Tag Archives: Leo Varadkar

This afternoon.

Richard Chambers, of Virgin Media One, tweetz:

Taoiseach arrives on Stephen’s Green.

A homeless man looks away.

Familiar sight.

Update…

Um.

Mr Varadkar on Grafton Street.

Rollingnews

Previously: Picture Desk! I Need The IMF Guy In Dublin Walking PAST An Old Irish Homeless Man

UPDATE:

Rollingnews

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during their one-to-one General Election 2020 debate hosted by Pat Kenny on Virgin One Media on Tuesday

Watching the “big” debate on Wednesday between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin, it’s still very obvious there is no great difference between them.

They have always been “two halves” of a great party.

Let’s not waste time. We are very tired of all this point-scoring, this posturing, and this making of promises that cannot be kept.

This is a time of national crisis.

The best way to “commemorate” the Civil War (whose wounds still fester) is for the two parties to unite and get us back in line with the caring, unselfish spirit of the first Dáil.

John Johnston,
Waterford.

FIGHT!

Televised debate – take us to our leader (Irish Times letters page)

Leo Varadkar, then Minister for Social protection, launching the ‘Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All’ campaign, April 17, 2017

Via Village magazine [more at link below]:

[Leo Varadkar’s] nastiest single initiative came just before he stood for the leadership of his party, with the fractious ‘Welfare Cheats Cheat Us All’ campaign.

But it positioned Varadkar where he wanted to be.

Imagine being in the prime of your life and at the top of your career and deciding what you want to do is target the most disadvantaged in society, those most discriminated against in the most tangible ways, economically and socially.

Imagine feeling that you want to spell out a message that the most scandalous misappropriations are by the welfare classes not the bankster classes.

Imagine being Minister for Social Protection, representing the classes that have nothing to get up for in the morning and running a campaign that promotes those who get up early in the morning.

…His commitment to equality seems tentative. His commitment to divisiveness, if anything, stronger.

What constitutes robustness when standing up to the clowns in Fianna Fáil accelerates into meanness when deployed against the vulnerable and the impoverished in society.

He recently wrote in the Irish Independent:

“We have allowed society to be divided into one group of people who pay for everything but get little in return due to means-tests, and another who believe they should be entitled to everything for free and that someone else should pay for it”.

The gratuitousness of the divisiveness derives from the simple fact there is no such second group. While he later claimed he intends to unite it, this is cynical rhetoric, for the beef is in the divisiveness.

….Varadkar melds neoliberalism and anodyne blandness. But the glue he deploys is the most interesting thing about the man, for the glue is the glue of nastiness.

Go Easier On The Nastiness (Village)

Rollingnews

RTÉ broadcaster Bryan Dobson

Just now.

Áine Lawlor told RTÉ’s News At One listeners that Bryan Dobson will interview Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar tomorrow evening at 7pm on RTÉ One.

She said it will be the first of a series of one-to-one interviews that Mr Dobson will hold with party leaders.

More as we get it.

Earlier: Buzzin’

Previously: [We] ‘Alienated A Section Of The Public Who Rightly Or Wrongly Perceived RTÉ As Biased’

 

 

Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar shakes hands with candidate Peter Casey at the Presidential election count centre at Dublin Castle on November 27, 2018

This afternoon.

Via The Irish Times:

Peter Casey has put his name on the ballot paper in Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s Dublin West constituency as an “obvious protest vote” against the Fine Gael leader, while focusing on winning a seat in the Donegal constituency.

On Wednesday morning Mr Casey, the businessman and former presidential candidate, submitted his papers to contest the Dublin West race, having submitted papers to stand in Donegal on Tuesday. There is no restriction on a candidate running in multiple constituencies.

Peter Casey to stand in both Donegal and Dublin West (Irish Times)

Earlier: A Race Of Angels

Rollingnews

Yesterday.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the hustings in Cork.

Seems to be going quite well.

Earlier: A Limerick A Day

President of Greece Prokopios Pavlopoulos and Vlassia Pavlopoulou with President Michael D Higgins and Sabina Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin

Yesterday

Minister of State Finian McGrath represented the Government during the State visit of the President of Greece to Áras an Uachtaráin as all senior Ministers were unavailable.

Jack Power, in The Irish Times, reports:

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was due to meet Mr Pavlopoulos at Government Buildings on Thursday afternoon, but the meeting was cancelled earlier that morning, with Mr Varadkar attending events on the Fine Gael campaign trail instead.

…Mr McGrath is the only TD who sits at Cabinet who is not standing in the upcoming general election.

One senior Áras source said there was a sense of disappointment that the Government had not sent a senior Minister to attend the welcome ceremony.

‘Sense of disappointment’: Varadkar cancels meeting with Greek president (Jack Power, The Irish Times)

Pics: Irish Foreign Ministry



From top: At Leeson Street Bridge, along the Grand Canal, this morning where a man was seriously injured after his tent was removed by ‘heavy machinery’ on Tuesday afternoon; Taoiseach Leo Varadkar canvassing in Cavan yesterday

This morning.

The man who was seriously injured when the tent he was sleeping in was removed from the Leeson Street Bridge area along the Grand Canal on Tuesday afternoon remains in a serious condition.

Meanwhile, last night.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was at a joint press conference with the new EU Commissioner president Ursula von der Leyen when he said he never tried to make the incident involving the man a party political matter.

Daniel McConnell, in The Irish Examiner, quotes Mr Varadkar saying:

“In terms of what the lord mayor has to say, I have never sought to make homelessness a party political issue.”

“…No, I didn’t mention blame at all. I think it is reasonable that the lord mayor of Dublin, who is politically accountable for Dublin City Council, should also make a statement. I am sure he would be willing to do that.”

Earlier, yesterday evening.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin and Fianna Fáil general election candidate, Paul McAuliffe did release a statement about the matter.

It followed the Taoiseach’s call for him to do so as, the Fine Gael leader claimed, Mr McAuliffe is “politically responsible for the council”.

Mr McAuliffe said:

“I was disappointed that the Taoiseach went down this road today.

“A man was seriously injured and yet An Taoiseach appeared to be more interested in apportioning blame to someone else.

“Waterways Ireland carried out the works this morning. Officials from the Dublin Regional Housing Executive (DRHE) were on the scene to support any homeless people with accessing accommodation.

“I understand due to the precarious location of the tent, Waterways Ireland decided to make use of a mechanical vehicle. All of these details will now be the subject of a Garda investigation.

“There may be an election ongoing at the present but a human being has been seriously injured this morning.

“That was my first concern when I heard about it, and I wanted to find out the details and so I have asked for a full report.

“It seems that the Taoiseach’s first thought was to play a political game.”

Varadkar: ‘I didn’t politicise homeless man’s injuries’ (Daniel McConnell, The Irish Examiner)

Previously: “The Lord Mayor Should Make A Statement”

At Leeson Street Bridge [Updated]

Top pic: Liveline

Rollingnews