Eire has a new Taoiseach

[TheOstrich]

Leo Varadkar, at 38, has just this evening been appointed Ireland's Fine Gael leader, and de facto prime minister.

I wonder what this will do for relations with the UK and Brexit ..... it's very important to both countries.

Any thoughts, folks?

[Workingman]

It sounds as though he is all things to all men: a liberal centrist, socially and politically, but a conservative, economically.

It looks likely that he will go for an early election as he rides the wave of popularity. I am not sure things will change much between the
UK and ROI once the dust settles.

The saddest thing for me is the reporting from the BBC. He's gay, you know. The first openly gay Taoiseach, note it down. He's young, oh, and did we mention that he's gay. I thought we had got over all that, but not the BBC. It has an agenda, you see.

[Osc]

Not only is he gay, but he is the son of an Indian immigrant - now that is not unusual in the UK but still relatively new here. But do you know what? Neither of these facts was an issue in his campaign, because nobody cared. Why do the non-Irish press make such a big deal out of his being gay when the country just wants someone who will be good at the job regardless of his origins or sexual preference. For me, I find it hopeful that both candidates are young and I hope this is the start of a sweeping away of the old guard.

Also I am not sure he will go for an early election. He has the summer recess coming up, giving him plenty of time to firm up on what he wants to do and to be honest, the country does not need the upheaval, just to have much the same result at the end.

[Workingman]

Well said Osc. Is he the best man for the job? Irish voters thought so and that is all that matters.

With regards the election, the RTE interviewer and his pundits must have got it wrong. It would not be the first time.

[Osc]

Irish voters thought so and that is all that matters.

Well, not all Irish voters. He did not win the vote of the rank-and-file party members, but there were 20,000 eligible voters of whom only about 50% voted - that makes me so mad, the first time the new system of electing a party leader has been used and 10,000 party members cannot be bothered to get off their backsides to vote But he had the majority of the parliamentary party and Cabinet behind him. I would really like him to be successful but I am generally a lousy chooser of political people

[TheOstrich]

I am generally a lousy chooser of political people ...

I know that feeling well, Osc ....

[Suff]

Why do the non-Irish press make such a big deal out of his being gay when the country just wants someone who will be good at the job regardless of his origins or sexual preference.

It sells news and makes money and that is the end of it.

As for Indian extraction, I have a quite a few friends in India and they are good people, we've had a lot of fun both at work and out of work.

I hope he does a good job for Eire, you need a good leader Osc and, as you say, you don't need radical; you need steady as it goes and small changes to keep the train moving to better times.