Fianna Fáil MEPS to Consider Undermining Michael McGrath and Ireland

Some in Fianna Fáil might consider that very poor behaviour.

BRUSSELS — It’s not easy being Ursula von der Leyen these days. The European Commission president, a woman who once glided through Brussels like a well-oiled Eurocrat in a pantsuit, is now facing something no Commission chief has endured in over a decade: a no-confidence vote. And all because of some texts with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

The perils of modern governance. Once upon a time, political scandals involved bribes in brown envelopes or mistresses in hotel rooms. Now? A few too many heart emojis in a WhatsApp chat about vaccine procurement will get you cancelled.

The Motion of No Confidence (Or: How to Waste Everyone’s Time)

Next Thursday, the European Parliament will hold a vote that, let’s be honest, isn’t going to topple von der Leyen. The centrist majority that put her in power isn’t about to turn on her now, no matter how many secret Pfizer texts surface. But that doesn’t mean this isn’t deliciously awkward.

The motion was filed by Romanian right-winger Gheorghe Piperea, who h…