Paul Hosford: Simon Harris's ascension to Taoiseach's office has come sooner than expected
Picture: Fine Party Elected Colleagues Newly Congratulated Lazarov/© Harris Sasko And By Rollingnews Gael Simon Leader Taoiseach Is Ie
It was a slight nod. Almost imperceptible.
In the middle of the speech which ends his time at the top table of Irish politics, Leo Varadkar said while he knew Simon Harris would become Taoiseach, he probably didn't expect it so soon. Mr Harris nodded in agreement with the man who is now officially his predecessor.
For Mr Harris, the ascension to the Taoiseach's office has come sooner than expected, of that there is no question.
Nobody could have foreseen the political earthquake of Mr Varadkar's resignation a few weeks ago, least of all the now-Taoiseach, even if his political machine was able to spring into life within 24 hours, assuring him of a procession to the leadership.
Mr Varadkar entered the chamber alone on Tuesday morning, looking relaxed and at ease with his resignation. He paid tribute to his team of advisers, many of whom sat in the public gallery having ended their employment when their boss did. Just down from them sat Mr Harris's team of advisers, a symbol of the changeover.
The Dáil day kicked off at the earlier time of 10.30am, causing issues for many TDs and leaving the chamber notably emptier than expected due to the Dublin traffic.
Just a few moments beforehand, the presumptive leader of the country was on the stairs leading to the Dáil, searching for his family — wife Caoimhe, children Saoirse and Cillian, along with his parents and siblings. They were due to take their seats in the Distinguished Visitors' Gallery behind the seats occupied by TDs.
While they may be members of the Harris family, fellow Wicklow TDs took the chance to press the flesh with constituents, with Steven Matthews and Stephen Donnelly taking the time to say hello.
Jennifer Whitmore handed a shopping bag to Mr Harris's brother Adam, CEO of the autism charity AsIAm. It is the younger brother's neurodivergence which set Mr Harris on his path to the leadership of the country, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys told the Dáil as she nominated Mr Harris.
"It is that sense of simply wanting to help, of breaking down barriers, and making life better for people that drives Simon Harris," she said.
Across from her, junior minister Peter Burke — set to become a senior minister — nervously read over his speech seconding Mr Harris from his navy notebook.
Mr Harris will join Micheál Martin and Eamon Ryan in leading the coalition and the Fianna Fáil leader got right to work in attacking the opposition's calls for Mr Harris's election to lead to a general election.
However, Mr Martin's point that none of the opposition leaders have been elected "through a competitive election" also applies to Mr Harris.
Mr Ryan was told by the Sinn Féin benches to "go back to sleep" as he praised the work the Government had done on housing.
If Mr Harris hoped Mary Lou McDonald's choice of a white blazer was a sign of peace, she did not show it in her speech. She excoriated his record as minister for health, pointing out it was a Fianna Fáil reluctance to back Mr Harris that led to the 2020 general election.
"Perhaps those who remember Deputy Harris's term as health minister best are the families of children with scoliosis who were promised that they would not wait longer than four months for life-changing surgery, a promise that was disgracefully broken again and again," she added.
People Before Profit's Richard Boyd Barrett earned a rebuke for referring to the day as "a jamboree", before Danny Healy-Rae proposed his brother Michael become taoiseach. Mattie McGrath seconded and the speeches rolled on until a vote was finally called.
Mr Harris took 88 votes to officially become the Dáil's nominee for Taoiseach.
In his own speech, Mr Harris pledged to be a "Taoiseach for all". He spoke of the need to overcome partisan politics, to do more, to be better. He hit the marks one would expect on a day like this.
At the end of his speech, he sat down and looked like a weight had been lifted — after weeks of being the presumptive taoiseach, he is now just the Taoiseach Simon Harris.
But he will know this is not the end of the campaign. Nothing has been achieved on his watch and distinguishing himself from his predecessors will take radical action that will have to come quickly.
Mr Harris has pledged "a new energy", but he will need every drop if he is to make his mark as Taoiseach.