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OVER A DOZEN framed photos of key milestones in Alan Kelly’s career are displayed on the desk in his office.
Standing proudly with his family, the pictures show his first day in the Seanad, his first day as an MEP and his first day taking his seat in the Dáil.
There are also a number of photographs of his children, Aoibhe and Senan, aged five and six, as well as one of “the college lads” from over 10 years ago.
No longer in government-reserved offices, Kelly now occupies former Labour senator Kathleen O’Meara’s old digs, located down a long corridor next to the Dáil bar.
Over his desk hangs an official, embossed letter about the 2015 marriage referendum being passed, while the wall opposite is adorned with an autographed Manchester United jersey.
As TheJournal.ie sits down with him for a pre-Christmas interview, the Tipp man wants people to know that there is a lot more to Alan Kelly than just Irish Water (though charges are an issue he refuses to let go of, despite being in opposition).
The Tipperary TD – nicknamed AK47 – is a Thin Lizzy fan, he likes to cook during his free time and the only TV he watches these days is Paw Patrol (although he is making his way through Luther on Netflix when he can).
He was born and raised in Portroe, near Lough Derg in Tipperary, which he describes as “absolutely the best place in the world” because of its sense of community.
House fire
The father-of-two was raised on a small, subsidised farm with about 15 odd cows, he says, though his parents also had to go out to work.
Their home burned to the ground in the mid-1970s when Kelly’s mother was pregnant with him – a hardship that he and his family remained conscious of throughout his years growing up.
Alan Kelly with his wife Regina and children left to right Aoibhe and Senan. PA Archive / PA Images
PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images
“Things weren’t easy, but our family is a very united family. My grandparents, my uncles, aunts… we are all very close-knit.”
Prior to his political career, Kelly worked as an eBusiness manager with Bord Fáilte and Fáilte Ireland, setting up discoverireland.com and a tourism data system for the organisations.
So why politics?
I come from a Labour family, it’s been that way for generations.
My mother is involved in everything in the community. My father has a great sense of social justice, a great sense of fairness, very much driven.
While his only brother Declan Kelly (chairman and CEO of Teneo Holdings, which provides consulting services to some of the world’s biggest companies) headed off to live in New York, Alan set his sights on public office.
“It is very enjoyable. Politics is very worthwhile when you can achieve things. I was showing you a thank you letter there from Amanda Mellet and her representatives. It motivates you to help people.”
Last month Mellet was offered €30,000 from the government after the UN’s Human Rights Commission ruled that Ireland had subjected Mellet to “discrimination and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment” because of its laws against abortion, which forced her to have to travel abroad.
But the political game hasn’t been plain sailing for the Labour TD.
PA Archive / PA Images
PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images
Sharing power in the last government, the Labour party made big promises with many criticising that it failed to deliver and were railroaded by Fine Gael.
Images of the then-Education Minister Ruairi Quinn signing a four-foot pledge not to introduce student fees as well as Eamon Gilmore’s infamous election motto ‘Frankfurt’s way’ promise were difficult for voters to forget.
Irish Water
In his environment portfolio, Kelly was in charge of housing, local government, climate change and the most politically toxic – Irish Water.
While Kelly still maintains that Labour in government managed to achieve a lot (naming the marriage referendum and legislating for the X case as examples)he admits the party perhaps didn’t inform the public “just how bad things were”.
“In relation to how we communicated and related the decisions we had to take, we certainly didn’t do as well as we should,” he admits.
Does he think Fine Gael shafted him by giving him Irish Water? Kelly says he honestly doesn’t know, but he believes his predecessor Phil Hogan wasn’t fully prepared.
Phil Hogan didn’t have the eye on the ball for a substantial amount of time in that department in the sense that he knew he was leaving. He wasn’t crossing the Ts and dotting the Is in the sense that he wasn’t challenging certain things being put forward and certainly, in that sense, I was left a poisoned chalice.
“There was crisis after crisis. I mean it was endless. Everything seemed to be in my department. And then the cherry on top was we had flooding at the very end. It was a perfect storm of issues.”
But it was water charges that landed him in the most heat. With non-compliance from the public on the rise and thousands taking to the streets holding placards with the minister’s face on them, it’s safe to say Kelly wasn’t the most popular minister.
