Will he stay or will he go? The post-bailout role of the Irish PM in Europe

With the next European Parliament elections only seven months away, discussion is heating up on the likely contenders for the prominent positions of European Commission President and European Council President. As early as August of this year Ireland’s biggest selling daily newspaper, the Irish Independent, was reporting that the Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny was being linked as a candidate to succeed either Mr. Barroso as President of the European Commission or Mr. Van Rompuy as President of the European Council. This came as something of a revelation to the Irish electorate as there had been no previous indication that Kenny was seeking a position in Europe, although Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan TD has been tipped as Ireland’s next commissioner. Here, I argue the merits of choosing the Irish PM for either position, assuming he would want to take it if he was offered a nomination.