As a reporter and commentator over several decades, John Walshe thought he had seen and heard it all. That was until he got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work in government and see how decisions are really made - to switch from being an outsider to an insider.
Walshe did not have to think twice about accepting incoming Education Minister Ruairi Quinn's invitation to become his special adviser. So in a matter of weeks, he found himself in the seat of power in Government Buildings and up close and personal with some of the country's most powerful decision-makers.
In his new book, An Education, Walshe gives an insider's account of what it's like be part of government.
Quinn knew this would be his last cabinet post and he was determined to leave a legacy. Walshe documents the triumphs and disasters of Quinn's mission to reshape Irish education. In doing so, he gets to the heart of the mix of idealism, egotism and pragmatism that ultimately drives those who govern.
