Mercury rises in Leinster House

As temperatures soared in recent days, the mercury in the Dáil chamber also rose to measures unseen for years.

Arguably, the last time we saw the two leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil engage in such edgy exchanges across the floor of the House - supported by a relatively equal number of jeering backbenchers behind them - was in the pre-bailout era.

Then, Enda Kenny and Brian Cowen traded blows and insults as Fianna Fáil hurtled towards its electoral catastrophe in 2011. On one occasion, Cowen, in typically pugnacious fashion, told Kenny he could order his backbenchers to cause as much noise as the Fine Gael leader’s then-lieutenant, Dr James Reilly, was bellowing across the house.

The Fine Gael-Labour coalition’s elephantine majority, in contrast to a rump Fianna Fáil, between 2011 and 2016 ensured Dáil exchanges were somewhat blunted and, despite Micheál Martin’s gains and Fine Gael’s losses in last year’s election, that atmosphere prevailed until now because Kenny’s leadership was on borrowed time.

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The coming of Varadkar has changed all that, as Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil now know the election countdown is truly on. The fact Mary Lou McDonald stood in for Gerry Adams during Leaders’ Questions yesterday gave further weight to that impression.

Martin overstretched himself this week in disparagingly referring to Máire Whelan’s competence, and again slipped up when divulging a private conversation he had with Varadkar.

They were two uncharacteristic mistakes from the Fianna Fáil leader, possibly caused by an over-exuberant desire not to be bested by the new Taoiseach in their first exchanges.

It allowed Varadkar away with two mediocre performances, with the nadir being a cringeworthy scripted joke about an obscure romantic comedy and the talks on the Northern Ireland Executive.

But faith between the two parties has been damaged by the Whelan controversy, to the point where the contents of a private phone call are now fair game in Dáil exchanges.

While this week can be excused as Martin and Varadkar shoulder charging each other as the ball is thrown in, serious question marks will arise over the strength of the confidence and supply deal if the ill-feeling is evident after the summer recess and during budget negotiations.

Ministers believe Varadkar does not want to cause an election but would not shy away from one if the opportunity arose. The new Fine Gael leader is known to covet 65 seats, and any polls that point him in that direction could persuade him to go to the country.

Martin - or the Grand Old Duke of Cork, as Miriam Lord calls him today - will know that eventually he will have to follow through on threats to collapse the Government.

The Fianna Fáil leader knows, too, the timing of the next election will be the biggest judgement call of his political career. It will be his last shot at the Taoiseach’s office. If he fails at the next election, Fianna Fáil will look to a new leader.

Game on.