Taoiseach Simon Harris with Kevin Doyle while recording for the ‘Indo Daily’ podcast. Photo: Gerry Mooney
With the general election just weeks away, Taoiseach Simon Harris joined The Indo Daily’s Kevin Doyle and Philip Ryan for an in-depth discussion on some of the most pressing issues for the Irish electorate.
The Taoiseach announced he is committing to cap the cost of childcare at €200 per child per month in his first major election pledge before the country goes to the polls in a few weeks. Speaking to The Indo Daily, the Fine Gael leader said he would publish a roadmap for introducing the cap in the first 100 days of government if he is returned to power after the election.
On his own family, he said he would never let “thugs” force them out of their home in Greystones, Co Wicklow. The Taoiseach’s comments follow a spate of protests by masked anti-immigration protesters outside his home. “I’m from Greystones. I’ve lived in Greystones all my life. We’ve set up our family home in Greystones and no bunch of thugs are going to run me or my family out of our house,” he said.
The Taoiseach, however, would not confirm a date for the general election despite repeated questioning, however, he hinted that late November is most likely.
“There’s going to be an election. It’s going to happen very shortly. We’ve got to pass the finance bill first. And when the finance bill is passed, we’ll very shortly thereafter have an election,” he said.
“The election’s going to take place before Christmas, and the election’s going to be on a Friday. So your powers of deduction don’t need to be great, though I’m sure yours are, to narrow that down.”
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