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On war criminal Putin’s illegal and barbaric invasion and occupation of an independent nation.
On a woman’s right to control her own body and keep government out of her reproductive health decisions.
On a person’s right to love and marry any adult they wish without government interference.
On recognizing the extraordinary and essential contributions of immigrants to society.
On the existential requirement to confront climate change boldly and shift to a jobs-rich renewable energy economy.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, his party, and a majority of Ireland’s citizens believe in and are acting forcefully on all these common-sense pillars of an intelligent, democratic, and forward-looking society.
We heard from Varadkar on Wednesday at the Council on Foreign Relations. He’s the first openly gay Irish leader, son of an Indian MD, and a medical doctor himself.
On Putin’s war crimes, the Irish leader said, “This is a war of aggression (in Ukraine), an imperialist war. We know from history that appeasement doesn’t work.” He added, “Those responsible for war crimes should be held to account.” Amen.
On climate change, he said that “the economic opportunities are immense.” Renewable energy comprises 40 percent of Ireland’s energy mix, for example, with a target of 80 percent by 2030. Double Amen.
At a time when dark, regressive, hate-filled, and autocratic forces are in power in Russia, Hungary, and Turkey, for example, and continue to bang on their pots and pans in the United States, Poland, and this country, Varadkar presents the picture of a tough-minded, thoroughly modern man, looking forward with common sense, acting decisively, and leading with a measure of empathy. This makes him enormously attractive to young, diverse, thinking people invested in building a better, more productive and equitable future. Unlike too many politicians today, this is a serious man.
