraft had to be sent out instead.

Ministerial Air Transport Services (Mats) are employed by most governments for heads of state and prime ministers as a matter of course. As are official drivers, an official residence and often a second residence.

The whataboutery employed when these stories are reported is silly. “Why doesn’t he fly Ryanair like the rest of us?”, “Just take the ferry, Taoiseach”, etc.

But he and President Higgins are not ‘the rest of us’. We have voted a government in to ensure that Ireland maintains its representation abroad, vital for our country and economy. While suitable outrage – never far from the naysayers’ Twitter feeds – is easy to muster if you imagine An Taoiseach chilling, rapper-style, in a white leather recliner, licking caviar off the back of his hand and sipping champagne on a private jet. The reality, obviously, is entirely different.

Not for him, certainly, the slog through the queues at Terminal 1, divesting himself of belt and belongings. Nor the aimless wandering around half-open shops, waiting for a flight to be called, because he had to turn up three hours in advance.

But is that what we want for our leader? Well, you might, of course, if you’re one of the permanently outraged. You might consider it suitable punishment for not getting your school/pothole/hospital fixed. But that’s hugely immature. The dumbing down of the man-of-the-people image has long been perpetrated by the very individuals that end up at the receiving end of backlash.

For some, the notion that “swanning around” Brussels, London or further afield is evidence that jollies for the boys are alive and well. But employing a fleet far beyond its useful life (one plane is 28 years old – built when Albert Reynolds was Taoiseach, the euro was still six years away and we won the Eurovision with Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids) is reckless politicking.

Aircraft needs replacing, but it puts the heart crossways on politicians to argue it when they are so sensitive to the perceived reaction at any such spend. There’s a difference between investing taxpayers’ money and wasting it. There are far too many examples of the latter, but not having standard services available as in every other civilised country is embarrassing and ineffectual. Could you imagine the outcry if Martin missed a key EU leaders’ summit because we couldn’t get him there on time?

It’s time we grew up.

Providing a suitable jet for the Taoiseach should not be a flight of fancy

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