It will take a miracle worker to rescue Fine Gael

Well now. Leo took the whole country by surprise. He even surprised me, as I was looking at his performance on the big stage and was impressed by his humanitarian approach to the tragedy that is unfolding in Gaza. He has displayed courage and determination in trying to persuade a reluctant world and especially US President Joe Biden and his EU colleagues to call a halt to the carnage that is being perpetrated by the people of Israel against the Palestinian people. 

I say the people of Israel because they are as much responsible as their Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for this genocide. The people could call a halt to Netanyahu but they won’t because the vast majority of Israelis support the war against Hamas and they could not care less about the innocent children, mothers and civilians who are dismissed as collateral damage. As our Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has done the country proud in drawing attention to and seeking support to end what is now a genocidal crusade by Israel.

It would seem that while Leo was impressive on the big stage and came across well when considering and laying down the position of the Irish Government on issues of high importance to the Irish people - advancing the case of a modern secular nation, social issues, gay rights, abortion, Brexit, The North, the EU, Ukraine, the Stormont Assembly, migration, international protection issues and a United Ireland, he was not great at the glad-handling and plámas that is part and parcel of being a Taoiseach. Nor, it would seem, was he great at soothing the injured feelings of sensitive Fine Gael deputies who felt they should be promoted to positions that, perhaps, did not match their skillset.

I should say that, in the beginning, I was not entirely enamoured of Leo, whose portrayal of Brutus delivering the final stab in the back to Enda Kenny (our Real Taoiseach) did not indicate great loyalty to the person who had enabled his progress through the party. After the deed was done, I offered Leo a shot at redemption and invited him to walk the Bangor Trail and prove that he was as good a man as the Real Taoiseach. He did not accept the invitation and perhaps that was as well because there was the possibility that some of those in the group of walkers might have taken the law into their own hands and led (misled?) him into one of the many bogholes along the way.

But, perhaps that is being a bit melodramatic. As I say, he went on to rise in my estimation (he will be pleased about that!) especially in his most recent incarnation as Taoiseach. In particular, he has worn his humanity on his sleeve and has been forceful in relation to the situation in Gaza. 

It is a mystery to me how the world can stand idly by while this crime is being committed by Israel. Joe Biden has done much hand-wringing but little else, something he may regret come next November when the US elects their president and many young Democrats, incensed by the Gaza goings-on, boycott the election. What a tragedy that might prove to be and what a gift to Trump.

It will be interesting to see what happens now following Leo’s abdication. The ball is in the Fine Gael court. They seem intent on carrying on as if nothing has happened. Leo has been consigned to history where his contribution to the nation will be a matter for discussion and interminably futile debate by historians. No more than the many Taoishigh who went before him, his epitaph will read something like “he has done the state some service and history will be kind to him”. 

As I write, Simon Harris is set to become the leader of Fine Gael and our next Taoiseach. At 37 years of age he will be our youngest ever Taoiseach. From what I’ve seen of him on TV, he is a fast and verbose talker who connects his sentences and generally makes sense. I’ve nothing against young people, but I’m an auld traditionalist who believes you can’t beat experience and it seems to me that if Harris had a bit more experience he would have decided his time has not yet come.

No doubt the advice to Harris was to strike while the iron was hot, but if the Fine Gael party had taken more time to consider the options available to them they could well have considered a different formula. I was reading there recently about the myriad of advisers the Fine Gael ministers have available to them. I wondered where they were when the Fine Gael party, rather than individual ministers, needed advice.

In the current set of circumstances, a general election would be in the best interests of the people. It is due shortly, in any event, so let’s get it over and done with. But, under pressure, people very often go with the softer option. There has been a considerable clamour from the Opposition for a general election. It is what one would expect, but if the Government, not just Fine Gael, had taken the time to think they might well have told the Opposition the option of a general was under consideration. That would very quickly dampen the enthusiasm of those calling for the election. 

No sitting TD faces the electorate fully confident that she/he enjoys their confidence. And that is particularly true today. In the recent referendums, the electorate delivered a “plague on all your houses” verdict. Even Sinn Féin - and particularly Sinn Féin - needs to analyse the message the electorate delivered. The Shinners’ planning for the general election is months ahead of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens. They are, rightly, very confident that they will form the next government but now they should take time to reflect on the mood of the people.

In ruling out the general election, it seems to me that Fine Gael (with Fianna Fáil and Greens) would have been better served if they had placed a halter on Harris and he was told to bide his time. It will take a miracle worker, not a brand new shiny Taoiseach, and it will take time, to get Fine Gael out of the mess confronting them. The Local and European elections are a lost cause. The public seem to take a perverse delight in sending a message to Government via elections that don’t really have a national impact. You can expect Sinn Féin and the Labour, Social Democrats, People Before Profit cohort to continue the clamour for a general election even before counting has concluded after the weekend of June 7. There is the potential for permanent damage to Harris as he seeks to rebuild the party in the impossibly short space of time before the general election.

Options remain available to the party if they are open to some “outside the box” thinking - something I fear is anathema to them. Seeing as how their well-paid advisers failed to come up with anything, I’ll throw in my tuppence worth and promise not to send a bill. Put Harris on hold for the time being and bring forward another name for Fine Gael leader. It is a stop-gap solution and after the general election there can be a considered and deliberate consideration of who might best lead Fine Gael into 2025 and beyond. 

And now I’ll give ye the name. It is none other than Heather Humphreys. Regular readers will recall that I espoused Heather’s credentials a couple of columns ago. She’s a tough cookie and is no ways slow when it comes to silencing critical Shinners who overstep the mark.

And this ploy would have the added bonus of depriving Mary Lou of her much vaunted ambition of becoming the country’s first female Taoiseach. I’m sure there are people in Fine Gael who would just love that.

So, there you have it. Put that in your vapes and poison the country.