Simon Harris was in his third year of university when he dropped out in 2008.
When a job as a parliamentary aide to an Irish senator came up, Harris, an ambitious 20-year-old from a coastal city in County Wicklow south of Dublin, saw it as an “opportunity to make a difference.” he later told the Dublin-based magazine HotPress.
He never looked back. On Tuesday, the 37-year-old will be sworn in as the youngest head of government in the history of the Republic of Ireland, the culmination of a swift political rise to the post he has long sought.
David Farrell, a political science professor at University College Dublin, said Harris was young but not lacking in political experience: “He was always hungry for this role.” “His career was short but meteoric.”
But Ms Harris could rise to the top now, with her centre-right party Fine Gael languishing in the polls. And unless he can revive that fortune, his time as prime minister may be short-lived.
Ireland will hold a general election by the end of March 2025, and it is possible that Sinn Féin, the Irish left-wing nationalist party that won the popular vote in 2020, will win enough seats to form a government. Support for traditional political parties has declined in the wake of the cost of living crisis and severe housing shortages.
Mr Harris was appointed to lead Fine Gael last month following the sudden resignation of his predecessor Leo Varadkar. The party governs Ireland in coalition with two other parties, and Mr Harris has been appointed Taoiseach (pronounced T-shock), or prime minister, due to the oddity of the coalition agreement rather than a reflection of popular support. It will become.
Supporters argue that Harris, seen by many as an energetic and dedicated politician, is up for the challenge of steering the government through difficult times. Francis Fitzgerald, the senator who hired Ms Harris in 2008 when she was 20, was a Fine Gael member of the European Parliament and then leader of the opposition in the Irish parliament's upper house. She became his longtime mentor.
“I think the reason he was able to accomplish so much in such a relatively short period of time is because he always believed in the power of politics,” she said. What I admire most is that he has the courage to follow his instincts.”
“I had an interest in politics from an early age.''
Mr Harris, the son of a taxi driver and teaching assistant for children with special educational needs, grew up in County Wicklow and founded the autism awareness charity as a teenager.
Appearing on Irish broadcaster RTÉ in 2002, aged 15, he said his autistic brother inspired him to take action.
“As a moody and opinionated teenager, I was really frustrated because there was a lack of information about autism. I was witnessing the stress and strain my parents were going through. ,” Harris recalled in a 2022 interview with HotPress. “Ultimately, I found myself involved in political issues at a young age.”
He studied journalism and French before being hired by Ms Fitzgerald and then moved into local politics, becoming a county councilor at the age of 22 and elected to the Irish Parliament at 24. He was later appointed Minister of Health, the top cabinet post. With a vote of confidence from Enda Kenny, who was then provincial mayor.
Harris, who is expected to be confirmed in the top job by a vote in Congress on Tuesday, has already earned the nickname TikTok Taoiseach for her passionate posts on the social video app. Since opening his account in 2021, it has received approximately 2 million likes.
In one blurry selfie, he invites viewers to join him for a quick chat during a walk. A supercut of Red Hot Chili Peppers' “Can't Stop” posted this week shows Harris holding a baby and shaking hands while campaigning.
The video is serious and can feel awkward at times. But analysts say there is an informality to them that may resonate with voters.
“He's a great communicator, very articulate and quick on his feet,” said Eoin O'Malley, associate professor of political science at Dublin City University. “And I think that's what people see in him.”
ambitious realist
Analysts say Harris, a millennial, has long embraced her youth as a selling point. In 2018, while he was health minister, Ireland held a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which effectively banned abortion. Harris has won praise from many young people for her remarkable efforts toward abolition.
Mr. Fitzgerald announced several years ago that he wanted to keep anti-abortion measures in place, and Mr. Fitzgerald said his shift was one that many did not expect. “I would describe him as someone who is very open to learning,” she said. “He listened to people, and I think he was learning firsthand as he listened to the women.”
But that realism could also be seen as a weakness, Professor O'Malley said, noting that “it's still very difficult to know exactly what or who he is.”
Harris “acted quite radically” as public opinion changed on some issues, the professor said.
“You could argue that it's a sign of someone who is kind of pragmatic and open and willing to change their mind about things,” Professor O'Malley added. “But some might say more cynically that he doesn't have strong principles or beliefs, that he's basically more about fan popularity than principles.”
difficult job
The new prime minister will face tough challenges as he leads his party into regional and European elections in June, as well as next year's general election.
Fine Gael came third in 2020, but Sinn Féin, which has historically called for the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which are part of the United Kingdom, won the popular vote for the first time and was separated from Fine Gael. It overturned that long-standing dominance. Traditional rival Fianna Fail.
However, Sinn Féin was unable to win enough seats to form a government, so its rival party formed a coalition with the Green Party.
Opinion polls show that Fine Gael's appeal has weakened further since 2020, with the coalition facing increasing criticism over housing shortages and a backlash over immigration.
Professor O'Malley said a change in leadership could have a galvanizing effect on the party, likening it to a new football coach coming in to take over a team. Recent polls suggest the party has made slight gains since Harris became leader.
Extending the soccer analogy, Professor O'Malley said: “It doesn't matter to some extent whether that person brings new tactics or new training regimes; they just have to be there to cheer everyone up.”
And while Mr Harris's predecessor, Mr Varadkar, had clearly lost his energy by the end of his term, Professor O'Malley said: “I don't think anyone would disagree that Simon Harris is not very energetic.” said.