Leo Varadkar to step down as Irish prime minister

[WhereYouLeftIt]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/20/leo-varadkar-step-down-irish-prime-minister/

https://archive.ph/AyM2B

"Mr Varadkar, 45, will step down after suffering defeat in a referendum held to remove sexist language about women’s duties in the home from the Irish Constitution."

There's been a lot said about the No/No vote, when the political class took ot for granted there'd be a Yes/Yes. I wonder if his resignation is going to turn out to be part of a wider shake-out?

Everyone (1) in Ireland knew about Haughey's mistress and a lot of people knew about his girlfriends.

(1) as in my very FF 80 years old grandmother in Mayo and my aunts, uncles, neighbours, colleagues, people on the bus . . . There was no pretense and keeping it secret, and the only real question was why did Maureen put up with it.

Everyone knew about Bertie Ahern likewise.

Madigan was Varadkar's choice for Dublin European candidate, but Regina Doherty was selected - apparently she'd been doing a lot of work getting support beforehand, and perhaps Madigan hadn't. I don't know if being disappointed of the European elections was a factor but it seems possible.

Wasn't on TV radio or newspapers. Nobody I met on hols home in Dublin knew about it. Would his career have survived it I wonder

Lots of things that are common knowledge don't get printed in the media even now.

I didn't know anyone who didn't know about it. Obviously the mistress's newspaper didn't bill her as 'the Taoiseach's squeeze' when it typeset her social column, or describe the judge as 'husband of the T's s' but it was generally believed that the whole set up did no harm to the husband or the daughter's or the son-in-law's careers, and it was the actual woman's top selling point.

Haughey and Keane's affair happened 40 years ago, a different time, in a low information environment as far as the general public's knowledge and awareness of going's-on in high places - so it's really not a comparable situation. Most people only knew about the affair after the fact. It's simply not correct to say it was widely known about at the time. And as far as I know there was never any photo or video circulated widely amongst the population of Haughey and Keane snogging in a public place. That video of Leo Varadkar snogging a randomer in a PUBLIC place that you claim not to have seen was all over social media - fair play to you if you managed to avoid it. Just because you have low expectations of your political representatives doesn't mean that the rest of us have. LV was definitely protected in this situation by his sexuality and I find it hard to believe that a straight male married politician would be undamaged by a video like that.

LV was definitely protected in this situation by his sexuality and I find it hard to believe that a straight male married politician would be undamaged by a video like that.

Leo isn't married is he?
I know he has a long term partner but didn't think they'd married.

However, I think he was damaged by the video to a certain extent. Even from comments on here it's clear that some people thought less of him because of it.

He had a unique position where as a non white gay man he was too progressive for many but ultimately his right wing policies and distain for the needy meant he wasn’t progressive enough for many others.

My biggest issue with him was that he didn’t have any real political beliefs or values.

Haughey did Ireland a favour (yes really) by refusing to let media gossip and hints about his carryings-on become a political issue. At a time when the UK was constantly having political resignations because of minor sexual stories, it was tacitly understood here that 'grown adult has sex' was a fact of life and something individuals and families should be let deal with in privacy, not something to derail a political career. See also Emmet Stagg.

The very different world of universal exposure and universal anonymous comment that has come with social media has changed things. And at any time, a little decorum when in public is something everyone needs to learn - the old 'rule' of don't do anything in public that you aren't inviting everyone present to join in isn't a bad touchstone.

I think he does have strong political views though @mollyfolk even if I don't agree with them. His comments about public funding for care of the elderly or disabled were very revealing. Essentially there shouldn't be any.

During Covid and Brexit he did what was needed and fair play to him. But removed from the constraints of being Taoiseach , when Micheál took over , he quickly reverted to his Hannibal Lecter persona. This is the paradox, a nice guy to have a pint and a chat with but deep in his heart he thinks all taxation is theft. If you want a pension you should go private.

But Ireland doesn't work that way. Its all messy coalitions and compromise. Not perfect by any means but it has saved us from the worst excesses of 'free market ' madness. Thank God for the Single Transferable Vote.

Or the Goddess / Universe/ Evolution

Pretty damning assessment of Varadkar and his reign by Brendan O'Neill....hard to disagree with any of it

https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/03/22/leo-varadkar-vs-the-people/

I don't think it's a fair portrait of Varadkar. I don't think he was a good leader but O'Neill gives the impression that Varadkar enthusiastically chose a huge increase in immigration and zero carbon targets out of nowhere, for no reason other than ideology - the refugee crisis and climate change are just very difficult issues that any leader has to respond to. The referendum on Article 41 was kicking round for years, Varadkar didn't come up with it although he did seem to think it was an easy win that would boost his popularity before the elections. And as for the fact he wasn't directly elected as taoiseach, no taoiseach is, it's not the same as the president.
Varadkar was arrogant and didn't believe in properly engaging with dissent. His support for the Hate Crime bill is much more on point.

