Jul 23, 2026 · 46 min · 9 segments
The Dáil has risen, Leinster House is quiet, and TDs are all off doing constituency work (as they tell us every year), so it's time for our political awards. Christine Bohan, Jane Matthews and Sinéad…
Sinead O'CarrollPanelist
Christine BohanHost
Jane MatthewsPanelist
Now, Christina's pick for the best performer among the government parties is, little drumroll, Health Minister Jennifer Carol McNeill.
The health minister spent the year confronting powerful institutions, professional groups.
I think that's kind of what people would know her most for over the past few months.
She's given out to the Rotunda over private maternity care, hospital consultants over their weekend rostering, BAM over the children's hospital, an ongoing theme for health ministers.
But Jane and Christina, what do you think? Is all this tough talk actually delivering or is she just really, really good at soundbites?
But I think she has kind of shown herself to be a really, really clear communicator.
She gets compliments from opposition TDs, which is highly unusual for a health minister, I think.
And I think she, in particular, I think she's winning a lot of kudos for the ongoing, her ongoing engagements with the consultants around the seven-hour days and the weekend rostering.
So I think, yeah, I think it makes sense why Christina picked her as the winner this year.
Yeah, I think both things can be true that she's really good at soundbites, but she is also delivering some things.
Like you have a clear idea that you want it executed by the people around you.
And her issue is that the people around her are slow to come on board or slow to drag on board.
And do you mean like the HSE? Do you mean doctors or do you mean her party colleagues or government colleagues?
Now, Christina's pick for the best performer among the government parties is, little drumroll, Health Minister Jennifer Carol McNeill.
The health minister spent the year confronting powerful institutions, professional groups.
I think that's kind of what people would know her most for over the past few months.
She's given out to the Rotunda over private maternity care, hospital consultants over their weekend rostering, BAM over the children's hospital, an ongoing theme for health ministers.
But Jane and Christina, what do you think? Is all this tough talk actually delivering or is she just really, really good at soundbites?
But I think she has kind of shown herself to be a really, really clear communicator.
She gets compliments from opposition TDs, which is highly unusual for a health minister, I think.
And I think she, in particular, I think she's winning a lot of kudos for the ongoing, her ongoing engagements with the consultants around the seven-hour days and the weekend rostering.
So I think, yeah, I think it makes sense why Christina picked her as the winner this year.
Yeah, I think both things can be true that she's really good at soundbites, but she is also delivering some things.
Like you have a clear idea that you want it executed by the people around you.
And her issue is that the people around her are slow to come on board or slow to drag on board.
And do you mean like the HSE? Do you mean doctors or do you mean her party colleagues or government colleagues?
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