IT is never pleasant to witness a grown man throw his toys out of the pram. When the man in question looks set to be our next taoiseach, such an idiotic temper tantrum inevitably raises renewed concerns about his suitability for such high office.
Vincent Browne's infamous comment about Enda Kenny was indisputably crass. But this was not the first time this particular broadcaster has put his foot in it; and on this occasion, he was man enough to apologise. That should be the end of the matter.
Or could there in fact be a deeper reason? The Fine Gael leader is all too well aware, as indeed is the general public, that he does not perform well in this sort of set-piece debate. He cannot avoid them altogether. But is he now trying to keep his exposure to the minimum? If so, it does not augur well. A taoiseach must do more than just take the tough decisions; he must be capable of defending those decisions in the rough and tumble of public debate -- be that on TV or on the floor of Dail Eireann.
If Mr Kenny lacks the backbone for such debate now, it is hard to see how he will overnight acquire it simply by assuming high office. If he doesn't have the skills or the political weaponry to fight his battles during the campaign, we can hardly expect him to learn them afterwards.
Seeing a putative taoiseach only in carefully stage-managed events, such as Mr Kenny's internet coffee shop performance, is simply not good enough. If he genuinely wants to lead this country, then the electorate is entitled to see and hear the real Enda Kenny -- now.
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