Leo Varadkar, now Tánaiste, not taoiseach, summed up pithily on Saturday what many in Fine Gael have said privately for days: “Today is not, however, a day for celebration for Fine Gael, far from it. The period since the election has seen approval ratings for Fine Gael, and Varadkar’s own personal ratings, rocket due to the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. One of the features of the recent debate within the party about whether to go into coalition was the effect a coming together with Fianna Fáil would have on Varadkar’s party’s identity. TDs have not yet worked out how exactly to make a distinction with Fianna Fáil, with one saying: “I don’t know the answer to that yet. It seems Fine Gael hopes that competency across key departments by his Ministers – who have the threat of a reshuffle in two years’ time dangling over them – will at least go some of the way to maintaining party identity.

Source: The Irish Times June 28, 2020 20:15 UTC