Varadkar hasn’t done much in first year yet he’s still ahead of the rest

Exactly what it said on the tin — that’s what Leo Varadkar has done in the year since he was elected as our Taoiseach, give or take a few diversions. He has delivered for parliamentary party colleagues who elected him on the basis that he would increase Fine Gael’s popularity, broaden the party’s appeal, and bring a good dollop of that elusive X factor.

It’s probably fair to say that even the 65% of the wider Fine Gael party who did not vote for him in the leadership contest must feel somewhat appeased that even if their man, Simon Coveney, did not win, the one that did has been very good for the party.

In the discussion of politics, disasters are always given more coverage than successes.