Don’t be distracted by lucky Leo’s Brexit Bounce
DRIVING home from work on Friday, I caught the end of ‘Callan’s Kicks’ on RTE’s Drivetime. Comedian Oliver Callan has long held a reputation for razor sharp wit, especially when it comes to the world of politics, and on Friday he didn’t disappoint.
Callan signed off his show with a Leo Varadkar monologue, with the comedian’s Taoiseach basking in the glow of a Brexit Bounce that has seen his approval rating soar.
The last line of the monologue was completely on the money, proving that Oliver Callan every bit a political analyst as comedian.
‘The greatest trick the devil ever pulled,’ said Oliver in his best Leo voice, ‘was convincing the country the homeless crisis didn’t exist.’ Never a truer word spoken.
If the Taoiseach was out for an early morning run this week, you can bet that he struggled to keep the smile off his face.
The good times started to roll for Leo Varadkar last Tuesday, when an Ipsop MRBI poll declared that the Taoiseach’s approval rating had soared by an incredible 15 points to 51%. This was in no doubt down to Brexit, and the crucial role the Taoiseach played in Boris Johnson securing a deal with the EU.
It doesn’t matter if Boris fails to get the deal through Westminster – Leo has done his bit, and images of a beaming Taoiseach being back-slapped by the great and the good of Europe in Brussels on Friday is manna from heaven for a political leader gearing up for an election.
A good week became a great week for the Taoiseach over the weekend, when Fianna Fáil became embroiled in an embarrassing scandal over phantom votes in the Dáil chamber. It may seem trivial to some, but the conduct of (so far) three senior front-bench deputies is a very serious matter. The integrity of the democratic process of the Dáil has been called into question, and Fianna Fáil’s opponents will no doubt use this to their advantage come election time.
So Leo Varadkar really should count himself lucky, as it could - and should - have been much more uncomfortable week for him. Politics is a funny game, and our Taoiseach is riding on the crest of a wave the same week that a photo emerged of a five-year-old homeless boy eating a pasta dinner off a piece of cardboard on the street.
If any one photo has summed up the disgrace of the homeless crisis, this is it. That boy should have been at home, eating his dinner with his family at the kitchen table. Instead, he is eating a cold dinner on a piece of cardboard on a cold autumn night.
We should be ashamed of ourselves that this is Ireland in 2019. And our government should be ashamed of themselves, they have been in government since 2011, yet the housing crisis is deepening.
We are fed up of the excuses, fed up of the reports with the massaged figures, fed up of hearing how Fine Gael took over a country on its knees thanks to the reckless policies of the previous Fianna Fáil administration.
Folks, you’ve had eight years. On your watch, the housing crisis has gone from bad to worse, and as we prepare for another cold winter, how many more children will be eating their dinner off a piece of cardboard on the street before we shout ‘enough!’?
So enjoy your stellar approval rating Mr Varadkar, on Brexit you certainly deserve it. And enjoy watching your nearest rivals Fianna Fáil squirm over their phantom Dáil votes.
But remember, your government has failed on housing. It has failed that five-year-old boy in the photo. The electorate will not forget this.