Political ‘fixer’

Date: 21/11/1996

“FLYNN is just Flynn.” Both fans and critics would be hard-pressed to take issue with this tribute from one experienced observer of the Social Affairs and Health Commissioner.

Trained as a schoolteacher, Pádraig Flynn has never quite shaken off the skills he learned in his early career.

To his critics, his style may be irritating. But allies insist that behind it lies one of the most complete and pragmatic politicians of his era.

Flynn's west of Ireland background and control of the EU's social policy dossier have resulted in his being vilified in the UK's tabloid newspapers, which are fond of portraying the Commissioner as the parochial country boy from County Mayo.

But, the ultimate political survivor, Flynn is fighting back, not least by starting legal proceedings in response to a particularly personal attack on him by the Eurosceptic Daily Mail.

The Commissioner has also shown little willingness to give ground in the face of renewed attacks from the UK's hard-pressed Conservative government. Flynn's impressively tall frame is likely to loom large in British Prime Minister John Major's sights as the Union moves towards the end-game of the Intergovernmental Conference next summer.

But while his somewhat florid style of public speaking has marked him down in some people's books as an easy target for ridicule (even his fans admit he is prone to 'waffle'), those who have observed him closely warn that people should “not get hooked on the style” or they will lose an opportunity to put their views across to a good listener.

His aides describe with some amusement Flynn's habit of addressing his comments directly to particular individuals. “If a minister's attention is wandering during a Council session, he will ask them: 'What do you think about this Mr X?' It annoys the hell out of them, but it gets them listening!” says one.

Flynn's friends warn against complacency in dealing with a man who made his name in the cut-throat world of Irish politics as a 'fixer'.

A close ally of long-time Prime Minister Charles Haughey, Flynn was the man chosen to 'sort out' potential sources of dissent within the Fianna Fáil party. But when the time came for Haughey to be moved on, Flynn did not flinch from withdrawing his support. Supporters also point to his success in the political hothouse of the Irish justice ministry.

Flynn has maintained his reputation as a 'fixer' since moving to Brussels - colleagues are said to have turned to him for advice when the battle over the vacancies for the title of Commission vice-president was at its most intense.

Unkind journalists have suggested that Flynn lacks the intellectual capacity to gain a genuine feel for his portfolio. But his defenders believe “he uses the schoolteacher's manner to disguise how bright he really is”. One experienced observer of Irish politics describes him as “extremely clever, with an instinct for survival and what is achievable”, adding: “First and foremost, he is a political animal.”

Others disagree, claiming that he is extremely fortunate to be surrounded by such a competent group of advisers. Those same advisers, however, speak in the most loyal terms, describing him as a fair man to work for.

Flynn had a torrid time at his parliamentary hearing on being recalled to the Commission for a second term of office in late 1994, particularly at the hands of members of the women's rights committee.

“He took that very personally. He was bitter that other Commissioners apparently had prior knowledge of the questions they would face and that the Socialist lobby went overboard on him,” says one observer.

As the Commissioner responsible for equality policies, Flynn still suffers from the political reverberations of a very public slip he made during the last Irish presidential election, when he criticised Labour candidate Mary Robinson in a way regarded by many as sexist.

He was subsequently credited with winning Robinson the election. Her electoral team actually sent Flynn a bunch of red roses once the result was announced and one satirical radio programme in Ireland unkindly dubbed the Commissioner “Flynnstone”, referring to his apparently stone-age attitude to women.

One of his most bitter critics has been Dutch Green MEP Nel van Dijk, who launched an especially fierce attack on Flynn in her capacity as chairwoman of the women's rights committee.

She concedes that he has since tried to improve his image on women's issues, but adds: “Unfortunately he has not really succeeded. He is a typical Irish conservative, which does not bode well for progress for women.”

But other members of the equality lobby are more positive. One campaigner with experience in both Ireland and Brussels commented that Flynn was open to persuasion if he was presented with a good and convincing case.

“To us, it really does not matter if he is just acting to improve his personal reputation. What is more important is that we can measure what he is saying against what he is doing,” says another.

With the fight for jobs now officially at the top of the EU agenda, Flynn clearly feels he has an opportunity to raise his profile and do some crucial work.

Many governments are, however, yet to be convinced of the usefulness of the Commission playing a direct role in employment policy.

Business leaders share such scepticism, but are generally impressed with the new consultative style of decision-making, as opposed to the 'social engineering' of the Commission headed by Jacques Delors.

“He has taken the emphasis off improving the lot of working people and switched to trying to get people back to work,” says an official at the European employers' federation UNICE.

Above all else, Flynn has made it his personal crusade to take on the might of the tobacco lobby, in often frustrating attempts to reduce the detrimental effects of smoking on the health of EU citizens. He has even dared to shake things up within the Commission, taking on burly Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler over the latter's continued support for uneconomical tobacco growers.

Although Flynn had no experience of social affairs before coming to Brussels, most people believe he was happy enough to be awarded the dossier. The Irish Commissioner - in common with many of his colleagues from other member states - was keen to control an area seen as directly benefiting people back home.

Looking at Flynn's record, many are left wondering what his political philosophy actually is. But this would seem to miss the point. A product of his era, the Commissioner is not the world's greatest ideologue, but he is a superb judge of how the wind is blowing and what is both politically desirable and achievable. “He is pragmatic and straightforward, and believes in happy endings,” says one official.

Although he lives with his wife in Brussels, Flynn remains close to his roots. The couple return regularly to Castlebar, the county town of County Mayo, where the Commissioner is something of a celebrity, not least for the enormous sums of money which were poured into local infrastructure during his period as Irish environment minister.

According to close observers, once President Jacques Santer had named his new Commission, Flynn - a fluent Gaelic speaker - made a point of knocking on his colleagues' doors, introducing himself and giving them a brief lesson on how to pronounce his name.

He is immensely proud of becoming head of the world-wide clan of those bearing the Flynn name and, like many good Irishmen, is partial to a drop of whiskey. His renditions of the rousing ballad The West's Awake have become a feature of annual St Patrick's Day celebrations in the Breydel, home of the Commission.

The family dynasty in west Mayo has not ended with Flynn senior's move to Brussels - his daughter Beverley is due to stand in the Commissioner's former parliamentary seat at the next general election.

Spare time is often spent tending the 'mini forest' he cultivates at his Irish home. Formerly a top notch tennis player, Flynn's main sporting activity is now golf.

With much work still to complete in this Commission, Flynn's future plans remain a mystery. But most people doubt he will make a play for the top job back in Ireland.