Alan Kelly and Joan Burton during the general election this year. Eamonn Farrell
Eamonn Farrell
Abuse
When asked if he was unsettled by criticism, Kelly even seems bothered by the question, making it clear he doesn’t want to harp on about the death threats and abuse he received.
“For me it was a very difficult time,” he said, adding that there were hundreds of thousands of abusive comments made about him.
Kelly said he wouldn’t be human if it didn’t perturb him, but that he was worried about his family and those who worked with him.
“You name it, I got it,” he says. “Did it worry me? Of course, it worried me. Like there were times when I would not walk the streets of Dublin. There were times when I had to walk into a pub or a shop just to make sure I was not being followed, or I was being followed.
I had numerous issues with people coming up to me, tonnes of them. I had some very scary moments.
“My wife, my parents, the lads in the office in particular, they had extremely scary moments and it was very worrying for them. I spent a lot of time worrying about personal security for them.”
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While he thinks social media is “brilliant”, he also describes it as “very dangerous”.
I have seen everything. Anything that can be written about me probably has been written about me.
I have been named every name under the sun, they have said some of the most incredible hurtful things about my family. For me, that says more about them than it does about me and I will tell you straight out – I have one message you can get across, every single one them only motivates me more.
However, Kelly said he had to have a sense of humour at the time about it all.
On one day, there was a protest in Merrion Square with some 20,000-odd people in attendance.
“It was funny because I am big into The Frames and Damien Dempsey and they were singing there on stage and I said to the lads in work, ‘I think I’ll go out’. No, I don’t think so, they said.”
Despite not being in government anymore – and not being a minister – Kelly continues to speak about water charges. It’s no longer in his remit, so why take on the trouble?
I am not going to be a hypocrite. In fact I am the total opposite. I am more steadfast.
Water charges
Kelly says he has more sympathy for Fine Gael’s Simon Coveney in relation to the housing crisis, than he does for the Irish Water situation. He is also adamant that his water charges regime will be introduced, stating:
“I can absolutely guarantee you that this country will end up back with some version as to what I brought in.”
“Everyone talks about water, very few people talk about waste. And we all know what waste really is. That really nice stuff is going on to the beaches in areas like Lahinch, Ennistymon and many other parts of the country, where kids are playing.
They need billions of investment and yet people will be jumping up and down when a crisis happens or when they see that beaches are closed or rivers are polluted. Water and waste will never be on top of the list. It is never sexy enough in terms of political issues when it comes to hospitals, schools or investment in capital works.
While Kelly might understand the pressure that Coveney is under of late, he has never been one to hold the punches when it comes to his colleagues in the Dáil.
Earlier this month he had some stinging words for Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor.
“I had questions with her a few weeks ago and I said afterwards, I thought it was the worst I had ever seen. Now I have nothing personal against the lady, she is a sincere lady, I am sure, but I felt that her performance that day for me was very worrying,” he says.
When asked if there was an element of sexism at play in relation to the criticism O’Connor has been facing, he said no.
No, not for me, I could see how that gets thrown out there. I am a very straight-talking person. Gender is irrelevant. It is based on policy, competence etc.
Having spent a significant amount of his time as minister on climate change, it is not surprising he does not have kind words to say about Danny Healy-Rae’s climate change denials either.
You know the standard there, sure. It’s say something mad and get attention, have a good laugh and everyone’s talking about you. That’s what that is. He believes in Noah’s Ark. Lord God.
Pictured (Ltor) Labour Alan Kelly TD, singer/song writers Phil Coulter and John Sheahan joined musicians to play irish music outside Leinster House this afternoon before going to Leinster House to support a Labour Irish music bill. Sam Boal
Sam Boal
The Tipperary man also has a few scathing words for left-leaning parties in the Dáil, saying he hates populist politics.
This was also something he raised on TV this week – but it was pointed out that Labour had been guilty of something similar in the past. (Who can forget that 2011 poster which has been widely shared and updated).
“There are a number of people in other political entities and espouse a populist notion that everyone can have everything and no one has to pay for anything. That we just tax the wealthy and then everybody can have every service they want. That’s just rubbish, it is just complete garbage. It is utopian economics,” says Kelly.
