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FROM A YOUNG age, Simon Harris was making waves in politics. Elected to the Wicklow County Council aged just 23, he was called a “young pup” by one Fianna Fáil councillor and told to pipe down during one exchange.
The comment that he was only on the council a wet day didn’t go down too well with the would-be Taoiseach at the time.
Though young, Harris had strong opinions about his home county and he wasn’t afraid to share them.
The Wicklow TD might still fall into the category of ‘young pup’ as he is set to become the the youngest Taoiseach this country has ever had, at age 37.
After Leo Varadkar’s whirlwind resignation, the focus went to who would succeed him. The first name that was mentioned around Leinster House was Simon Harris.
A student of journalism at DIT at one point, he has quickly gone from writing about headlines to making them.
In a matter of hours, he garnered a plethora of parliamentarians, MEPs and councillors to back him as the party’s next leader following Varadkar’s shock decision.
Harris, a father of two, and a native to the well-to-do area of Greystones, has been described by his party colleagues as “energetic” and “a great communicator”.
Minister Heather Humphreys, who bowed out of the competition, and put her support behind Harris today, spoke about his “vision” and how he would “reset the dial” for Fine Gael.
Heather Humphreys bows out of the race for Fine Gael leadership, and is backing Simon Harris.
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) March 21, 2024
She says Fine Gael needs to "reset the dial in terms of going back to our basic and core values". @christinafinn8 pic.twitter.com/Q8Eo29GFpA
Was the dial broken under Fine Gael?
A few TDs have shirked away when that question was put to them today by The Journal.
A media-savvy and personable politician who is well-versed on social media sites, the minister is often seen being curralled by his advisers after an announcement to pose or speak to camera for whatever Instagram and TikTok post is needed.
His work as local councillor wasn’t his first involvement in politics.
It began when he established an Autism support and lobby group in County Wicklow to seek to give a voice to people living with Autism and their families.
On his website, it states in his profile that this was where he learned “first-hand” about the issues affecting people with disabilities.
He went on to be work for former Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald when she was a senator, and after his work as a councillor, he was elected to the Dáil as its youngest TD in 2011.
Since those early years, Harris has been at the helm of three departments over an eight-year period.
His visibility during his tenure as justice minister – covering for minister Helen McEntee while she was on maternity leave – fuelled speculation on his interest in a leadership bid for the so-called “law and order” party.
Harris has never been shy to speak about his leadership ambitions, stating that he wanted to be Taoiseach.
His maiden speech in the Dáil was to nominate Enda Kenny as taoiseach.
He served as a junior minister in the Department of Finance from 2014 before being propelled to the role of Minister for Health in the Fine Gael-led minority government that was formed in 2016.
The health brief is often described as a poisoned chalice for politicians, and Harris did not escape from it unscathed.
Harris faced issues such as the ownership of the National Maternity Hospital, the spiralling cost of the National Children’s Hospital, a controversy around Ireland’s cervical cancer screening programme as well as failed promises to reduce wait times for children waiting for scoliosis surgery.
In 2019, Harris told the Dáil he sincerely apologised for not adding further detail when asked about the costs of the construction of the National Children’s Hospital.
He survived a motion of no-confidence over the matter which was tabled by Sinn Féin.
In the same year, Harris found himself in more controversy when it was revealed the CervicalCheck team wrote to the minister asking him to end the offer of free smear rechecks, as it was putting pressure on the healthcare system.
While there have been controversies in his career, Harris received praise after the public voted to liberalise abortion laws in a 2018 referendum.
Campaigners viewed Harris a strong voice for the Yes campaign and at Dublin Castle, the crowds chanted his name after the referendum result, much to the dislike of Varadkar.
In the February 2020 general election, Harris was returned on the 15th count and remained as Health Minister in what would end up being his biggest test to date.
In the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the country was thrust into crisis-mode.
Harris urged people to wear face coverings and adhere to new rules, but was also criticised for an absence of planning for nursing homes.
He told The Journal in an interview that the country needed to find a way to grieve their lost loved ones, and floated the idea of a memorial day.
Though he has been commended as a good communicator, he did make some gaffes, such as incorrectly stating during a radio interview that Covid-19 meant there were 18 other coronaviruses.
He did an Instagram live video where he showed humility by apologising and stating he was an “awful old idiot at times”.
In a Cabinet reshuffle in December 2022, he was appointed as minister for the newly-formed Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
As higher education minister, he toured the country opening and speaking at educational institutions.
