Opinion: FG has found its Nationist Creditials

In a time of austerity and a divided electorate, the Fine Geal party has at last found its nationalist creditials. FG are typically distingushed as west-Brits. Those on the island of Ireland who believe that all is better on the mainland. As a right wing party FG have never really shown any really ambition for Ireland, or at least from the outside and for many in the electorate this seems to be the case. This nationalism however is not Irish nationalism in the real sense which is better defined as republican. An Taoiseach Leo Varkarda and his Tainiste, Simon Covney, with Brexit are now in a position to highlight their Irishness by taking on the old foes the English, in the battle to retain an invisible boarder between north and south, this is helped by the DUPs stance that Northern Ireland should be treated no less than those in Scotland, England and Wales when travelling to the Mainland.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is a Fine Geal Taoiseach that has changed the perception of his party. He did get off to a bad start with his press conference with British Prime Minister Teresa May by waxing lyrically about pop culture and his clear joy to be at Number 10 and furthered himself even more by wearing a poppy in the Dail just before Remembrance Day, something of an issue in Ireland.

However, could the Brexit negotiations have changed this west-British post-colonial inferiority complex that continually follows the FG party. Indeed Leo and Simon seem far from the days when An Taoiseach John Bruton tried desperately to hold back the tears at a dinner for Prince Charles in the 1990s, a pure embarrassment for the country and an a cringey plamasary speech to Charles, surely showing Irish weakness.

Now Leo and Simon are fighting the English, after all it's the economy stupid. While, Prime Minister May seem on the back foot, agreeing and then having to hold off on an agreement on the boarder that divides Ireland. Her government are weakened by the deal with the DUP, who have given the Conservative government an supply and confidence agreement to keep it in government, following a bad General Election for the Conservatives. All of a sudden Ireland matters.

Conservative politicians have desperately tried to get at the young Taoiseach by saying he is out of his dept, that he is having to fend of the growing popularity of Sinn Fein and that he faces a vote of no-confidence.

Of course on Social Media all of sudden those FGer and floating voters are now with this bastion of Irish sovereignty. They say that they "are not often nationalist but the way the English are talking, more power to Leo and Simon."

No, this national pride that is sweeping the nation can only be good for FG, and that pretense of a strong nationalist party moves from Fianna Fail as their Brexit Spokesman suggests that the DUP should be consulted and included.

So far the Brexit negotiations are going well for FG, expect FF to be significantly down in the next polls, with Sinn Fein slightly down. FG might yet be showing its teeth.