Brexit negotiations - Taoiseach must heed wise counsel

If the Taoiseach is to lead successful negotiations with the UK as well as our EU partners over Brexit he will need to show greater political maturity than he exhibited during the debacle over former tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald.

While loyalty to one’s colleagues may be considered an important trait of politicians, it should never be at the expense of what is good for the country.

Fianna Fáil faced accusations of seeking political gain from Ms Fitzgerald’s dilemma but the situation was made worse by Leo Varadkar’s initial reluctance to engage with Micheál Martin and his stubborn insistence on continuing to support her when it became increasingly clear that her position was untenable.