Still going, one year on

It’s just over a year since Micheál Martin was appointed Taoiseach and formed a new government with Fine Gael and the Greens. All things being equal, in December 2022, Varadkar will return to serve as Taoiseach.

It’s been a difficult first year for this three-way coalition. While the pandemic dominated the agenda, there have also been challenges from rising property prices, a controversial Climate Bill, and protests from farmers and fishermen, to name just four non-Covid issues.

Despite all this, the trio seems to be enjoying a relatively smooth run – confounding many critics who didn’t show much faith in the unlikely grouping.

The Taoiseach recently gave a rare insight into his coping mechanism with this unusual scenario. When asked how he finds dealing with Fine Gael leader, Leo Varadkar, he said: ‘Sometimes counting to 10 is important in leadership.’

Wise words, and a strategy that a lot of other world leaders should probably emulate.