Varadkar's comments a headache for government, but he won't care

James Cox

With the Government still reeling from the fuel protests, senior Coalition members probably let out a sigh when they saw the latest comments from former taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Speaking on the Path to Power Podcast with Matt Cooper, on which he has become a regular contributor, Varadkar drove a wedge between urban and rural Ireland.

“What’s in the interests of farmers and the agriculture industry is by and large not in the interests of Ireland as a nation," he said.

Varadkar went on to say “people in urban Ireland” should tell “people in rural Ireland” that the former are the ones “paying all the bills”.

He also said rural Ireland is “in receipt of a lot of subsidies and a lot of tax benefits that other people don’t get”.

Unsurprisingly, the comments sparked huge controversy, and Varadkar subsequently rowed back and said he had overstated things.

Fine Gael leader Simon Harris was forced to distance the party from his predecessor's comments. According to sources, the pair's relationship was always strained.

Varadkar had a habit of putting his foot in his mouth as taoiseach, and with politics now behind him, he has the freedom to say what he wants.

Since stepping down as taoiseach, Varadkar has done some work at Harvard University in the US, wrote a memoir, Speaking My Mind, and appeared on various podcasts and news shows. 

Path to Power has been a regular appearance for him, and that's where he made the recent comments.

With the trend of politicians leaving for other pursuits younger in life, this will likely become a more regular occurrence.

At 47 Varadkar will be looking for work for many years, and his controversial comments may continue to upset former colleagues.

These will be a headache for government, but Varadkar won't care.

After all, it's hardly anything as like Boris Johnson's musing in his Daily Mail column, where he openly attacks former colleagues.