At the end of the day, at any given time there is a pie of money in this country and politics is about policies and choices and it is about making decisions on your priorities and your philosophy. You don’t miraculously create a bigger pie so everyone can have everything. You try and create a bigger pie by expanding the economy and trying to be fair, but these people that are going around and saying that you can everything for nothing … I despise it.
However, despite all the difficulties faced in government, Kelly finds himself sitting rather close to those he calls populist in the opposition benches.
The Labour party’s representation in national parliament was demolished in the last election, falling from 37 to just seven.
Alan Kelly laughs it off as Claire Byrne panel raise his "sex face" photo from the count centre on election day. RTE / Screengrab
RTE / Screengrab / Screengrab
Which brings us to THAT image of the TD in the count centre, which was described by comedian Oliver Callan on this week’s Claire Byrne Live programme as the “sex face” photo.
The photo taken on count day during the last general election shows Kelly being hoisted by his supporters after the news reaches him that he retained his seat.
Broadcaster and former politician Ivan Yates told Claire Byrne that he had been “totally unaware” of the reference. “So was I,” said Kelly with a grin on his face.
Alan Kelly is hoisted into the air as he celebrates being elected during the general election 2016 count. PA Archive / PA Images
PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images
When asked about the photo by TheJournal.ie, Kelly answers:
“No regrets. No regrets.”
He explains that a lot of his good friends lost their seats that day, and the image captured the relief he felt upon hearing he had been re-elected.
“Everyone knows Tipperary is an extraordinarily difficult constituency. Everyone knows the pressure I had been under in the years previous. I was out of the constituency a bit as well. There were some individuals that were taking part in some of the most heinous benign attacks and abuse on me and my party.
I suppose what happened to me in terms of my celebration was, despite all of that, we got there. All my supporters were there, my family were there and it was an incredible campaign. For me it was a kind of release and a feeling of success more for them than for me.
“What happened that day by getting elected, it was to celebrate that despite everything that was thrown at us that we got back in Tipperary and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
His fight to be leader
After getting elected, more controversy followed Kelly but this time it was from inside the party.
Failing to get any of his fellow party members to second him for leader of the Labour party, Brendan Howlin was elected. At the announcement in Dublin’s Royal College of Physicians, there was one notable absence in the room. Alan Kelly.
So why was he a no show? Was he simply in a huff?
“I didn’t think it was my role that day being honest with you,” adding that he has “moved on” from all that.
While he said the leadership contest is behind him, he also says it is in front of him. The Tipperary TD doesn’t blink when he says the leadership is in his future.
There’s nothing wrong with ambition. I think actually Irish people admire self-confidence and ambition but I think that some people try and portray in a way that is begrudgery. I think begrudgery often comes from those who maybe are afraid of going to achieve what they want to achieve or perhaps haven’t put their head above the parapet.
The 41-year-old also believes Labour will do quite well in the next general election.
I think people are starting to realise that this absolutely joke of a Dail, this do-nothing Dáil is just from one farce to the next.
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@Shaun Gallagher: Hillary conceded on the night of the election and was gracious in defeat. A week since PA was called for Biden and Trump is still being a cry baby.
@Shaun Gallagher: Protesting is where the comparisons end. Back in 2016 a lot of people felt hard done by the electoral college and Hillary losing after securing nearly 3 million more votes than Trump. Biden has won both in 2020, the White supremacists planning to show up today just want to cause mayhem for the sake of it.
@Jen: If the march is peaceful then there will be no mayhem. Let them have their march. Ignore it and then carry on.
As for 2016, Hilary may have conceded but she has never accepted the result. She has trotted out all sorts of conspiracy theories in the yeas since and the left, including the media, have never accepted Trump’s presidency. You have to expect the right to push back a little now.
Finally, the popular vote is a meaningless statistic. Everyone knows how the election works over there and the rules apply to all equally. Hillary just ran a terrible campaign and paid the price. She thought it was in the bag and became complacent. I’ll bet that’s what annoys her the most in hindsight.
@Will: what conspiracy theories has she trotted out? Russian interference, that was proven? I don’t believe trump colluded with them before you say it but there is certainly more than enough evidence to suggest they went on a solo run.
@Jamo: I would wager that the crowd who aren’t accepting the results of an election are the trouble makers to be honest. Is there a precedent for this in the Western world?