He put a particular focus on apprenticeships, by ramping up the number of offer to students and spoke out about ending the ‘points race’ of the Leaving Certificate.
Harris also spoke out about the need to end the “snobby attitude that the only way to progress in life is to go to university”.
Declaring that he wants to be the next leader of Fine Gael this evening, Harris described himself as an “accidental politician” stating that he got into politics through activism and advocacy.
Always one to know a good sound bite and headline fodder, Harris told RTÉ News this evening: “I’m in, I want to be the next leader of Fine Gael. I’m ready to step up and I’m ready to serve.”
He said he is ready to partake in a contest, if someone throws their hat in the ring before Monday, but added that his aim is to reconnect with with his party and “get back to core principles”.
Harris said any leadership change is a moment of renewal and an opportunity for fresh energy and new ideas. Harris said he knew how challenging the current period is for people in Ireland, stating that he wants to bring “renewed energy” to the role of An Taoiseach.
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Ok, I’m gonna probably upset a few people. I’ve three kids, so i’m being cut by 30 euro a month, so I plan to look for extra hours in my job to make up for the loss. I feel that anyone in receipt of social welfare should be made attend a course, so they become an asset, not a burden. My biggest issue is, I work with two lads from Latvia, their kids have gone home with their wives, back to school in Latvia, They are still receiving the children’s allowance from Ireland, and are apparently entitled to it. So our childrens allowance has been decreased to pay for foreign national childrens kids who’ve moved home?
sorry to say with 3 kids your down 38 euro, 18 for the 3rd child not 10 :(
Not too many thumbs down, and to be honest in my opinion social welfare should be only available for 1 year then halved. It’s a joke that the working person has to pay for the “people” who haven’t worked a day in 10 years, and probably earning more take home “pay” than the working person… Our social is too high anyway … And all the entitlements are a joke…. Eg, a “single mother” and that single is used very lightly has 3 kids, isn’t that approx 200 euro per week a child, for the single mother, a house and all the perks, and her social of 188 so approx 750 take home a week … Not bad for a “single” stay at home mum…. And I think everyone know that they no more single then the man in the moon,
Seamus just wondering how did you arrive at 200 a week per child?
Single mother, aka no alleged father, not people who are married etc..
You still didn’t show how your arrived at 200 euro a child.I checked the dept of social protections website.Their figures are alot different than yours.Any explaination?
I know a girl (no names) who a 1 nite stand, no father etc, and she was getting 210 euro for the first child as single mother allowance .. Per week now that was in 2009, I sure it hasn’t dropped much since that …
Ah you know someone,ok then your information is factual the dept’s website is wrong must inform them.
Well I know this person, who told me back in 09, I never said its wasn’t factual to 2012 standards or 2013 !!!
@ Seamus. if someone is getting single parents welfare they do not get social welfare ontop of it. not sure of the exact amount but i think its about 200 or thereabouts MAX. they do get extra for each child, its only about 30euro per child.
Let me educate you,the person you “know” got a rate of 210 for herself and her child.The single adult rate plus the dependant child rate.It is not now or never was 200 per child.If your going to make a comment at least try and be somewhat truthful.I’m done now bye.
Cheers for clearing that, again I have only been told this back in 2009, I am none the wiser, but I did think it was excessive ….
I did say approx, never exact money, and tbh the social system in this country is a joke anyway, 1 year max and then to be halved, and the working person paying for there prescriptions and doctor … Joke !!
Just wanted to Reply to Seamus’ comment there!I left college in ’10 because i was unable to afford to go any longer (Dad earned to much to get the grant bit not enough to be able to keep me in college) so I went on Social welfare whilst trying to get a job and was on the dole for two years!Now I couldn’t stand being at home so I decided to do a basic computer course to get a formal cert, then moved on and did my ECDL, and so then this took up about a year, now if my social welfare was halved as you so wished then I would be on 50 euro a week for this year. Out of my 100 a week I pay fifty for bills which leaves me with fifty then I was paying 40 a week for my train the trainer course and the ten euro left over got me in and out on the bus to my course one evening a week!If my money was halved after the first year I would just be paying my bills and be left unable to up skill myself so that I can get a job!If I hadn’t paid for that course myself I wouldn’t be where I am to day working 40 hours a week for €150 as an Intern(Not complaining I love my job) !Now don’t get me wrong I can understand where you are coming from with people that have been on the social for 10 years but can you see where I am coming from with my situation..that if my Social had been halved I’d still be sitting at home jobless and doing nothing everyday?
