Daniel McConnell: The curse of the two taoisigh is making coalition ineffective

There is no doubt Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar are not friends but as tensions continue to emerge in government, can the old rivals continue to work together for the benefit of the country, asks Daniel McConnell.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar. Let there be no doubn, these two men are not friends.

There is a deep dysfunction at the heart of our government.

Bedevilled by internal distrust, suspicion and competing egos, the greatest danger to its ability to succeed lies within.

Eleven weeks old today, the tripartite coalition has shipped more members and criticism than most do in a full term.

The curse of the two Taoisigh — Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar — is quickly becoming the predominant concern to many within government.

Just who is in charge, people ask. Not just TDs but minsters ask constantly just where the power lies within the administration.

Mr Martin, having slogged for nine years in opposition only to lose the General Election in February, was forced to do a deal with the old enemy in order to keep Sinn Féin out of office, against the wishes of many in his own party.

Mr Varadkar, long having been hailed as the great saviour of Fine Gael, suffered defeat too at the first time of asking as leader and was only spared having to resign given how poorly Fianna Fáil did.

Finding themselves now as mid-sized parties as opposed to the large beasts they previously were, the slow bicycle race toward government formation involving a so-called grand coalition was the least-worst option.

But let there be no doubt, Mr Martin and Mr Varadkar are not friends.

Mr Martin, as Taoiseach, has little time to waste if he is to secure any sort of legacy. Picture: Julie Behal Photography

According to leading sources in both parties, they barely get on and, at times, downright hostility exists between them.

Mr Martin, in an interview with me back in early June, said the dynamic between himself and his counterpart was “cordial and business-like.” 

Now it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to decode that.

“Business-like, it is barely that,” said one minister.

“You have two somewhat odd people in their own rights who are diametrically opposite in how they approach virtually everything. Micheál is 20 years older than Leo and has been in Cabinet more years than Leo has been in politics. Of course they are different, but the lack of cohesion is a problem."

There is a growing perception on both sides of the house that Mr Varadkar, as Tánaiste, has struggled to adjust to his new station having thrived during the early parts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On several occasions, he has been seen to be at odds with government policy.

Most pointedly, on July 21, Mr Varadkar broke ranks with his Cabinet colleagues over plans for a ‘green list’ of countries for international travel.

The Government was expecting to publish a list of countries people can travel to without quarantining for 14-days on their return.

However, the official advice not to travel outside the country except for essential reasons is to remain in place.

In a statement, a spokesman for Leo Varadkar said he “believes strongly that it’s wrong to send out mixed messages about international travel.” 

“The Tánaiste believes there should be a green list, as was previously agreed by the Government, but if the travel advice for countries on the green list isn’t different to advice for other countries, then we would be better off not having a green list at all,” read the statement.

My sources tell me Mr Martin was furious and remonstrated with Mr Varadkar about the need for the government message to be clear.

Several people within Fine Gael have insisted Me Varadkar is simply seeking to eek out Fine Gael’s identity in government but such arguments carry little credibility with leading Fianna Fáil figures who see it as a deliberate effort to destabilise the government. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

The Fine Gael leader broke ranks again when he gazumped his Taoiseach by announcing the lockdown extension in Kildare on Twitter moments before Mr Martin was due to commence his post-Cabinet press briefing on August 21.

“It was fucking outrageous what he did,” said one Mr Martin loyalist in cabinet. 

“He knew what he was doing when he did it. With him it is Leo first, then Fine Gael, then Government.” 

It emerged that, at the same meeting, Mr Varadkar directly challenged the authority of Mr Martin when he lashed out at how the government was doing its business.

“The stand-out comment at the Cabinet meeting, according to some, was not about the rise in Covid-19 cases or the new ­public-health restrictions.

"Rather it was Tánaiste Leo Varadkar's comments via a teleconference screen in the meeting room in Government Buildings from his staycation in Co Mayo,” as Philip Ryan in the Irish Independent reported.

"If we keep doing business like this, we won't be doing business for very long," Mr Varadkar insisted, according to three people who attended the meeting.

He was frustrated with the rushed nature of the meeting that had been organised on Monday night at Taoiseach Micheál Martin's behest on receipt of recommendations from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), Ryan’s report stated.

Several people within Fine Gael have insisted Me Varadkar is simply seeking to eek out Fine Gael’s identity in government but such arguments carry little credibility with leading Fianna Fáil figures who see it as a deliberate effort to destabilise the government.

Some have pointed to the very negative portrait of the Fine Gael leader painted by former Justice Minister Alan Shatter in his book Frenzy and Betrayal as an accurate picture of how he is behaving.

Others have said he is simply doing what he needs to as leader of his party.

“Martin is weak, he has had too many setbacks and is not in a good space with his own troops. Of course, Leo is going to exploit that. He sees what FF will do to him in 2022, he is just getting his revenge in first,” said one minister.

Some people have pointed to the joint statements from Mr Martin, Mr Varadkar and Green leader Eamon Ryan calling for Phil Hogan to consider his position as a positive sign they can pull together when they want to.

For Mr Martin, his internal party difficulties aside, has proven himself well capable of withstanding significant challenges and being able to keep going despite the odds.

But, Mr Varadkar was right: if this government continues to do its business in the fashion it is, it will simply not last.

It is not likely to fall today or tomorrow, but every government faces really significant challenges.

The curse of the two Taoisigh — Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar — is quickly becoming the predominant concern to many within government. 

The governments that last do so on the basis of trust and respect.

From the sources I have spoken to from across the coalition, while there are plenty of people at a senior level eager and willing to make it work, the Micheál vs Leo issue is seen as a major problem.

“Is Leo brazen enough to collapse the whole thing knowing Fianna Fáil are at a low ebb? Perhaps, but it is a huge gamble in the middle of a pandemic,” said one Fianna Fáil minister.

One wonders at what point will the country’s interest take precedence over the insular interests of the parties who clearly are struggling to make life in government work.

Mr Varadkar will do well to remember that a bit of collegiality now will pay huge dividends when he retakes the Taoiseach’s office in 2022.

Mr Martin, as Taoiseach, has little time to waste if he is to secure any sort of legacy.

To do that, he first of all needs to stamp his authority on his government, end the self-inflicted own goals and find a way to live with his troublesome Tánaiste.

Only time will tell if he succeeds.