As the campaign hit the halfway point last night, RTÉ Upfront hosted the first Leaders’ Debate of the election. Leaders from 10 parties squeezed into the studio to battle out policy, trade jabs, and vie for votes next week. Let’s take a look at the winners, the losers, and the also-rans from the largest Leaders’ Debate in Irish history.
The Losers: Fine Gael & Fianna Fáil
Coming into the debate, it was Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s debate to lose – and lose they did. Moderator Katie Hannon came out strong. She challenged Simon Harris over the John McGahon controversy where a Fine Gael candidate assaulted somebody on tape. In a well-rehearsed approach, he condemned the actions, stood by his candidate, and buried the topic as an issue for the campaign. For the rest of the first segment, however, Harris’ frequent interjections did more to lose him ground against Sinn Féin. It appeared that his press team had a word in his ear at the break and he eased off for the rest of the night.
Fianna Fáil had a similarly lacklustre showing. The most notable moment from Micheál Martin was when he made a dig at Sinn Féin for their record over the last 100 years, including murdering policemen. While he said it as part of a salient point, it smacked of an early 2000s talking point against Sinn Féin. No-one scores any points for linking the party with the Troubles 30 years after the ceasefire.
The Winners: Sinn Féin & Aontú
Two parties had a particularly strong night: Sinn Féin and Aontú. Sinn Féin’s success had little to do with Mary Lou McDonald’s performance. She is a regular B-rate debater and contributed to the raucous arguing that characterised a mediocre debate. However, Sinn Féin’s general positioning was strong. Although based on a pre-show coin toss, the optics of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil standing beside each other on one side with Sinn Féin at the furthest opposite end of the line were consistent with the party’s positioning. To open the debate, Hannon asked all leaders which parties they would willingly govern with. This led to significant anti-Sinn Féin tirades from Harris and Martin. From the start, Sinn Féin firmly occupied their ideal positioning: a fresh opposition party being kept out of government by the old guard.
Aontú’s Peadar Toibín did a great job of grabbing attention. After the main parties repeatedly broke the no-interruptions rule, Toibín liberally interjected, inserting party talking points about accountability and common sense politics. With the exception of some pointed questions during other segments, the debate was a four-horse show: Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil losing ground on one side of the screen; Sinn Féin and Aontú gaining it on the other.
Mediocre Debate
This mediocre debate was overpopulated with mediocre debaters. A special mention must go to Joan Collins of Right to Change and Cian O’Callaghan, subbing in for Holly Cairns at the Social Democrats podium. Like most of the small party leaders, Joan Collins only spoke when spoken to. However, her contributions were especially unimpressive, to the point of looking completely unprepared when she was asked to give the first closing statement. O’Callaghan of the Soc-Dems looked like a deer in the headlights, struggling through even the most basic answers. He struggled to relate to anyone else in the room and certainly won no votes with the viewers at home.
Everyone else was, much like the debate, average. Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit looked like Matt LeBlanc at the Friends reunion. He talked a big game but most people could pick apart his abstract axioms with just the most basic understanding of macro economics. Ivana Bacik was eloquent when she spoke. However, she didn’t speak a whole lot and barely strayed from her talking points on equality and diversity.
Independent Ireland’s Michael Collins spoke like he was at the local pub campaigning as a local independent candidate. A year’s experience at the helm of an incohesive party has done nothing positive for his debating performance. Roderic O’Gorman of the Green Party started weak and lost a couple of thousand votes throughout the evening. He made some shameless attempts to pivot difficult questions into opportunities to tout the party’s record in government. A good tactic in theory but thoroughly ineffective for such an unpopular party.
All in all, very few surprises. The government parties all lost ground with Sinn Féin putting in a strong showing. The smaller opposition parties proved they did not deserve to be on stage – except Aontú. Katie Hannon’s moderation was about as present as Joan Collins was on the stage. Next Monday, we’ll see another Leaders’ Debate, but with only the three main parties.
It was Sinn Féin and Aontú’s night, but likely still to be Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s election.