Ok I see ur point, and the grant system is a joke, i prob be shot down for this but a farmers child can get it or a self employed person child can, but when u work for someone, unless u on really bad money u can’t…. like u, and also if u but if u were in any other country, u be getting a lot less, on social what’s England 60-70 something pound ??
Smiling like a mad man!
He really is detached from reality if he thinks that was fair.
Now to get them out of government…
Agree. But don’t replace them with FF. Anyone but FG / FF!
ohh lets replace them with SF, and then in another 4 years we can replace them with the independents.. and then in another 4 years.. well lets just hope there is another party by then
smiling? He was laughing on prime time. and sure why wouldn’t he. his salary and pensions (yes pensions) not touched.
meanwhile elderly on just 190 week had their cost off drugs increased by 200%.
Shame.
Noonan and Howlin are interested in becoming dictators of Ireland. They don’t care if the economy goes down the tubes as long as the 20% is not threatened with higher taxes. The only government programs they can find to cut are social services like PRSI, welfare and health. What about the bloated bank debt ?
They need to ignore corporate interest groups and the Fine Gael Party and learn how to compromise. That’s how government works in this country. Or they could leave and go to Russia. Maybe they’d be happier with that kind of government.
The next election can’t come soon enough.
And the next election will provide exactly the same as what this government has, just like the previous one. Who are people going to vote for, pre election promises usually get broken or twisted. There is no difference between a snake and a politician. They might all start out with good intentions but put them in the job long enough they start scratching backs, just so at some point they can have their back scratched.
Voting options in ireland:
The lying cheating party
The other lying cheating party
The other other lying cheating party
The terrorists
The independents
Not a huge amount of choice is there
Did they miss the memo on corruption? I recon they did…. budget 13 look after the rich and hit kids, families, careers, oaps and the sick.
Funny but sadly so true
Spot on…
Fianna fail put a €64,000,000,000 debt on the tax payers of this country!!! How is it this governments fault!? It must paid back the signed the agreement with the IMF who tell our government to make savings they have no choice!
Unless we leave the euro n tell everyone to f off!!! Thanks bertie, cowen and martin!!!
Follow Iceland model with reneging on IMF and loans to UK and Dutch governments given the big FU to these groups. Icelandic economy now growing and dole queues reducing plus Iceland didn’t pay out 64 billion to find out there actions was correct instead if the gombeen muppets we have here and that includes the majority who are still taking it up the rear from the troika instead of the CAtholic church as in the past.
The Labour Party was founded by James Connolly and others to protect the interest of the working man. This budget protected the profligate activities of German an French banks who lent by way of bonds to effectively bankrupt Irish banks.
I am sure I heard the ground move. I think it was those who founded the Labour Party turning in their graves to see this travesty being visited on working people.
They were elected on a fresh thinking mandate. Well guess what the working man and the social welfare recipient got screwed again
John please elaborate what could of labour done differently! They are tied they’ve got no option IMF says we need savings, FF signed the bank guarantee, we’re tied to that contract! If we leave the euro it’s probably our only option!
Will u feck off with ur big politics bull spell get into the real world all those party’s are to blame not one will make it better for a long time, get a life
You know what the whole lot is complete Ballox…
Mah .. Celtic won that’s all the matters
The budget was an exercise in protection of the Croke Park Meal.
Roll on the black economy. This is what they should be saying because that will be the result of all this thievery by the government. Listened to the independents tonight after the main sequence was over. Only Gilmore et al there to listen to them. FGers have absolutely no respect for voters other than their own. Ming was on the money with his laboured retort. All his comments made sense and yes even the cannabis one. Garda overtime mighten be such an issue then. But Jesus Ming that geansai was a mouldy mars bar in dog shyte
Hmm reaction to twits (in government) on twitter, how appropriate
Robert that is a sad remark
Seamus..I’m a lone parent due to the death of my partner..I’ve one child and I receive 217pw..No rent allowance or council house..no fuel allowance..Please get your facts straight and stop inciting hatred..
@Seamus where in gods name did you come up with that figure for a lone parent (thats what we call parents who parent alone)? Do you know the social welfare rates for a dependent child? It is 29.80 per week. So doing the maths thats less than 90 per week for 3 kids plus 188 for the parent. What you said is an insult to those parenting alone for whatever reason be it marriage breakdown, death etc and dont forget that men parent alone too. Your ignorance is jaw dropping.
Comment of the day Sarah.
i’ve always said it…..fine gael are the irish Tory Party…..rob the little person and reward everyone in their own club.
And the labour party are sheep,following for the power and money.
have your say