No more lionising of Leo after he flunks first big test

The resignation of Frances Fitzgerald last Tuesday was widely viewed as the Taoiseach having failed to grapple with his first major political crisis

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with newly appointed ministers Heather Humphreys, Josepha Madigan and Simon Coveney at Government Buildings Sam Boal/RollingNews

It has been an article of faith in Irish politics that Leo Varadkar is not a conventional politician. So we shouldn’t have been surprised that he approached the crisis over his embattled former tánaiste in an unconventional way.

The resignation of Frances Fitzgerald last Tuesday, after he had backed her to the hilt, was widely viewed as the Taoiseach having failed to grapple with his first major political crisis.

On top of that ...