Hand of history now rests on Varadkar’s shoulders

World of Politics with Harry McGee – harrymcgee@gmail.com

When Leo Varadkar becomes Taoiseach next week, it will be an epoch-changing moment. And a changing of the guard also means a societal change – sometimes massive, always signficant. He is only the thirteenth holder of this high office in almost 100 years. The main reason for that is that for the first 40 years of the State, there were only four – William T Cosgrave, Eamon de Valera (for over two decades); John A Costello and Seán Lemass.

While the turnover has been quicker since then, it’s still a comparatively rare event. Most people with any interest in politics can name the rest off the top of their heads – Jack Lynch; Liam Cosgrave; Charles Haughey; Garrett FitzGerald; Albert Reynolds; John Bruton, Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen, and Enda Kenny.  The election of a new Taoiseach signifies new priorities and new directions. Sometimes it is kind of continuity, like Jack Lynch taking from Sean Lemass in 1966. And sometimes, it’s substantial.

When Charles Haughey became Taoiseach in 1979, that was a massive shift. Similarly, when Enda Kenny took over from the beleaguered and battered Fianna Fáíl, he was the figurehead for a massive sea-change in Irish politics.  We assume that the appointment of new Taoiseach comes as an added extra to a general election. But when you look back at it as many have been elevated in mid-term as have come thanks to the electoral process.

Jack Lynch took over from Lemass in late 1966. His first election as leader of Fianna Fáíl did not take place until 1969 – he won it incidentally but did not have too long to settle in before the violence in the North of Ireland started spiralling out of control.

Reynolds took over from Charles Haughey in 1992. The next such change in Fianna Fáil happened in April 2008 when Brian Cowen took over Charlie Haughey. Indeed, Cowen became the only Irish Taoiseach who never had a popular mandate.

As the economy and the country unravelled – and as he traipsed from one disaster to the next – he did the sensible thing and stood down as leader of Fianna Fáil when calling the election.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.