Gay son of Indian immigrant likely to be Ireland's next leader
Source: CNN
Updated 7:19 AM ET, Tue May 30, 2017
.................Varadkar's only opponent is Housing Minister Simon Coveney, who hails from a family of Fine Gael stalwarts. While Coveney appeals to the party's more conservative membership outside of the capital city, many see Varadkar as a fresh face for urban voters while still appealing to the party's rural base...................
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'I'm not a half-Indian politician... or a gay politician'
As Ireland prepared to cast a historic vote that legalized same sex marriage in 2015, Varadkar came out publicly on Irish national radio.
"It's not something that defines me. I'm not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It's just part of who I am, it doesn't define me, it is part of my character I suppose," the fiercely private politician said speaking on RTE 1.
Although Varadkar has tried to steer attention away from his sexuality to his politics, for a country that is increasingly trying to focus on a more liberal European identity and shake off the hangover of religious involvement in politics, a coming-out speech like Varadkar's, whatever its tone, is still ground-breaking...............
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/30/europe/leo-varadkar-ireland-prime-minister-bid/index.html
OnDoutside
(19,956 posts)LS_Editor
(893 posts)This is clearly fake news.
cabot
(724 posts)Fine Gael is too conservative for my liking but I think Varadkar will beat Coveney.