In a day of political upheaval, newly re-elected Taoiseach Enda Kenny inched closer to an autocratic regime by demoting both Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar to lower echelons of power.
Both ministers had shown interest in taking a shot at the top spot, so Kenny was swift to brush them off to Minister for Housing (and Irish Water overseer), and Social Protection, respectively.
The role of “social protector” taken up by Mr. Varadkar appears to be particularly unsuitable, as one of his last moves as Minister for Health was to plunder the mental health budget to shore up other areas of the HSE.
According to party sources, Mr. Varadkar was ‘shafted’ due to his outspoken attitude.
Enda Kenny has now been truly shown to do anything it takes to retain power, so ridding himself of potential competitors should come as little surprise.