Leo Varadkar faced another stern test following “an eventful week in politics” when he appeared on The Marian Finucane Show on Saturday afternoon.
Less than 24 hours after EU President Donald Tusk declared that Dublin would be key to the UK’s future regarding Brexit negotiations, the Taoiseach said that he doesn’t expect Ireland to use its veto, nor had he ever threatened to do so.
“A veto is something that you use when you are isolated, when you are on your own and there’s 26 countries against you,” he said. “It’s the kind of European policy that Margaret Thatcher would have pursued, and we see now where that all ended up.”
The RTÉ Radio 1 broadcaster immediately set the tone for a tough interview as she detailed the “shambolic” and “dysfunctional” accusations levelled by the media at the current government.
The Taoiseach responded by stating that he is “determined” to make the government last, with a snap general election now unlikely in the wake of Frances Fitzgerald’s resignation as Tánaiste.
Varadkar noted that he “deeply regrets” the resignation while rejecting the idea that his government is “weakened”, though he did admit the need for substantial reform, “particularly in the Department of Justice and the Gardaí”.
Elsewhere, regarding the emails related to the whistleblower scandal, Varadkar said that he didn’t have all the emails until Monday afternoon when they had a final report from the Department of Justice, claiming that he had some of the emails on Saturday, but not the others.
You can listen to the full interview below.
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