Leo Varadkar resigns as Taoiseach

Not involving an Irish politician and she has come out in public about the whole case. Everything around Trump is a circus anyhow and he's the main clown so it's not comparable.

Haughey lived in a completely different era. The general public relied on media to tell. General public had no clue. Far easier years ago to hide indiscretions.

This era completely different. The reason why the Irish media and others never discussed it or dared give any negative analysis was based off a fear of the homophobia label.

A chancer in other words?

Yeah why anyone would spend 500k on a new house, cripple themselves with mortgage payments and the lad next door is living there for 100 quid a month for 20 years. The middle class are the **** idiots now and Fianna Gael forgot where there bread was buttered. The problem is FF and SF are as bad. Leo was going to support the person who had to get up early in the morning .....lmao.

I've always called him Slimey Harris for this reason. When it comes to politics, he is a very effective snake.

Nope, that would be comparing apples and pears.

Most people didnt give a fook about the Referendum & many didnt understand it, so I wouldnt compare the results of that episode to anything.

Election polls are generally pretty accurate, but even accounting for large margin for error, there is no single party capable of a majority, so FF remain the kingmaker in all circumstances.

Therefore, FFG govt is by far the most likley scenario.

Nothing has changed on that front for years.

He certainly isnt thick.

I would say only him, Pascal and Coveney have the capability to be leader and the other two have pulled out.

So its a no brainer that Harris will lead.

Fine Gael member here.

Never understood why Coveney didn't get leader and Taoiseach to be honest.

There are limits to media friendly gesture politics as people live in the real world of no homes and I suspect sooner than most people think, no jobs. Do press officers run the country or elected TD's?

Hubris also played a part brought on I suspect, with the increased powers enjoyed during lockdown.

On immigration, about a million Irish residents were not born here, yet the country is turned into a cesspit of racism by the chronic mishandling of the issue over last few years. Make promises you can't keep and estrange your electorate or worse blame them.

As for the runners for the vacated position,

• Harris, not the person that imprisioned me in my own home for 2 years, no way
• Donoghue, very competent with the numbers but as leader?
• The current minister for justice, not after the riots.

Who does a conservative (both economically and socially), christian democratic, tax paying small business owner vote for?

• The monster raving populists?
• SF, with the historical baggage?
• The traditional left, Lab/SD?
• FF, they still get votes after everything???

There is nothing more annoying than getting an electricity bill that is negative and realising my own taxes paid for that and is paying the same for many, many others. Again and again the current government tell us how they are spending our money, one for everyone in the audience, maybe I'd like to keep more of it and decide where to spend it.

The future for the party, I hope for a return to more traditional FG policies and politics, the politics of the country needs a center-right party otherwise who-knows-what fills that gap. The lessons from the UK and the US are very stark, I don't want to go there.

I imagine the party is in for a kicking at the next election, made even worst by the large numbers of TD not standing again, possibly they are unhappy with the direction of the party and I suspect were not listened to by the leadership of the party OR they understand the scale of the failure to deliver for the country and realise there is no hope of re-election.

As for Ireland itself, we are in for some choppy weather economically I suspect but in the long run things are getting better, for all its flaws its still the place I call home.

You are not the only one. I keep thinking am I missing something?

He's the quintessential example of 'failing upwards', a bit like Leo himself. To say that there seems to be a competency crisis at leadership levels, not just in Irish politics, but pretty much all over the world right now, is a bit of an understatement. And that lack of any leadership with an ounce of backbone or a brain is pretty worrying....

And that is why FF, if they have any sense from a strategy pov, should put the boot in politely now. Argue they never agreed this new arrangement, that the referendum results and town/village protests are significant. Pull the plug and go to the people. But will they?

The realities are that if you expect the market to do all your heavy lifting it will do exactly what produces the most profit for the fewest people.

General feedback from Newstalk listeners over lunchtime seems to be to go to the public. Not much support for Harris coming through.

It's not really an accident incompetent politicians allow the Billionaires and crooks to extract the maximum profit from the country. Its in the interests of those who own all the assets to have corrupt and incompetent politicians. The intelligent and able members of society see that politics is not where the money's at so avoid it.