Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Health Minister Simon Harris

He [Simon Harris] became health minister in 2016, in a government led by Enda Kenny, his political mentor and then-leader of the center-right Fine Gael.

When Kenny resigned a year later, Harris backed Simon Coveney, now deputy head of the Irish government, to be his successor. But current Prime Minister Leo Varadkar won instead.

Harris was the only one from the old government to keep his job.

He is now careful to stress his support for Varadkar and said he doesn’t want to take the top job anytime soon.

“I’m very supportive of our current Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, who is obviously a young Taoiseach [and] doing a brilliant job,” Harris told POLITICO.

His comments about his own professional future, he explained, just mean “I wouldn’t rule out the possibility” of becoming PM.

The next Irish PM? (Carmen Paun POLITICO, August 11, 2019)

‘The next Irish PM?’ – Simon Harris stokes ambitions to be Taoiseach (Hugh O’Connell, Irish Independent, August 14, 2019)

Rollingnews

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23 thoughts on “Simon Says

  1. V

    Well if that’s not a call up to get anyone who is politically motivated and determined to do something to go and put themselves Infront of the voters

    I don’t know what is

    although I suspect Simon is getting a bit of early gamesmanship in ahead of the Langer
    Irish politics is great craic all the same isn’t it

    1. eoin

      Is the “Langer” Pascal Donohue? Who isn’t interested at all at all in becoming taoiseach ever, so he isn’t? [all the time, being the sharpest tool in that entire box, though without Simon Coveney’s connections, for now]

      1. V

        Langer is the new rebel Eoin

        how many other Cork lads are there in the running for Leadership

        And I thought you were well up with all this PR Lobbying craic

  2. Liam Deliverance

    Makes sense – incompetent, liar, out of his depth, people suffering on his watch, party before nation – wants to be taoiseach, perfect sense.

    (go and sh 1 te Harris)

    1. Rob_G

      You do know that it’s normally the journalists/editors – and not the actual interviewees themselves – that come up with the headlines, right dav?

  3. Jean Molloy

    Worst Health Minister in history. He can’t even manage the budget for the Children’s Hospital, yet thinks he can be Taoiseach. What a joke.

  4. Pat Harding

    The way Harris mishandled Ava Barry’s case for medical cannabis will come back to haunt him, not to mention the other cock-ups in the Department of Health.

  5. DOC

    I think he is either delusional or maybe he is suffering from sleep deprivation when he conducted that interview
    His partner had a baby girl in January It could be all those sleepless nights that are getting to him. Lack of sleep does strange things to people…

    1. Nick

      Is the answer if the question was how would describe the current governments time in office so far?

  6. Nick

    I am struggling to think of anything or anywhere that you could competently put Harris and also think to yourself that he would be a suitable candidate to lead or take charge in that role. Looking after a tray of buttons would appear about his level.Somewhere where other people aren’t involved.Something along those lines.Segregated and ineffectual.

  7. Liam Deliverance

    So whats the deal with the NCH hospital, have the costs spiraled up again since the last vigorous spiraling. Was there not to be an investigation on why the costs had doubled. Are they waiting for investigation results before deciding on whether to allow the taxpayer to be shafted yet again for the princely sum of €1,000,000,000.00 Or have they decided that Paddy has forgotten all about it as he usually does and let the gravy flow, taxpayers money into contractors bank accounts, and favours and brown envelopes into senior civil servants pockets.

    1. V

      Because the Directors charged with Stewardship and decision making weren’t Independent
      •-)

      Or held to account or put through any decent scrutiny

      1. Liam Deliverance

        The usual so! I’m used to, and incredibly exasperated with, the government squandering taxpayers money by the million but when they start doing it by the billion, that is new. We have a terrible culture of scandal, shock, hand wringing, lame excuses, promises to rectify, . . . then forget all about it.

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