As the country learns to live with Covid-19, the political temperature is beginning to rise. There are increasingly heated debates about inflation and the cost of living, as well as the seemingly intractable problem of housing supply. One notable feature of recent exchanges has been the more determined response of Fianna Fáil to Sinn Féin's effective brand of relentless opposition politics.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who appears increasingly comfortable in the role, has shown a willingness to take on Mary Lou McDonald. It began last month when he angrily rejected McDonald’s attempts to portray him as a member of the elite who had no knowledge of the pressures facing ordinary people. “Don’t you dare lecture me,” responded Martin, contrasting his working-class family upbringing in Cork to the more privileged background of the Sinn Féin leader.
Last week he responded to McDonald’s attack on the Government’s housing policy by pointing out the contrast between her rhetoric on the issue with her objections to the building of 1,100 rental homes on Clonliffe Road in her constituency. This week he stoutly defended the Government’s inflation package, suggesting that the Sinn Féin solution would only stoke inflation.
Despite the external and internal pressures one important positive for the Government has been the growing sense of unity of key figures in the coalition
The more assertive stance of the Taoiseach seems to have put talk of unrest in Fianna Fáil into the background for the moment although it will inevitably arise again later in the year, as the December deadline for the handover to the Fine Gael leader looms. Ministers close to Martin insist he has no intention of standing down as party leader when his time in the Taoiseach's office comes to an end but will serve out the Government's term as Tánaiste and lead his party into the next general election. Whether that proves to be true or the coterie of disaffected Fianna Fáil TDs will be content to let it happen without a fight is something to watch.
Something else to watch will be developments in Fine Gael as the December handover approaches. The lengthy Garda investigation into allegations that Leo Varadkar committed a criminal offence by leaking a confidential health policy document in 2019 is causing considerable anxiety among the party's TDs and senators. They are worried at the length of the inquiry and the prospect that the file on the matter could be handed over to the Director of Public Prosecutions. A decision to prosecute could have dire consequences for Varadkar's political career.
Despite the external and internal pressures one important positive for the Government has been the growing sense of unity of key figures in the coalition. Occasional tensions have erupted but relations have been cemented in office. As Sinn Féin’s onslaught continues, that unity will be tested in the months ahead if inflation is not brought under control.