@leolaup: surely the FBI are not describing themselves as domestic terrorists… I think the main form of terrorism is financial with a splash of corporatism for good measure. Its time we all woke you a realised that but unfortunately we are contributors as we work in these places. Anyways not the discussion for now but give it a few years.
@Ben Darley: yea your so right it’s always President Trumps supporters just like all the cities that the destroyed in the run up to the election oh how stupid of me wasnt it President Trump that put a stop of the shops and buildings been set on fire the looting and not to mention all the murders
@Jamo: Antifa is an ideology, not a group like the KKK and the countless other right wing gangs falling in behind trump. And Do you understand why the BLM started?
@Paul Furey: Antifa is not a organisation is that what u r saying!! U r wrong, do some research then comment, when I say research I mean outside that comfortable little left wing bubble u r in
@James greene: Have you heard of Kyle Rittenhouse, who murdered two men? Trump supporter.
Have you heard of the men who wanted to kidnap the governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer? Trump supporters.
Dr Anthony Fauci needs 24/7 security. Why? Trump supporters.
@Al.Dunne: No, antifa is not an organisation. You’re the one living in a bubble if you believe they are, maybe drop the unregulated far right blogs and get your news from credible sources in future.
@Ben Darley: I’ll tell you now Rittenhouse will not be convicted of murder. The evidence is there to show (I believe should not have been there in the first place) he was being attacked first
@Peter Laurent: there is likely to be gun wielding, white supremacist Neo-Nazis involved today, so I think there’s a major difference. Actually it was Republicans who started using the hashtag #notmypresident during Obama’s presidency, something given greater impetus by Trump as he kept spreading the racist birther conspiracy theory. He and his racist supporters could not accept the legitimacy of an African American as president.
@Sean Murnin: yea buy there was a pandemic when the were burning and looting shops and buildings and destroying cities not to mention all the innocent murders remind who’s supporters were the after all amazing how you forget to mention that I wonder why
@Al.Dunne: You’re absolutely right, they shouldn’t have been out celebrating in such close proximity to each other. However, what I will say in favour of Joe’s supporters was at least the vast majority were wearing masks. I know some trump supporters will be wearing masks too (KKK hoods)
Slow down Sleepy Joe wasting all that energy , and realize that Mainstream Media are not the ones to certify the outcome result call on the Presidential Election..
@Laz Mahon: turns out sleepy Joe isn’t that sleepy. He put stop to Trumpism. these trump supporters couldn’t commit themselves to intelligence so it’s unlikely they’ll stay with trump past the next 12 months ;)
@Al.Dunne: half the American population is below average intelligence so yeah they could account for most of the trump supporters. Add in the bigots, the White supremacists, the anti abortion fanatics and of course the “its fine for everyone to own automatic weapons” loons and you have accounted for pretty much all the trump supporters.
Look up the stats: The higher level of education an American has the less likely they are to support Trump.
It doesn’t take a whole lot of brain power to recognise the rabble rousing nonsense trump spouts for what it is.
@The Guy is Here: I would say in 12 months time after the great so called Reset your attitude will change quite quickly, when your freedom is curtailed even more . This is usually what happens when you support Socialism / Communism. This is the battle between good and evil for the country. No one is asking for people to like Trump but look at the policies and values of both people.
@Laz Mahon: so let me get this straight.
Socialism, the basic tenets of which are everyone in society help each other and all chip in to help the weakest members of society is evil..
while Capitalism,
a system that promotes everyone for themselves, grab as much as you can and to hell with helping others at the expense of the poorest people and the environment, is the system of good??
While neither have panned out very well in practice, I find it hard to follow your good vs evil take on it.
@Laz Mahon: The great reset, that QAnon theory, there are conspiracy theories and some conspiracy theories. This has to be the most ridiculous one ever. Off the wall does not come close, it’s so wild and fanciful that the shocking part is people believe it. You can fool some of the people all of the time, the describes the followers of QAnon.Off the wall does not come close,
Let them march, why are people holding counter protests when Biden clearly won? Let the the Trump klan have their day to embarrass themselves and stay home.
Following the Tax Dodger’s logic the NFL has brought in a new rule to decide the Super Bowl. If the team that loses on the scoreboard has a bigger score than the previous year’s winner, then they are declared champions.
