This evening.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny grilled by Miriam O’Callaghan on RTÉ’s Prime Time about the debt write down hoo ha.
Otherwise a stellar performance.
Some of Enda Kenny’s answers sounded like a rehashed speeches. Surely he is better than that and should have given straight replies #rtept
— David Murphy (@davidmurphyRTE) February 19, 2015
Well it seems very clear from Taoiseach’s vagueness when asked directly if he’d ever asked for debt write down that he never did. #rtept — Catherine Murphy (@CathMurphyTD) February 19, 2015
Not sure who advised the Taoiseach on his choice of facial hair… #RTEpt pic.twitter.com/z6zGikiGn6
— Abie Philbin Bowman (@AbiePB) February 19, 2015
This is a truly dire performance by Enda. If I was a Fine Gael TD I’d have my head in my hands right now #rtept — Gillian Nelis (@gnelis) February 19, 2015
FIGHT!
how old is the pic from rte
When asked by O’Callaghan what failings he as leader of Fine Gael felt responsible for, Kennys response was ‘failure is something they don’t focus on’.
That’s what we’re dealing with. A leader and a party unable and unwilling to examine their faults and the errors they have visited upon the citizens. A leader and a party beyond reproach. Infallible
Worse than the old reliable at the job interview “what’s your worst quality?” “I work too hard, and care too much about my work”
That’s the problem with Inda exactly, he thinks that leadership means never having to admit you were wrong
More people would probably support Enda’s policies if he actually talked to them. Why is he rarely at leaders
Questions? Why does he rarely do interviews? And why when he does does he get an easy questioning while dishing out well rehearsed party lines? I remember when Miriam used to go for the jugular and roast politicians on open flames, now all we get are these tired interviews that put no real pressure on the interviewees.
Seeing Enda Kenny in charge of this country it’s a bit like what Band of Brothers would have been like if they hadn’t had gotten rid of Ross from friends as their commander in the first episode, I mean you almost feel sorry for him, but these are not the feelings one should have towards your leader, the guy who’s supposed to be fighting ‘our’ corner.
He’s a weak leader, you wouldn’t dare put someone who couldn’t throw a punch in the Irish Olympic boxing team, but there’s Enda Kenny, leading my country, though of course it seems I’m in a minority in finding the thought deeply dispiriting, a sign of a country with no ambition for itself beyond winning the six nations, or some such other shiny thing masses people can pretend they have somehow personally attained via proxy.
I was watching a Zizek talk the other night (like the pseudo-intellectual tea and scones leftist git that I am), and he said something interesting about being in a stalinist state at a public meeting and that the worst thing you can do is get up and say “this is bullshit Stalin’s an evil gangster, you’re all brainwashed”, that guy will be gone in the morning and never be seen again, but the guy who’ll be ‘disappeared’ the fastest is the one who gets up after him and says “what are you doing you can’t say that are you mad?” That guy is disappeared before he leaves the building.
It made me think about these times we have, so many ceremonies, like ones you have in culture, where the idiot minister gets on stage, totally out of their depth on their brief, your Jimmy Dinnehan’s of this world, or Enda Kenny at the Web Summit, sitting across from Eton Musk asking him “tell me how to run this country”, like a curious anal virgin asking to be taken gently, that s*** embarrasses me, we know these people are idiots, yet no one ever says a thing, the only people who ever say anything really are the ‘uneducated’ who say a few bad words, act a bit uncouth and so on (these guys are on six figure salaries and they get nothing near the level of abuse your average call centre worker (or Ryanair steward), would put up with in a day on a tenth of the money they’re on, they all vote those salaries up so they must think they do something to earn being amongst the highest paid politicians in Europe, maybe part of that is being able to take it when now and again sometimes your citizens express disenchantment with how you’re running things, or maybe not), but it’s rarely that people speak up and on the rare occasion when they do everyone get’s embarrassed and pretends it didn’t happen, and when they can’t they act all offended, “well gosh you lost your job and your children emigrated, and your government never tried to fight your corner, do they’re bloody job, but you said a bad word, oh and now we’re going to arrest at 7AM as well.” It’s outrageous, can no one else just get the contempt, it oozes out of them.
