NEWSTALK presenter George Hook had a go at Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last week, accusing him of “swanning around” Canada.
On the face of it, you could see where Hook was coming from. Just weeks after being pictured jogging in the Phoenix Park with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Leo was now marching in the Montreal Pride Parade with his new bestie. It all smacked of slick PR on the part of both leaders.
But not so, according to Leo, who was moved to respond to Hook’s jibes on the Twitter machine. He tweeted: "George. Not swanning around Canada. 4 meetings & 4 public events today. Business. Tourism. Media. Irish community. Jobs. Trade."
Nice comeback, in fairness to the Taoiseach. Hook, a man who could have an argument with himself, was clearly delighted with all the fuss his rant caused on social media. And why wouldn’t he be? It’s his job to be confrontational and controversial and – whether you like his opinions or not – he does it so well.
Hook knows that being likeable is not a particularly important quality when you host a successful radio show. Unlike politics, where the likeability factor is vital in getting elected and holding onto your seat. Just look at Bertie Ahern’s popularity, where his man-of-the-people image served Fianna Fáil well in successive general elections.
The recent Fine Gael leadership contest was a clear case of battle of the nice guys. But how our Taoiseach gets on with world leaders is vital in terms of building Ireland’s brand abroad, forging economic ties and enhancing the quality of life for our emigrants.
Notwithstanding the fact that former Taoiseach Enda Kenny made us cringe at times (the dad dancing at the Bruce Springsteen concert comes to mind), he was a serious operator when representing Ireland abroad, commanding the respect of his EU counterparts at a time when Ireland was an economic basket case.
Leo Varadkar got off to a cringy start when he referenced the ‘Love Actually’ film during his visit to Downing Street. But the point is that he still came out of the episode far more likeable than gloomy Theresa May. Personally, I’d much prefer to have Leo representing me than sour-faced Vladimir Putin or – God forbid – Donald Trump, who is a major source of embarrassment to most decent Americans.
We should welcome the fact that Leo seems to have formed a genuine friendship with Justin Trudeau, arguably the coolest premier in the world. With the challenges posed by Brexit and the ongoing threat of terrorism, Ireland is going to need all the friends it can get.