Harris confirmed as new Fine Gael leader in Athlone

“It's the absolute honour of my life to formally be here with you in Athlone today to accept the leadership of this great party, of our great party, of the Fine Gael party.”

That was how Simon Harris took the leadership of Fine Gael this evening in Athlone, after he was the sole nominee to replace Leo Varadkar.

He was speaking at a packed Fine Gael selection convention for the European Parliament elections in the Midlands-North West constituency in the Sheraton Athlone Hotel.

During a lengthy address, Harris laid out some of his key values and priorities and stressed that this was a moment for Fine Gael “to reset”.

He reiterated his commitment to “making work pay”, something that has been central to his message in recent days.

Harris also took the time to outline his belief in the concept of hope and his determination to fight against what he said were the “dangers of populism”.

Beginning his address, he reminded those present that 13 years ago in his maiden speech in the Dáil he nominated Enda Kenny for Taoiseach.

“Back then I never could have imagined that 13 years later that I'd be standing here as the new leader of Fine Gael.”

He paid tribute to Leo Varadkar for his leadership of the party and for his “incredible leadership of our country” and outlined what he said were Fine Gael's achievements since Enda Kenny took over as Taoiseach in 2011.

“Sinn Féin can't bear to look back over what this party has achieved since pulling our economy back from the brink and they always seek to denigrate our service in Government by denying reality. They can't handle the truth and we can't stand for that.

“From unemployment to full employment, from a budget deficit to a budget surplus, a more equal Ireland, progress on affordable childcare, education and universal healthcare,” he said.

He accepted there will always be challenges but reiterated that the core values of Ireland and of the Fine Gael party, which he said were hope, enterprise, equality of opportunity, integrity and security, would help the country to meet those challenges.

Harris also attributed his involvement in politics to his frustration with the level of services available for his family after the diagnosis of his younger brother, Adam, with autism.

“I grew increasingly frustrated at the dearth of information and the absence of support for families likes ours and quite frankly at the sense of loneliness we could feel.

“This led to me to campaign, to advocate, and it ultimately led me to politics and to Fine Gael. That's the experience that keeps me grounded and it is what underpins my belief in the need for politics, for good Government and for Government to always be about delivering for the people.”

“I believe in the power of politics to make a difference. I believe politics as a profession can make people's lives better.”

Harris said the Athlone event represented “an important moment for Fine Gael”.

“This is a moment for Fine Gael to reset. It is a moment for Fine Gael to reconnect, to renew our commitment to the Irish people and to public service.”

Harris also said it was time for the country to move from an emergency response to migration to “a more planned” and “sustainable model”.

Stating that there was “a hell of a lot to get done in the time ahead”, he proceeded to outline what he saw as Fine Gael's values, including standing up for business, especially small business, making work pay, supporting education and educational pathways and weaving equality of opportunity through all its policies and actions.

He added: “Fine Gael stands for law and order”. And to the loudest applause of his address, he added: “We stand on the side of the Gardai. In a week when I saw the tricolour of this republic draped over the coffin of a garda killer, I say shame.”

Harris also outlined his determination to challenge what he said was a populism that sought to divide people.

He said Ireland “is a great country” and “we should never allow people to talk it down.”

He said a belief in the importance of a strong economy was in the DNA of Fine Gael, but added: “We have to couple economic strength with the moral courage to identify where we have come up short.”

He said he wanted young people to believe in their future in Ireland.

Concluding he quoted words from Seamus Heaney, which he said to him were not just poetry, but a sort of guiding principle.

“Hope is not optimism which expects things to turn out well but it is something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for.

“I feel the desperate need for hope right across the country,” he said, before pledging to “do my damnedest” for the party and more importantly for Ireland.

At the convention Nina Carberry and Maria Walsh were formally selected to contest the European Parliament elections in the Midlands-North West constituency.

The duo were selected without a contest after sitting MEP Colm Markey, who replaced Maried McGuinness as an MEP following her appointment as a European Commissioner, withdrew from the convention.

Deputy Leader of Fine Gael Simon Coveney, who chaired the convention, welcomed Gabrielle McFadden and members of her family to the event, telling delegates that ten years ago tomorrow Nicky McFadden had passed away from motor neurone disease.