Varoufakis has a great quote “Nothing reproduces faster than a false sense of entitlement”. A-bloody-MEN.
You wouldn’t stick a boxer who can’t throw a punch in the Olympic team, but you’d let a painfully mediocre mind run a country.
Still it does look like they’re rattled, that’s something, more than that though, I’m hopful we’re seeing the controlled explosion of civil war politics.
…
I take it back, he’s doing a great job!
GO ENDA!
Wow!
That was beautiful, articulating the unspoken anger that lies within most of us.
-But those last two lines…No need for them.
Thank you.
You said exactly what I want to say.
PS.
I know not of this ‘Band Of Brothers’ that you speak of SOMK, so you could cut the first paragraph too.
Otherwise, it’s poetry.
The Blueshirts will be here in a few hours. I’m going to bed.
I have a taxi booked for tomorrow, to pick up me welfare in several locations and attend a few Anti-Water-Tax demos. It’s hard to find the right staff to abuse your kids these days. I’m exhausted doing all these selfies that are really just me little brother and a fishing-rod.
Nobody likes the internet.
Mark my words, it will be gone in two years.
What do you you mean…take your hands off me….
Who told you I was drunk?
This is prestipr…preprost…fupping preposterous…
Oh yes, I remember now.
I have a heart condition.
Go watch Band Of Brothers.
I think you mean Leutenant Dyke, not Sobel (Ross from Friends);
“He’s an empty uniform sir, he’s just not there”.
Sobel was meant to lead the men on D-day but was unable to read maps, hesitated and gave poor orders in training situation on real life. He was removed and reallocated approx a week before as a number of NCO’s asked for his removal
Affirmative. But Sobel used an aggressive disciplinary style with his men to maintain authority. Dyke was a lazy leader, in a position unsuited to him, made no attempt at motivating his troops and was missing when needed. Enda is defo a Dyke!
Dyke is Cowen, Kenny is Sobel.
Fair play SOMK… I liked that Varoufakis quote “Nothing reproduces faster than a false sense of entitlement”. :)
SOMK thanks for that well articulated analogy and comment, you I feel have truly captured the feeling of the nation.
Civil War politics haven’t existed since the 1930s. They’re a big “Look Over Here, Not There At That Corruption” boogeyman.
like a curious anal virgin asking to be taken gently
– this bit was good
The rest of your guff is a worthless, futile, petty little rant – replete with all the class-driven, faux intellectual self-aggrandising the chattering class, petty bourgeoisie. For all his many faults at least Mr Kenny is prepared to serve the state. You think he is only doing that because he is a sociopath or something? You’d rather he went out and pretended he’s more important than a multinational CEO? Well, he isn’t. You’re talking shit£.
We’re a small open economy and an insignificant little spec in global terms. If Mr Kenny can attract by talking cowboy talk, the wealthy and powerful to invest here, then in fact he is contributing a lot more than you with your inarticulate, puerile guff about how ’embarrassed’ you are watching him doing his job.
It’s much more likely he believes he’s doing the best he can in the circumstances.
If you want someone to do a better job get involved in politics and/or run for office yourself. I don’t have much time for pseudo-intellectual hurlers on the proverbial ditch.
Please share more of your over-inflated opinions with us, Joe.
Pseudo-intellectual hurlers on the proverbial ditch? We had one a them but the wheel fell off.
The worship of multinationals is a little overblown in Ireland. Yes, of course it’s good to have big companies siting here and employing people. But the vast, huge, enormous majority of our economy is driven by the small to medium enterprise sector – mostly one- or two-people businesses or family businesses making and exporting and selling things.