My point about LV is summed up in the Varadkar paradox article [availble online for anyone who wants to google it]. He was opposed to same sex marriage and gender recognition legislation until he wasn't. He was pro life until he became pro choice. He is a believer in economic inequality, the type of inequality which condemns people to miserable lives. He was anti immigration. He talked a lot about the ‘decent types’ who worked hard and got up in the mornings. He has assiduously cultivated a certain type of image.
Before 2015 [he was then in his mid 30s] he never said a word in support of gay rights. As Irish society changed, he went with the mood music. He was regarded in the press as being a social and economic conservative when he stood against Coveney, which was an image he had worked hard to project.
He will move on to greener pastures no doubt, with some huge job connected to the Davos cyberspace where the pay packets are enormous and people breathe a different type of air. His performances always reminded me of a very able barrister, he could argue any case but it didn't mean he believed in anything very much.
Btw there are hardly any TDs who haven't done a complete volte face on abortion rights and same sex marriage or who argued against the recent referendum project, and I doubt that their change of heart was about conscience. It’s one of the things which is so dispiriting about the Irish political class, beliefs seem to be very fluid and FG and FF are just interchangeable parts of the same body. SF is run with an iron discipline where any dissent is crushed, look at Peadar Toibins treatment. What happened to the broad church view of political parties where people were allowed to believe in different things and could remain respected figures?
It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the question of Irish neutrality given Macron’s devotion to militarism within Western Europe.
The leader of a party and particularly where that leader is also the Head of Government, has to lead on policy issues and be at the forefront of campaigning. LV like so many of the present managerial crop of our political class, seems to be a band wagon jumper, these people react to events they do not instigate change. Before Ireland’s entry into the ECC politicians hardly ever had access to other forums, save perhaps a visit from a US president. I wonder how much the lure of Brussels and funded ‘think tanks’ seduces them away from little old Ireland and feeds their egos and wallets?
Irelands social/economic problems [ including a chronic housing shortage, an over reliance on US tech/ pharmaceutical industries with a favoured tax status and the drugs culture which is at epidemic proportions in certain cities] require radical change, innovation and a sense of purpose. Moving the agricultural sector into new types of farming is going to an enormous challenge, and Ireland is already suffering with a new landlord class, one which owns huge parcels of lands and housing supply, and is controlled by vulture funds and a handful of very rich people. The fall out from the 2008 crash is still affecting the country.
LV whatever his reasons for resigning, must have also considered who would replace him. Does he really believe that Simon Harris is the best qualified person to confront these issues or did he assume that Donohue or Coveney would take up the reins?

Thank you for that very well thought out post @Weonlyhavealoanofit . I wish I could write ĺike that but I quickly descend into sarcasm or silly puns.
You have helped crystallise my thoughts on LV and Irish politics in general. 👏

All of this

He's not married though is he? So there's no parallel with extra-marital affairs either here or elsewhere.

Do I think snogging some guy in a nightclub is appropriate in a long-term relationship, well no, but I've no idea what the couple are happy with. Was it a good look for a PM? No.

I'm not sure if there are parallels with leaders cheating on a boyfriend or girlfriend. I don't really know that would get a huge amount of traction. Definitely not enough to cause a career to nose dive.

On the snogging in a night club I believe it shows lack of critical thinking. How sure can he be that his snogee is over 18 or won’t go to the media with lurid stories?

For sure. Total lack of judgement.

At minimum, isn’t he in one of them, they’re ‘durable’ relationships. Varadkar bringing his ‘durable’ other along to the White House in an official capacity as a couple for many a St Patricks’s Day. Even in the Trump/Pence days. Lots of other appearances as a couple in an official capacity for the Irish state. For welcoming visiting dignitaries and the like. Rather more than the wedding invite, or a Christmas card addressed to both of them which was the threshold example given.

I seem to remember there were some murmuring over the correct protocol when it appeared that Nicolas Sarkozy would bring Carla Bruni along on a state visit, or two, as his ‘other’ before they were married. I think one French constitutional commentator said that Sarkozy would be bringing disgrace to the office of Président, no less! They got married quite quickly thought, so those countries that may have been upset at their unmarried status in a state visit weren’t offended for too long. That was over a decade ago, now.

’their’ not they’re!

Blinkin’ heck. It’s ‘there’. Third time lucky, and in a Beverly Hillbillies accent.

Actually the international reaction to Sanna Marin, where she only danced (!) with a man in a nightclub who wasn’t her partner, is an interesting compare and contrast to LV. Sanna Marin was vilified and in the end forced to resign due to the incident, which I would have judged as totally harmless, unlike LV’s kissing video.

As I remember it we decided "durable relationships" were not a thing we wished to recognise ;-)

I get that he's in a relationship. But it isn't a marriage. So whatever affairs he may or may not have, are not extra-marital. That was my point. Whether his snogging is good, bad or irrelevant is another question. Mind you, definitely irrelevant now.

Actually, the 'scandal' about Santa Marin involved a private party with a small group of friends where - shocker - she danced. She was in a friend's flat, not anywhere public.

Homophobia may be receding, but misogyny lives on.

Sanna, obviously ...though I could get behind a partying Father Christmas for Finnish PM.

It’s worth noting that the party was not directly related to Sanna Marin leaving; she actually left Finnish politics eight months later, after an election in which her party lost control of the Finnish parliament. And she left Finnish politics to join the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (it’s hard to think of a comment suitable scathing for this; but effectively Marin is one of those people who has treated national leadership as a stepping stone to a highly-paid gig in the Davos set).

But even aside from her actual career trajectory, it’s worth noting that our perceptions are not necessarily the same as those which might be held in Finland itself. When she left politics, the Slate headline, giving the perspective from America, was “Finland Really Has to Stop Being Such an Incredible Loser About Its Hot, Dancing Prime Minister”, which is more misogynistic than any of the headlines I’ve seen criticising her. From an international viewpoint, what seems to matter is that she’s young, attractive, and female. From in Finland, little details matter like domestic policy matter. She wasn’t a particularly effectual prime minister, and her string of parties (because the video wasn’t from the first of these events) didn’t endear her that much to the Finnish electorate as a whole.

All remarkably like the Varadkar experience…