Was Martin a successful Taoiseach?

He took difficult decisions, particularly in his first few months as leader of the country, and, in conjunction with the Health Service Executive (HSE), guided us out of the pandemic. He also showed compassion by allowing 70,000 displaced Ukrainians to seek refuge in Ireland, though the full implications of that magnanimous approach remain to be seen. 

He and his government were calm and composed for the most part, especially when compared to the political debacle playing out in the UK and the departure of three prime ministers – May, Johnston and Truss – in quick succession. Our government is a model of stability by comparison. The now former taoiseach recently stated his intention to lead Fianna Fáil into the next election. Time will tell, but sometimes you are better to quit while you’re ahead, especially after a Dáil standing ovation at his tenure’s end. A major task for the new taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and for Micheál Martin as his foreign-affairs minister, is to get Anglo-Irish relations back on track and safeguard the Northern Ireland Protocol for the benefit of everyone on the Island of Ireland. Leo Varadkar is no novice to the role of taoiseach and we can expect him to drive strong agendas around housing, health and economic strategies in the coming months.