‘I don’t think the country needs an election at this point’

There’s a lot to enjoy about being the senior minister in the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. For one, there’s the endless ribbon-cutting and job announcements. Politicians like few things better than standing on a podium, holding forth about employment and announcing a few hundred jobs.

There’s no shortage of feel-good occasions, as the current incumbent, Heather Humphreys, acknowledges. “I go to companies, I visit factories, I visit manufacturing centres: I just ...