Harris needs to back up his hashtag heroics

A few years ago, Simon Harris made a splash on TikTok and Instagram, branding himself as a "millennial TD" who was speaking directly to younger generations. The endless selfie videos and social media sheen earned him plenty of mockery, with critics deriding the fresh-faced TD as cloying. But those dismissive jibes have been firmly silenced now that the 37-year-old has ascended to become Fine Gael's leader and the presumptive next Taoiseach.

It's been a remarkably swift rise for someone raised in the quaint seaside town of Greystones, the eldest son of Bart and Mary Harris. Simon was the prototypical overeager teen politico, cutting his teeth at just 15 by pounding the pavements to hand out leaflets. By 18, he had abandoned university, diving headfirst into the cesspit of Leinster House as a parliamentary messenger boy for veteran Senator Frances Fitzgerald.

Those formative years as a precocious pup helped instill Harris' fierce personal ambition and relentless work ethic. He swiftly transitioned from bagman to increasingly more significant responsibilities, winning seats on local councils at 22 before earning his own Dáil seat at the tender age of 24, allowing him to make his audacious maiden speech, nominating Enda Kenny as Taoiseach, the first step in his remorseless rise.

From those humble beginnings, Harris deftly climbed each rung of the ladder - through plum committee assignments, a junior ministry role at 27, and the poisoned chalice of the Health portfolio at just 29. Though mired in the typical crises endemic to that cursed position, he emerged unscathed. On February 20, 2019, Harris survived a motion of no-confidence over his handling of the rising costs of the new National Children's Hospital.

Harris honed his social media savvy, engaging the liberal millennial crowd by positioning himself as the fresh, passionate antidote to Fine Gael's staid centrism. An endless spew of family portraiture, puppy videos, and earnest grandstanding flooded his feeds, rebranding Harris as oven-fresh baked political royalty.

This deft branding paid dividends, remaking Harris' image as a dynamic progressive for the digital frontier rather than just another scowling Blueshirt peddling populism. The overriding tone was more managerial stewardship and uncontroversial centrism - very much in the mould of his admitted role model, Leo Varadkar.

While Simon Harris may model himself outwardly on Leo Varadkar, the new Taoiseach will be careful not to become too tarnished by his association with Varadkar's already stale tenure. Harris needs to decisively separate himself from the arrogant centrism and check-box progressivism that came to epitomise Varadkar's hollow brand of politics. Otherwise, he risks inheriting the same grassroots rebellion that contributed to Leo's abrupt downfall.

On the surface, the similarities between the two men are obvious. Like Varadkar before him, Harris is a young, urban cosmopolitan selling himself as a modern, tech-savvy face for a new, multicultural Ireland. Both deployed relentless social media branding to connect with millennials and project a caring, progressive persona distinct from Fine Gael's crusty Blueshirt roots. Their vigorous use of Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to engage the trendies with family portraiture and selfie-casual content married old-school narcissism with new-age authenticity cravings.

But where Varadkar was more of a pampered, urbane Man of the World, Harris defiantly cultivates a more boyish, oven-fresh wholesomeness. The mopheaded Minister leans heavily into earnest territory with his endearing and viral TikTok pandering. "Dad of two and dog lover" states his biog on his social media pages. It's a clever humanising tactic, juxtaposing the dewy fatherly schtick against the neglected Fine Gael reputational rehab.

Yet despite the cuddly branding, Harris must overcome scepticism that his progressive pretenses are merely the latest coat of paint on the same stale, cynical Blueshirt policies. Varadkar's brand grew increasingly tarnished by his detachment, managerial drift, and endless platitudinous media engagement.

In contrast, Harris can position himself credibly as a substantive break from that banality. His unabashed zeal and will to claim the levers of power can mark a clear point of distinction. A Varadkar-style complacency - simply holding office won't cut it for this ambitious young blade who has charged up the ranks with great haste and purpose.

More importantly, Harris must embrace bold, progressive policies that set him apart from his former boss's centrism. He can be a vocal and passionate voice for Ireland's accelerating diversity and rapidly shifting demographics. Living up to the social media branding requires courageous leadership around equity, women's rights, environmental justice, and genuine commitments to improving outcomes for disadvantaged communities while reinforcing and reclaiming Fine Gaels tattered Republican credentials. Hewing too close to Varadkar's meandering liberality would boldly squander a prime opportunity to realign Irish politics.

The lack of excitement around Varadkar's final weeks was palpable, his credibility and popularity waning from government-fracturing losses in the recent referendum. Harris would be naive to believe he's fully inoculated long-term against similar grassroots disillusionment if he reheats the same bland fare and goes through the motions. The Irish people have demonstrated their appetite for genuine change and a re-engagement with core Republicanism - empty optics no longer suffice.

Simon Harris has convinced many younger voters that he represents an inspiring new cohort of passionate millennial civic leaders. But his TikTok terrier schtick will ring increasingly hollow if not matched by transformational substance. If he doesn't distance himself decisively from Leo's legacy, his millennial mantra could quickly wither into another trite empty branding exercise - sowing the seeds for inevitable grassroots rebellion.

The first significant test looms large in June's local and European elections. Fine Gael could face staggering losses after their recent referendum meltdowns and the residual stench of Varadkar's miscalculations. A disastrous defeat on a national scale risks crippling Harris' credibility before he even inputs his first cabinet. Conversely, shoring up the party base and reversing the reputational damage through charismatic campaigning on the ground could galvanise his reputation as a dynamic leader of a new, inclusive Irish future.

There's no doubting Harris' fierce energy and ravenous personal drive to make the absolute most of his premiership. But will that prove enough to dispel the lingering clouds over Fine Gael's tone-deafness and thinly veiled contempt for opposing narratives? Or are his earnest progressive pretenses merely the latest dollop of freshly baked PR frosting upon a predictably banal agenda? In a few years, will Simon Harris be remembered as a breath of fresh political air or just another painfully inauthentic flavour of the month wheeled out to dress up the same tired policies in a millennial skinsuit?

Having powered through such a meteoric ascent from pup to PM, the youthful Harris has more than earned his chance to imprint a genuinely modern, inclusive, and forward-thinking vision upon Ireland's polity. However, whether he has the fortitude to back up all the hashtag heroics with a steady hand of genuine principle and conviction beyond personal branding remains to be seen.

If he can pull off that acrobatic transformation into an inspiring, unifying national leader, Simon Harris' tenure could be genuinely historic as a youthful reboot of progressive politics for the island's diverse 21st-century reality. If not, his time as Taoiseach risks being merely a brief, meme-friendly detour before the subsequent Blueshirt retread retakes the reins. In the coming months, the Irish people will discover whether Harris will mature into a substantive Taoiseach - or prove to be just another boyish novelty act destined for the dustbin of political history.