The Fine Gael ard fheis: Are political conventions redundant?

During the Fine Gael ard fheis on Saturday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he did not plan to call an election before Christmas. He insisted his objective was not “electoral advantage”, but national stability. To this end, he has asked Fianna Fáil to extend the pact that sustains his administration and to agree to a general election in summer 2020. It remains to be seen if those keep-your-powder-dry proposals can be realised.

Indian politicians do not have the luxury of waiting another 20 months or so; they are knee-deep in election campaigning. The Irish electorate, regularly belly-tickled to believe we are the “most sophisticated in the world”, might not be as easily charmed as their Indian peers.