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Kenny in Goody’s Two Shoes
Read more about: Fine Gael, Immigration, Irish Election
On the day that the government issued an embarrasing rehash of spending plans and flogged ideas, Enda Kenny decided to spend his time flying kites.
Last week, Bertie, McDowell, and Cowen got up in front of the nation and said ‘WE HAVE NO NEW IDEAS. OUR BALLS ARE UNGUARDED. WHY DON’T YOU HAVE A GOOD ‘AUL KICK OF THEM.’ Instead, Kenny, leader of the opposition, heads off to the Clontarf Castle (Swanky!) to talk to the party faithful about the problem of immigration.
It was the equivalent of a striker stopping in front of an open goal, looking up to the stands, and saying ‘Hey, now wait a minute! There’s some blacks in here!’
In fairness, Kenny went on to say that those black have a right to be in the stands - but they also have responsibilities. They may have paid in - although some may have sneaked in. They may be honest - but then again they may be thieving bastards as well. They need to integrate - and we’re here to help them to integrate. Let’s all have an honest debate about this.
At the same time, the government’s goalie gets back on its feet and Kenny’s got nothing left to shoot at except the blacks, the gypsies, oh, and chainsaw-stealing knackers.
Kenny’s plan – well, the Fine Gael stratigists’ plan – was an old one. In American parlance, Kenny was ‘raising the flag and seeing who salutes.’ Fine Gael was testing the water for the idea of running on an immgration fear platform. It was held on a Tuesday so they’d get at least two days on Joe Duffy out of it. All they got was more airtime for Aine Ni Chonail. The kite-flying came,of course, less than a week after Big Brother had caused a furore with allegations of rascism, with Jade Goody swiftly becoming a hate figure in both British and Irish the press.
Fine Gael can fly all the kites that they want, but you’ve got to question the strategy behind the Clontarf Castle (swanky!) conference. Instead of having three or four of their rockweillers ready to rip the NDP apart, and Kenny with the right soundbites afterwards, they use the opprtunity to have Kenny testing controversial waters – in effect setting himself up for his own possible attack. This happened, of course, but at least Kenny found out that he’s got Geraldine Kennedy on his side with the immigration scapegoat.
The rest of the media,however, slapped him in the face, especially with his ridiculous ‘Celtic Christian’ comments. The Irish Independent’s front page on Wednesday was an embarrasment, with the paper deriding the government’s plan while Kenny pointed to the blacks in the stands. Fine Gael has got to get its act together. It can’t keep on hoping for the government to lose the election. It’s got to win it from them. Tuesday was just another missed opportunity, one that made Kenny look like an Irish Jade Goody, rather than a potential West Wing Martin Sheen. No rousing emotional music to lift the nation, just Ritchie Kavanagh with a breakfast roll up his arse.
Kenny seems determined to play the race card in this election. Of all his strategies (e.g free laptops and boot camps) this has the potential to be the most disastrous for the party. Sure there are a few racists in every society but I’m afraid that most of the racists in this country vote Sinn Fein and they aren’t going to give Fine Gael more than 2nd preference. Fine Gael have a leader who is targeting the votes of a party with 5 seats instead of the party with 81 seats. Fine Gael desperately need new leadership and unless Richard Bruton steps up and takes control Kenny is going to lead us to fewer seats than in 2002 and secure another 5 years of Fianna Failures.
good points, especially about Bruton. He’s that rarest of creatures as well, a Dublin Fine Gael TD. the party need Dublin in order to form a government. Maybe the strategy is for Labour to take seats in the capital, leaving Fine Gael to pursue what are frankly rascist and fear-driven prejudices in order to pick up the rural vote. It a daft stratgey. More importantly, it’s simply not working. The rural voters, not surprisingly, arenot buying it. Kenny’s backroom team are clearly out of their depth.
The laptop issue is a case in point. I do not know one teacher who thought it was a good idea. They simply laughed and shook their heads. you ask teachers want they want and they’ll tell you - funding to support the early diagnosis of educational disadvantage in primary schoolchildren. That’s what would truly benefit this nation’s future, as well as making the teacher’s job easier in the long run. not a fucking think-tank laptop. If Kenny came out with that - a ring-fenced fund to set up and administer that scheme - he’d had teachers taking him seriously. and teachers, as a demographic, vote. Of course, he could just blame the blacks for crime. sorry, It’s immigrants and their responsibilities, isn’t it? Jesus! Even typing that just makes me think what a f**king moron that man is. Christ, he’s a qualified primary school teacher himself.
Perhaps, you missed the 6.1 news on the day of the NDP when Richard Bruton pointed out the completely lack of a Plan the National Development Plan.
