We want our flag back, says new taoiseach as he swipes at Sinn Fein
Fine Gael stands for law and order, Simon Harris tells hustings after becoming Ireland’s
IRELAND’S new prime minister used his first speech to take a swipe at the Republican Sinn Fein party after being elected the country’s youngest leader.
Simon Harris, 37, was nominated unopposed to succeed Leo Varadkar as leader of Ireland’s governing party, and will officially become taoiseach when parliament resumes next month.
Upon his coronation, Mr Harris told a hustings in Athlone, County Westmeath that his party Fine Gael “stands for law and order” and told members he wanted to “take our flag back”, to loud cheers.
Mr Harris was referring to the Irish tricolour flag being draped last week over the coffin of Pearse Mcauley, the IRA member.
Mcauley, who has met Mary Lou Mcdonald, the Sinn Fein leader, and was for decades feted as Republican royalty, was part of the gang who murdered Jerry Mccabe, a policeman in Adare, Co Limerick in 1996.
Mr Harris added: “In a week where I saw the tricolour of this republic draped over the coffin of a Garda killer, I say shame – let’s take our flag back.”
Mr Harris will have no more than a year to save the coalition from defeat at parliamentary elections.
Polls for the last three years have consistently put Sinn Fein, a Left-wing party that backs unification with Northern Ireland, as the favourite to head the next government.
Mr Harris, a minister best known for helping steer the country’s initial response to Covid as minister for health, told his party’s members: “This is a moment for Fine Gael to reset.”
Setting out his priorities, he said that he would pursue a “more planned and sustainable” immigration policy and that he would “fight against the dangers of populism”.
On the international front, he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and condemned Russia’s “horrific illegal invasion of
Ukraine”. His predecessor Mr Varadkar, who will remain taoiseach until next month, announced his departure to widespread shock on Wednesday, catching even his closest political allies by surprise.
He said Fine Gael would stand a better chance of re-election under another leader.
It emerged that Phil Hogan, the former EU Commissioner, had been advising Mr Harris for several weeks before the resignation of Mr Varadkar, who fired Mr Hogan for violating Covid restrictions in 2020, sources told the Irish Daily Mail.
While the economy grew strongly under Mr Varadkar, successive governments, of which Mr Harris has been part, have struggled to tackle a decade-long housing crisis.
However, Mr Harris has been criticised for his fluctuating positions on issues ranging from abortion to homeless accommodation.
Mr Harris has spoken in recent days of how he became involved in politics as an “opinionated, moody teenager” annoyed at the lack of educational support for his autistic brother. He has sought to paint himself as an “accidental politician”, even though he has spent most of his adult life in parliament. Mr Harris entered the youth branch of Fine Gael at the age of 16, was elected to parliament as a 24-year-old in 2011 and appointed health minister in 2016, aged just 29.
He is one of Ireland’s most visible government ministers and a strong media performer.
His keen social media presence led one opponent in parliament to dub Harris the “Tiktok taoiseach”.
Inheriting a three-party coalition government working off an agreed policy programme will give Mr Harris little room for any major new policy initiatives.
Two more polls yesterday confirmed a recent trend of support for Sinn Fein dropping off highs of 12-18 months ago.
Those polls again broadly showed that the smaller parties and independent candidates were the beneficiaries over the government parties.
‘In a week where I saw the tricolour of this republic draped over the coffin of a Garda killer, I say shame’