So, the last Super Bowl ended on a score of Kansas City 31 – San Francisco 20. But the year before the Patriots won by scoring just 13 points (to LA Rams 3 points). Under the new Tax Dodger rule San Francisco are declared winners and Kansas City are fined for fraudulently scoring 31 points. Makes perfect sense if you’re a MAGATT.
@D’oh: The US has 5% of the world’s population, but 20% of the Covid deaths, and you can (should) get jailed for killing one person. Seems unlikely that Trump is not responsible for even one of those excess deaths.
@Type17: I suppose that’s a good idea we should hold all world leaders to account for anyone that died from the China virus why single out President Trump after all he did Promise that a vaccine was almost ready but the fake news made a laugh of that and how amazing that the waited a few days for the election to be over before announcing that there was a vaccine I wonder way ?
@Anthony Ross: Jail is what he is trying to avoid by hanging around. He wants a pardon and immunity from prosecution for his money laundering family, plus a whip round to raise a billion to pay off his debts and another billion to live on in some country without an extradition treaty with the US. He will get his way (as with Nixon.) The damage he can do in the next 8 weeks is far greater then the desire most people have for him to face justice. The establishment just want rid of him and to paper over his toxic legacy – as they did with Nixon.
@James greene: People have died all over the world, despite the best efforts of governments and populations, but having four times the world average of deaths must fall into the realms of at least criminal negligence, reckless endangerment, or maybe even manslaughter or possibly even murder. There is clear evidence from public statements/tweets and actions that were carried out by his government, that he has caused a high proportion of these deaths. 9/11 killed around 3k and the US fought wars (in the wrong places) over that – the current death toll in the us is over 83 (yes, Eighty-Three) 9/11′s.
@maxie o connor: what’s even sadder is some snowflakes can’t engage in debate without the constant need to label people to justify there ignorance in certain topics
#justsayin
@Al.Dunne: interesting that a comment complaining about the presence of racists in ireland triggered you. Why so sensitive.
Surely the existence of racism here is something denounce??
@john doe: oh corse it is joe, thanks for stating the obvious! Using it as a way to label people with different opinions is not !
Btw a response to a message is not triggered !
@Al.Dunne: you are defending these people and saying they are not far right https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/proud-boys
If you could explain how it isn’t racist they might explain your twisted logic. You for example say you are not a hypocrite nor a Trump supporter. What you claim about yourself doesn’t actually matter when facts and quotes show it is just another lie.
@Al.Dunne: To quote Popper, “Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”
Simply put, we don’t have to sit by and just let white supremacists spew their hate.
@Craic_a_tower: great source u pulled out there dude, ffs!! Your honestly putting that out there as a creditable source!!
Btw where is all this violence u shouted about last week that was going to pop off??? (Crazy racist running around with guns!)
Put simply for the last time the proud boys is a joke hyped up by hysterical lefty groups because u need any enemy to keep all u lemmings singing off the same Hymn sheet
Look up who set them up & why
Who is there current leader
While it has morphed from what it was set up, it’s still fing joke
Lastly the election is called when it is officially called, that’s not the media job, get over it!
Come on journal , stop copying n pasting AP!
Proud boys r not a far right group, like many turning up r not far right, to label them like this just ridiculous journalism! 71 million voted for him are they all far right or all muppets from lowbrow comments above. Let them have there March, I would be more worried about Antifa turning up also & wrecking the place as is there form , not trump supporters
With hindsight President Trump only has himself to blame, although others may get fired. Just over 4 million votes separate a second term from loosing. voting-eligible population for this election, 239,247,182 (ish). Turnout, 158,831,694 – 165,000,000.
His supporters in majority turned out to vote on voting day but President Trumps failure to win postal votes determined this election.
Time for him and his family to get more creative accounting going. They are famous for it after all. To have the biggest most bigly crown every seen like his inauguration crowd, tiny to Obamas but hey they are good with imaginary numbers
How tragic that a sitting President cannot be presidential and concede defeat. His supporters would rather dismiss his failings and lack of leadership, even in the midst of a pandemic, in order to absolve themselves from any blame of voting for a failure.
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Develop and improve services 93 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 40 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 56 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 29 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 105 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 109 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 79 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 60 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 99 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 82 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
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