What’s the tax percentage and amounts taken from these sectors? Show me the money please.
Oops, I never realised there was a video to be watched, until I watched it.
Miriam called Whatseesname a ‘poster-GIRL’.
Look here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbzV8r6u6tg&t=1m50s
I’m no fan of either of those loose t**ts, but hey, you have to take your prizes wherever you can get them these dayz.
Fair play to Miriam.
But she no Philomena Cunk.
I’m not the real Philomena Cunk either, so she should stop pretending she knows about stuff that she knows nothing about.
Get a grip Miriam.
The only reason you’re on telly is because blokes want to ride you.
Nobody cares what you say, in your droney, nasaly voice.
Nobody complains = Job for life.
Gay Byrne is your Da.
Jason Byrne is your spawn.
If Jason’s name was Justin I would have a better joke and you would feel crushed.
Consider yourself lucky…this time.
OK?
Irelands answer to Sarah Palin…
Not the blonde…the other one.
The “best girl” then :)
Ya codding me
Palin would have both of em
Shot
Hung
Skinned
Gutted
And on a spit
Before there advisors got thru with telling them what to say
Their
OK!
Irelands best leader of the last two decades , has brought this country back from the brink. … Go Enda
Epic performance. You have to wonder if he’s started taking those “smart drugs”.
Not like our Enda to perform badly in front of the camera.
He usually inspires confidence and calm among his people. Awe even.
So let’s allow him this one
When did all that go down?
Inspiring n awe stuff_?
Was I away
Wish they had announced Miriam had to pull out, but had luckily got Vincent browne to conduct the interview instead. Now that would be worth a watch.
She’s no Vincent or Paxman, unfortunately
She might as well asked Enda “what’s your favorite colour?”
All she did was asked predictable scripted question, and there was practically no follow-up, exposing Miriam as a lightweight who clocks in, goes to make-up, practises questions, gets a top-up from make-up, asks questions, thanks guests, clocks out, collects €200,000 salary, goes home.
Ah everyone knows his favourite colours are blue and brown worn comfortably under a hugo boss little number.
I don’t know who to have more sympathy for, Enda’s colleagues or Miriam’s?
Who will be brave enough, in the media, to rip her a new one?
New clothes! New clothes for the emperor and his minions!
She’s a totally worthless dud, I can’t understand her popularity for the life of me.
Connections.
In fairness she used to be good and gnarly on the Prime Time of old – before she was groomed for that sofa-chat-style rubbish.
I just see the gnarly these days. I remember she did one interview with Gerry Adams there a while ago that completely turned my stomach – fake outrage and morally superior positioning – who do these RTurds think they are?
enda kenny and Lorraine higgins, dumb and dumber 3.
Enda is completely useless, i dont think this is new news. every interview he does in complete nonsense where he talks about helping “the people” over and over without saying anything.
This Government just gets worse n worse
FFS. What are they going to be like this time next year.
Who else will Frances have arrested and or imprisoned?
Who else will be held captive overseas while Oliver stays ‘informed’?
Who else will Alan’s solicitors write too?
What else is going to come out of CC Sean’s trap?
How many unknown young wan’s are going to be new minted directors this time next year?
Will there be another new Minister for Health?
Will the AG stick it out?
Will Labour backbenchers (looking at you Eric Byrne BTW) behave like professional politicians before being ücked out?
Will Irish Water still be getting away with it?
What to do with Lowery?
Would Mr O’Brien stretch to a few dozen trollies?
One of the most interesting things about this interview is that the head of government was shifted aside for a British soap.
Back in the 1990s sometime RTE’s flagship current affairs programme cut off a Taoiseach in the closing sentences of a waffling interview to go to the News, and within days the current affairs programme was simply axed.
What’s changed? Our culture, our values, our respect for our head of government’s position?
society hasn’t the balls to put a stop to it.
Fair play to Miriam tho, she asked a few hard questions. Never knew she had it in her.
Also gigiddy