Plain speaking sits well with the voters

When he first got into politics Leo Varadkar was seen as a maverick, he was candid, but he quickly became regarded as prioritising spin over substance, writes Michael Clifford.

‘WORDS matter,” Michael D Higgins said on the night of his re-election as president. “Words can hurt. Words can heal. Words can empower. Words can divide.”

Most observers believe that what Mr Higgins had in mind were some of the words used by Peter Casey, who had contested the election. Mr Casey, as everybody this side of Mars is now aware, created a splash by lashing out at Travellers and social welfare recipients.