Business Post editor Daniel McConnell reflects on the outgoing Taoiseach’s near-20 years in office
Comment Daniel McConnell: Varadkar failed to become the leader he claimed he could be
Early impressions of him were that he was shy, socially awkward but also that he was smart, pugnacious and was not afraid to deliver a withering quip. Varadkar v Kenny Clearly, Varadkar did not rate Enda Kenny to be an effective leader who could deliver Fine Gael into office, and in 2010, he was part of an ill-fated heave to oust Kenny from office and replace him with Richard Bruton.
In government, he would continue to be a thorn in the side of Enda Kenny and the likes of Alan Shatter, the then justice minister. The power of Varadkar’s intervention was not lost. Here he was the young minister, more in touch with public opinion going toe to toe with the elder statesmen in Kenny and Shatter, who had adopted a more patrician stance.
What was more telling was the manner in which he decided to do it. He eschewed newspaper invitations to make the announcement as previously would have been seen as the preferred method, but instead decided to share the news on Miriam O’Callaghan’s RTÉ show. Even internally, it was not a total victory, as Coveney won the constituency of the grass root members by a 2:1 margin, which opened Varadkar to the charge that he was not in total control of his party.
But for all of his promises to deliver electoral success to Fine Gael, his record is one of abject failure.
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