On brink of defeat, Irish PM in ‘small Britain’ jibe
IRISH premier Leo Varadkar was today struggling to hold on to power less than a fortnight after he taunted Britain for being a ‘small country’ after Brexit.
Polls suggest the Taoiseach and his Fine Gael party face potential defeat in Ireland’s first general election on a Saturday for more than a century.
The twin threat of a revival by the Fianna Fail party and a surprise surge by Sinn Fein are threatening Mr Varadkar’s grip on power.
In the last major survey of the electorate before polling day, Sinn Fein was leading on 25 per cent, with Fianna Fail on 23 per cent and Mr Varadkar’s party on 20 per cent.
Political experts say that no party is expected to reach the 80-seat threshold to enable it to rule on its own in the 160-strong Dail.
Mr Varadkar’s demise would not be mourned by Tory Brexiteers after he sparked anger in the run-up to Brexit by saying the UK must ‘now come to terms with the fact it’s a small country’.
In provocative remarks last month, he also said Brussels would be the ‘stronger team’ in post-Brexit trade talks and suggested Britain could rejoin the EU if Brexit does not ‘work out’.
Mr Varadkar will be hoping his administration’s economic record and overall handing of the Brexit process will convince voters to keep him on. However, Brexit has surprisingly not featured in a campaign dominated by domestic issues such as spiralling rental prices, recordbreaking homeless numbers, controversy over the state pension age and a struggling health service. The election has been dominated by talk of a potential breakthrough for Sinn Fein and its Left-leaning policies. But with the party fielding only 42 candidates, the odds will still be stacked against its leader Mary Lou McDonald taking her party into power.
Both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have so far ruled out any partnership with Sinn Fein.
Fianna Fail topped the opinion polls early in the campaign and leader Micheal Martin could yet emerge as the next Taoiseach. But experts say voting patterns were harder to predict given the unusual Saturday timing of the poll.
Mr Varadkar claimed the numbers going to the polls were actually low.