Simon Harris may have some Keir Starmer-ish traits. I am unsure of his motivating philosophy – he appears to be a decent, somewhat awkward man, who is extraordinarily bad at using TikTok. Both have a hard time conveying a sense of genuine passion and enthusiasm (when Keir Starmer was asked his favourite thing about football, his answer was “the goals”), and neither seems totally comfortable behind a podium. We all know what happened to Starmer in the end.

But beyond the mannerisms, and the similar ideological vacancies, Harris isn’t really like Starmer at all. Or at least he made a good attempt at demonstrating that in his ardfheis speech over the weekend. Because in rhetorical substance – if not yet in actual policy – Simon Harris sounds not like a centre-left Labour-ish barrister-cum-prime-minister. He sounds like an arch Tory. He could have slipped in a robust case for Brexit, and I may not have blinked. Jacob Rees-Mogg would identify him as a fellow traveller. Perhaps he could adopt the accent.

Those who can work should be in work, Harris told the ardfheis, sensibly and Conservatively. “The dole is a safety net, not a way of life,” he added. Sound familiar? You may be thinking of David Cameron’s 2011 address to the Conservative Party conference on October 5th........

© The Irish Times