McDowell the leader is now at the bottom of a steep learning curve

PLEASE don’t think I’ve gone soft. I want to start this week by wishing Michael McDowell well in his new job. Dick Spring used to say that being a party leader in Irish politics was a bit like having a daily shower in public while keeping your dignity intact.

And as someone who has had the chance over the years to watch a number of party leaders come (and go), I know exactly what he meant.

There is no more difficult job in Irish public life than being a party leader. The smaller and more challenged the party, the more difficult it is. There’ll be a honeymoon, of course, but then the challenges begin to mount.