Never Trust a Barrister

Once again, we are seeing the results of appointing a barrister to a senior ministerial role.

Barristers are sole traders. They do not operate in teams. Barristers work on highly technical and specific aspects of problems in a rareified environment. They do no see a problem from initial definition to final resolution. Once the specific problem has been resolved they move on to the next problem without having to deal with the consequences of its implementation. Barristers are also not held accountable or responsible for their failures. They get paid anyway, irrespective of whether they win or lose a case. In the case of a loss, they might get paid less but still they get paid.

In 2004, Michael the Mouth McDowell made the comment that that gangland murders were on the decline and their activities represented “the last sting of the dying wasp” and presided over a substantial increase in crime, especially murder and manslaughter:

2004 – 45 or 1.11 per 100,000 of population
2005 – 65 or 1.57 per 100,000 of population
2005 – 67 or 1.58 per 100,000 of population

Now Brian Lenihan is demonstrating his incompetence in handling major issues. He is raising taxes when the rest of the world is reducing them. He is failing to demonstrate any leadership in handling the issue of bank capitalisation.