World of Politics with Harry McGee

Leo Varadkar once said that he would retire from politics at the age of 50. When he said it, my reaction was: ‘nah, that’s not possible, he’s never going to do that.”

But politics has changed. What was once seen as a profession for life – or as long as you survived – is no longer that.

A slew of Fine Gael TDs – all male – have announced they will not be standing in the next election. What raised eyebrows was that many of them were in their forties and early fifties; mid-career politicians. The impression you got from them was that Covid had made them re-evaluate their lives after spending far more time at home. And the life of a TD with the constant travelling and time demands no longer accorded with their desire to have a better work-life balance.

The cynicism of the public (and the snake pit that is social media) were also factors.

Last Saturday, my colleague Miriam Lord had a fascinating column in the Irish Times where she raised the possibility that some of the most senior figures in Fine Gael such as Simon Coveney and Paschal Donohoe might not remain in politics until they are entitled to a free bus pass.

And she wondered too if Leo Varadkar himself might do a Jacinta Ardern on it and leave politics entirely.

Miriam wrote: “Now questions are being asked about Varadkar’s zest for the Taoiseach’s job the second time round as party colleagues bail out and some close supporters peel away. The ceaseless, debilitating abuse on social media can’t help either – and that’s not going to improve any time soon.

“A two-term Taoiseach and only 44 years old, Leo has a big future ahead of him. But is it with Fine Gael?”

Coveney came out quickly in the Irish Examiner on Tuesday to say that he has no intention of retiring any time soon and will stand in the next election.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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