Varadkar teeters on the brink amid Sinn Fein surge
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Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is teetering on the edge of defeat in Saturday’s election, with his Fine Gael party looking likely to lose out as a result of a resurgent Sinn Fein.
Most recent polling puts Varadkar’s party third with 17 per cent of the vote, while Sinn Fein has support from around a quarter of voters. Fianna Fail is second, with around 22 per cent.
Sinn Fein are only fielding 42 candidates, just over half the total number of seats, precluding them from an outright win. However the party once associated with the IRA could become Dail Eireann king-makers.
During a recent TV debate both Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin ruled out going into government with Sinn Fein, with the Taoiseach saying they were not a “normal party”, while Martin said it was a “moral question”.
Varadkar said he would be willing to enter into a coalition with Fianna Fail, although rival leader Martin appeared less enthusiastic.
Varadkar, the first gay, and youngest-ever Taoiseach, has done much to put Dublin at the heart of the withdrawal negotiations, regularly criticising British proposals for the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.
His 11th-hour meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson last autumn was critical to breaking the impasse that enabled a withdrawal agreement to be struck, but his often incendiary interventions were criticised by key Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg as “irresponsible, vote-chasing immaturity.”
Many Irish voters though are increasingly concerned about living standards, healthcare, housing and homelessness.
Meanwhile Mary Lou McDonald, who took over from Gerry Adams as leader of Sinn Fein two years ago, is credited with her party’s rise, as she attempts to shake off historic associations with the IRA.
McDonald has also been hammering Fine Gael over its failure to grapple with austerity-induced issues.
Yesterday internal party concern that Varadkar’s defeat was inevitable spilled over into a public debate about his succession.
During an interview former finance minister Michael Noonan backed Paschal Donohoe for the party leadership in the future, although insisted he was backing Varadkar for Saturday.
The Taoiseach stressed he was going nowhere. “We expect, and we certainly hope, that after the election Fine Gael will emerge once again as the largest party,” he told local journalists.
“The opinion polls are within the margin of error, so this can be won, but if that doesn’t happen for some reason, I have indicated that I will seek to stay on as Fine Gael leader.”
His deputy Simon Coveney, who also built a profile during the Brexit talks and is tipped as a future leadership candidate, said on Tuesday: “There is no question mark over Leo Varadkar’s leadership.”
Main image: Getty