Despite a year of significant progress,

THOSE who like him call him Leo. Disbelievers call him Varadkar (disrespectfully mispronouncing it Varaddakkar). Insider hipsters refer to him as simply Vlad. Whatever you want to call him, he has just completed his first year in the top job, so an annual report card is due.

With any new job, once you’ve 12 months under your belt you know you can handle most of what’s thrown at you with a degree of confidence. Rookie errors, like the St Patrick’s Day joke that misfired about his rescuing Donald Trump, are less likely as experience clocks up.

Those Downing Street prime ministerial bilaterals, EU summits and daily Dáil firestorms also become less forbidding as he grows more adept. Expect fewer wobbles and more finesse.

And he is a lucky general, in that the circumstances of new politics could hardly be more benign. Our adversarial parliamentary system is based on the Opposition prosecuting and persecuting ministers – harrying and harassing them relentlessly. But not up to now. The nuclear option of bringing down the Government has been off-limits to Fianna Fáil until the referendum. The Soldiers of Destiny’s dogs could bark but there was no bite.

Despite serious clashes on health and housing, the cervical cancer scandal and adoption furore, no knockout blow was delivered. A no-confidence motion to terminate the Dáil and the minority administration never came. This has all served to underwrite the Taoiseach’s authority in turbulent waters.

But has anything actually changed since Enda Kenny?

Many say no, but that’s nonsense.

A year ago, Fine Gael had no plan for the next election. Now, every detail of governance is predicated on winning it. The party is transformed from being doubled up with self-pity since its 2016 rejection, to being match-fit and hungry with a new front-line team which threatens to run rings around opponents.

Leave Leo aside for a moment. Paschal Donohoe, Simon Coveney, Simon Harris and Regina Doherty are all now the perfect tried-andtested, established youthful A-listers to drive a campaign. The dying days of Kenny and Noonan reminded voters of austerity and general exhaustion, so the new energy is dynamic and welcome given what lies ahead.

Yet the Taoiseach must also learn that the best talents may not be the most loyal acolytes. Ministers like Eoghan Murphy and Josepha Madigan seem like lightweights in the heavyweight roles of housing and referendum director of elections. In fact, few of the promoted junior ministers have made an impact. A meritocracy of promotions serves both party and country best.

Mr Varadkar’s other significant achievement is in asserting control of his party. This can often take years for a leader. It generally requires securing and dominating your own general election to fully cement internal authority. We shouldn’t forget Leo didn’t secure a majority of party members’ support within Fine Gael’s electoral college.

But his improved poll ratings, deft glad-handing of backbenchers’ gripes and a direct approach in confronting problems with candour has asserted his position, ensuring party unity and lack of a disaffected rump to nibble at