Leo Varadkar shoots Garrett Fitzgerald

I was amused by Fine Gael TD Leo Varadkar's outburst in the Dail chamber in recent days.

Varadkar said to Brian Cowen that he was no Jack Lynch, no John Bruton, but that he was more like Garrett Fitzgerald having tripled the national debt. He also went on to say that Brian Cowen should enjoy writing boring articles in the Irish Times in a few years time. Another apparent reference to Garrett Fitzgerald.


Of course it was a clear witty parody of the famous "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" quotation from the USA vice presidential candidates televised debate from 1988 which really put the inexperienced Dan Quayle in his place!!

However I do think Varadkar as an FG spokesman shot himself in the foot by choosing wrong leaders to both praise and criticise. I actually was stunned that he chose former FG Taoiseach Garrett Fitzgerald to criticise and my initial impression was that he looked like he made a clumsy error in mixing up parties.

On deeper analysis of course there is probably an anger by the young bucks in FG at Garrett's apparent respect or tolerance of the Government's NAMA scheme coupled by an element of ageism in dismissing the 84 year old Garrett Fitzgerald.

I think it was a tactless, clumsy and ill thought out choice of words by a Fine Gael candidate who otherwise looks like a TD with a good future.