Irish Examiner view: Democracy is meaningless if it does not apply to all

Low-key handover of power

Leo Varadkar, former Taoiseach, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, and Taoiseach Simon Harris in the Dáil Chamber at Leinster House. Picture: Maxwells

Yesterday Leo Varadkar stepped down formally as Taoiseach. There was no suspense associated with the event: The Dublin West TD surprised the country a couple of weeks ago with the unexpected announcement that he was leaving the hot seat, and the uncertainty surrounding his successor hardly lasted 24 hours.

His Fine Gael colleague, Simon Harris, was quick out of the blocks, emerging as the only credible candidate to lead the party.