In his farewell address, outgoing taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave a resounding endorsement to his successor, Simon Harris, albeit expressing surprise over the latter’s swift ascension to the top political role. Marking the youngest individual to ever serve as taoiseach, Harris’s transition into this position may be deemed one of the most significant in the history of Irish politics. His experience doesn’t encompass finance, economic, or foreign affairs, nor has he been the leader of the opposition. His lack of conventional political pedigree is evident.
Yet, let it be known that being a newcomer is not a hindrance to success. We reminisce on the founding fathers of the independent Irish State, who were largely newcomers to politics. Michael Collins was only aged 31 when he lost his life, while Éamon de Valera became the president of the First Dáil at 36 years of age, a year younger than Harris currently is. Over half of the Free State’s first cabinet members were under 35-year-olds.
It is, however, important to recognise that being young isn’t a virtue per se, just like experience doesn’t guarantee wisdom. Whether Harris is 37 or 47, the vital attributes that will echo his success as a taoiseach and the leader of his party are the same: calm demeanour, self-confidence, resolute character, readiness to tackle problems head-on, physical and mental endurance, good judgement, and a touch of good fortune wouldn’t hurt.
Even his adversaries agree on his political acumen and communication prowess. The mere fact that he secured the highly coveted position, with its fierce competition from cunning and relentless adversaries, without opposition, demonstrates his strategic planning and swift action. He’s certainly not an inexperienced newcomer who landed in the role by chance. Politics is his strong suit.
Harris has voiced his ambitions for FG Ministers to focus on a small array of key priorities. What do recent events suggest about how the young taoiseach will drive the remaining term of the Coalition’s tenure?
Cabinet appointments proposed by the Irish government seems to prioritize the geographic element and implies a focus towards the impending election. Leo Varadkar’s Fine Gael party had previously been criticised for a disposition leaning too much towards Dublin and too elitist. This criticism potentially hindered the advancement of proficient junior ministers like Neale Richmond and Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill who could have been prospective candidates for elevation.
New promotions solely focus on TDs from rural Ireland – namely Longford-Westmeath’s Peter Burke to the Ministry of Enterprise and Patrick O’Donovan from Limerick to Higher Education. Additional representation comes from Hildegarde Naughton of Galway West holding the position of Chief Whip and the Minister for the West.
The aim of these alterations is to alter the perception of Fine Gael to align more with the rural regions of Ireland. However, the concept that Fine Gael’s potential voters in rural areas like Cork, Kerry or Tipperary would find a minister from Limerick appealing seems quite irrational. Previous ministerial appointments hailing from Cork failed to impress Cork’s Fine Gael voters.
The new Fine Gael leader, Harris, expressed his desire for his ministers to focus on limited priorities. The implementation of these priorities would be something he needs to ascertain and subsequently discuss with his coalition partners, who are understandably on high alert regarding his political aspirations.
This situation underscored the complex nature of this coalition, where potential electoral competition and collaboration with the government occurs simultaneously as we head towards the next election. This balance will inevitably be challenging to maintain and is a chief riddle for the new Taoiseach to tackle.
There are presently two key narratives opposing each other in Irish politics. They were apparent during the Dáil debate before voting on Harris’ appointment and when Harris announced his new Cabinet. The first narrative, led by Sinn Féin and supported by a majority of the opposition, insists that Ireland has been dreadfully governed for many years and demands radical reform. The counter-narrative from the government argues while the country does face issues, they are being addressed and Ireland remains a commendable place to live.
Naturally, your interpretation of each of these stories could be influenced by your personal situation. However, their consistent influence implies that the most intense political rivalry often isn’t between these two ideologies, but inside them.
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In simpler terms, the main contenders for Sinn Féin are other leftist parties and candidates who hold similar views; Fine Gael’s competition for the middle-ground votes would be Fianna Fáil, on top of Independents who backed him during the Tuesday vote.
One of the most demanding duties for the fresh Taoiseach will be to ensure this unavoidable rivalry doesn’t undermine the government’s consistency.