And Kenny made no reference to anyone’s colour.
Interestingly, you seem not to be impressed by the NDP but rather than post on that, you post about what you feel is lacking in the opposition’s reaction. Does that not say more about which side you are on than anything else?
That should read “lack of a Plan in the National Development Plan.”
Kenny didn’t mention anyone’s colour because he was kite-flying.
A handy definition is the one from Wikipedia - ‘To Fly a Kite is a term used in politics to describe a tactic whereby a politician either directly themselves informally, or indirectly in the media, raises an idea to gauge the reaction to it. Depending on the reaction, the idea may be implemented (if the reaction was positive) or disowned and denied (if negative). The benefits of flying a kite is that it allows a controversial issue to be raised in a way that gives a government “deniability” if the reaction is negative, with the Government being able to say “the Minister was speaking personally, not for the Government” if necessary, and so distance itself from an issue that draws a negative response.’
He didn’t mention black because he didn’t have to. He was testing the water for a racist campaign.
The 6-1 news comment was too late. Kenny spent the next couple of days in the media explaining HIS comments instead of ATTACKING THE GOVERNMENT, which is what an opposition leader is supposed to do. Did you miss Kenny having to explain himself? Kenny’s explanation was pure kite-flying cop-out.
As for sides, I’m on the side of a party leader and his backroom that have done their research on what his country’s education system needs - especially at primary level - and don’t just intend on having an education policy based on calling into PC World on the way to the Dáil.
Kenny has no ideas.
Kenny’s team have no ideas and no strategy.
what is there to support?
Sure there are a few racists in every society but I’m afraid that most of the racists in this country vote Sinn Fein and they aren’t going to give Fine Gael more than 2nd preference.
Ironically enough, Sinn Féin’s policies are pretty liberal on the issue. (They opposed the citizenship referendum, for example.)
I’d imagine if the racist element are looking for someone to vote for, there are more, ehm, messianic options than Kenny available:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0127/migrants.html
Certainly the xenophobes on Politics.ie seem to be getting all wet already:
http://www.politics.ie/viewtopic.php?t=16562
Indakinny may be coming out with the odd witter about Christianity and Celticness, but the Ranelagh Rottweiler is promising them real live detention camps for blacks. No contest.
Ben, you don’t like Fine Gael. Grand. But stick to the facts (or stuff that is vaguely factual) in your attacks on the party. Base your rants of what people say and do, rather than what you think they said and did. This stuff is the kind of basest form of imaginary politics that would embarass your most ambitious Ogra hack.
This country needs a debate on immigration - the attempt to stop such a debate by branding anyone who raises the issue as a racist is pathetic. Judging from the comments above it would appear that there is a consensus amongst the great and the good that we don’t need such a debate. Excellent - watch us repeat the mistakes of France, Germany, the Netherlands and others.
Hi John,
I have stuck to the facts. Fine Gael were kite flying last week. My criticism is that it took place at a time when they should have been focusing on attacking the government’s NPD. They were given an open goal and instead of scoring points against Fianna Fail and the PDs they decided to associate themselves with immigration. From a tactical point of view, it’s weak and self-defeating. Why not hold off on the clontarf conference until this week when they could have had a clear run for their kite flying? No. Let’s take our eye off the ball and let the gov. announce their NPD. no that’s bad tactics, and it’s not the first time either. All we had was Kenny associated with ‘Celtic and Christian.’
As for sticking to the fact, are you telling me that Kenny didn’t announce a free laptop for every schoolkid in the country? I’m telling you now, Enda Kenny got laughed at in staffrooms across the land. I’m saying the Fine Gael should have talked to teachers first, and then they would have at least had issues to run with - instead of think-tank baloney.
Early diagnosis of educational disadvantage in primary schoolchildren. There’s a policy that would win Kenny some respect. Bloody laptops indeed.
As for a real debate on immigration? In the weeks and months leading up to an election? A real debate? Get real. You see what Michael McDowell announced today. We’re not getting a real debate, we’re getting a Dutch auction - with neither the PDs nor Fine Gael going how far is too far to win the so-called ‘real debate.’ Mcdowell’s got detention centres, so now Fine Gael are going to have to up the ante. god’s knows with what. Internment ships or something.
Finally, I never said I didn’t like fine Gael. In fact, in my first post after the article I agreed with Mick that Bruton would make a good leader for fine Gael, the fact that he’s a sitting Dublin TD a distinct advantage for the party.
I do think, however, that Kenny and his backroom team are bloody useless. Tomorrow’s poll seems to suggest that the puplic think so as well.