Party colleagues of Simon Harris mention his apparent ambitions to lead Fine Gael: 'Simon will say he has no great designs on the leadership, but of course he does. It is as clear as day that he wants it.'
Behind closed doors, his exit from the Department of Justice was much more low-key. On Wednesday evening, he sat down for a cup of tea and chat with the main civil servants and staff. He then moved back to his other office in the Department of Higher Education.
Simon Harris TD at the annual Garda Memorial Day at Dublin Castle last month. Photograph: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie Asked if he still has ambitions for the leadership, Harris avoids the stock “there is no vacancy” line that politicians often deploy to swot away such questions.“I think even my harshest critics would say that any role I am given in government, I genuinely try to give it my all. It is my personality. It is how I operate. Whatever you ask me to do, I’m going to throw myself into it to the very best of my ability. I don’t rule out anything. I don’t rule out that sort of stuff in the future.
While colleagues are quick to commend his media skills – and Harris is a canny media operator – others are less convinced. “He went in there to impress, and actually, most people in the party are delighted with the kind of moves he has made. In fairness, he got to grips with a lot of the main issues, whether it was lawlessness on the streets or defending the gardaí,” says one Fine Gael politician.Consistent with character, he does not hesitate listing off his achievements over the last number of months.
A big challenge in the next election, from a Fine Gael perspective, is to put the case why we should return to Government and why a Sinn Féin-led Government would not be good for the country“Helen had commissioned a really good report on judicial numbers, I managed to get that approved by Government and then passed the legislation to increase the number of judges. I was also minister at a time when both the Garda Commissioner and I spoke about the threat of the far right.
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