Irish Examiner view: Sinn Féin rise plays on Fine Gael minds

Simon Harris keen to 'keep populists out of government'

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris: The next general election 'is going to be like no other in terms of trying to ensure that we keep populists out of government'. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

As reported here on Thursday, Higher and Further Education Minister Simon Harris has indicated that the next general election will be “an election that I think is going to be like no other in terms of trying to ensure that we keep populists out of government”, a description which is well worth examining.

Clearly, every election is different to its predecessors, with varying issues assuming importance according to their time — even the supposedly predictable elections of the 1940s and 1950s had the likes of Clann na Poblachta upsetting the status quo — but Harris may have a different message in mind.