If Phil Hogan cares one jot about how the EU Commission and how its Commissioners are *perceived* in Ireland, he will resign. He showed scant regard for public health rules and guidance during a pandemic, and now *appears* to the Irish public to be beyond accountability. /1

Because he is a Commissioner, he is accountable to the actors at EU and not national govt level, which is correct and proper if the Commission is to retain its independence and ability to act in the interests of the EU as a whole. /2

If FF/FG are serious in their conviction that he should leave office, and not just communicating their confected anger to a national audience as a distancing measure, then they will raise the matter at EUCO, have their MEPs make noise about it in the EP. /3

Unless it becomes an issue on the EU plane, vdL with not act. At the moment, I don’t see it becoming such an issue, because so don’t think that many people outside Ireland really care about what happened. /4

As I have pointed out before, the statement by the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste calling on Hogan to consider his position may have had the intended or unintended consequence of making vdL less likely to remove Hogan, due to a presumed need not to be pressured by a national govt. /5

In any case, as @GrahamButler1 showed in his excellent thread, Hogan’s case does not compare in seriousness with past cases of Commissioner controversies. Moreover, it is difficult without a bit of a stretch to point to an aspect of what is expected of Commissioners... /6

in the Treaties or Code of Conduct that he has broken.

As such, the Hogan case does seem to fall between the cracks. It reveals, I think, that the EU Treaties and Code of Conduct for Commissioners should expect higher standards of Commissioners. /7

At the moment, Hogan is taking advantage of the fact that the anger in Ireland won’t be leveraged by the Irish govt and that the issue is not a pan-EU controversy. He, quite correctly, in my judgment, thinks he can ride this one out. /8

In such a circumstance, the system unfortunately depends on the rectitude of the individual in the position in which Hogan finds himself to recognise the damage being caused and to act it the general interest. /9

In addition, I don’t buy the argument that Hogan must be retained in the trade portfolio in the national interest. Firstly, because I trust a Commissioners from other States to bat for Ireland in the Brexit context. Secondly, because Hogan has demonstrated poor judgement. /10

Thirdly, because there is damage being done in Ireland to the perception of EU institutions.

We all looked on agog when Cummings survived his trip to Barnard Castle. I don’t see why that should be the level for an EU Commissioner. /END

Typos, of course, throughout. I think they’re obvious where they occur.