Leo Varadkar Vs Sinn Féin

Leo Varadkar has held several significant political positions throughout his career. He was the Minister for Transport, Tourism, and Sport from 2011 to 2014, the Minister for Health from 2014 to 2016, and the Minister for Social Protection from 2016 to 2017. He also served as the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 2020 to 2022. Additionally, he served two terms as the Taoiseach and was leader of Fine Gael, from June 2017 until March 20, 2024.

A very strong opponent of populist politics, particularly the Sinn Féín kind.

This exchange between Pearse Doherty and the Taoiseach ended with Leo Varadkar telling the Sinn Féin TD that “it doesn’t take very long for your balaclava to slip”. 

He had criticised Doherty for not condemning the group of people who had attended the house at the centre of an eviction order in Strokestown, “armed with baseball bats injured three or four other people, set cars alight and caused an animal to be shot dead”. 

Varadkar claimed that “when it comes to law and order” and the Sinn Féin party, “It doesn’t take very long for your balaclava to slip.”

Calling out the hypocrisy of Sinn Féin and Mary Lou McDonalds’ populism over covid in the Dáil.