Jack Chambers
AN INTERESTING observation by Irish Times political editor Pat Leahy recently was to the effect that Jim O’Callaghan’s busy, public prominence is due to two reasons: the first is simply that Taoiseach Micheál Martin organised O’Callaghan’s elevation to the justice department (a logical step given the plummy-sounding barrister’s legal credentials); and the second is that Martin engineered his new prominence in order to give O’Callaghan the rank of leadership contender alongside deputy leader Jack Chambers. Crucially, Leahy (who has great access to Martin’s thoughts) then qualified his analysis by saying that the Taoiseach was not endorsing O’Callaghan but rather he was ensuring that a leadership contest, not simply a coronation (of Jim), would happen.
An alternative reading of Martin’s thoughts and intentions are that he knows O’Callaghan has a definitive edge, in intellectual and presentation terms, over Chambers (23 years his junior) and that this will be telling in any leadership contest.
More important is that Martin also knows that Jack knows this is how the scene is read by members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party and ministers. Thus, the felt need by Martin to reassure Jack that he is not being dispensed with and the word has spread among the party’s officer class and NCOs that the paternal, party patriot that is Martin has a vision of the succession stakes that involves an even contest.
But a lot has happened in the last 12 months. Last summer’s local elections saw Chambers as director of elections and he was subsequently given the same responsibility for the general election. At the same time he was made finance minister in June 2024 and, as deputy party leader, appeared to be garlanded with more senior titles than anyone in Cabinet bar the Taoiseach. He seems to have been dusted down and dressed up for the role as leader-in-waiting of both the party and the country at the tender political age of 33.
Meanwhile, O’Callaghan appeared to be yesterday’s man with a political record as a failed leadership contender and someone that rejected the role of junior justice minister back in 2020.
The general election changed all that and, while Chambers was formally feted and given credit for FF’s relative electoral success, the fact is that Martin relied on O’Callaghan to give substance and credibility to the FF campaign, with Chambers relegated to a less than primary role.
Jim O’Callaghan
Chambers retained his ministerial crown as finance minister and this will surely give him experience and scope to develop as a future contender in the next two or three years. But O’Callaghan has hit the ground running as justice minister and has managed to combine a populist touch with finesse in this most dangerous area of politics and civil service mandarins that have usually put manners on their minister.
Goldhawk has lost count of the announcements, press statements and initiatives that O’Callaghan has launched in the months since entering Government and he has already received plaudits from party colleagues for becalming the immigration issue – for the time being at any rate. He has also perfected the image of a collegial minister that has the interests of the party at heart and he is popular.
The irascible Chambers, in contrast, is reckoned by many to be a loud argument waiting to happen.
Many of these perceptions are down to the return of the politically prodigal counsel to the fold and the fortunate turn of events at the general election. And they could go into reverse depending on events, as they say. But they are also down to a dearth of talent at top level. In any case, Martin has felt it necessary to reassure Jack that he has not been rejected as heir apparent at such an early stage and that he is still the dauphin – or at least an equal contender with Jim.
Meanwhile, Darragh O’Brien and Dara Calleary watch the two personalities with guarded but keen intent.
