ENDA KENNY divvied out some advice to his successor during his final appearance at Leaders’ Questions today.
With the election of a new Fine Gael leader taking place on Friday, a new Taoiseach should be in place in the second week in June.
When asked what advice he would give to the next leader, Kenny recalled a Latin phrase: ”Illegitimi non carborundum” which translates as “don’t let the bastards get you down” (He also said it in Irish).
Kenny’s last day in the hot seat
TDs were keen to remind Kenny that today was his last day in the hot seat, with Rural Independent TD Noel Grealish channelling Late Late Show interview-style questions, asking the Taoiseach:
“What do you consider your greatest achievements, and also your biggest regrets?”
With the backbenches giggling, the Taoiseach said:
As of regrets, I don’t have any.
He also said he had no regrets in promoting the two Fine Gael leadership candidates, Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney, to ministry positions.
Describing them as “two fine young men”, Kenny clearly hasn’t forgotten the heave of 2010 where both Varakdar and Coveney played a role in the attempt to topple him, a move orchestrated by the now Education Minister Richard Bruton.
However, there were no hard feelings, it seems.
They might not have been supporters of mine when my friend Richard [Bruton] took to the field, but be that as it may, I was happy to appoint them to frontbench positions, to watch them grow as ministers…
Whoever wins the Fine Gael contest, Kenny says they had better have an optimistic and positive outlook.
“There is no point looking like you are being weighed down with the problems of the world… we deal with them head on.”
Whoever the next Taoiseach may be, Kenny said he just wants them to always act in the interests of the people of Ireland.
I am very happy to walk away after 42 years, 13 elections and 15 years as leader of a major party and six as Taoiseach, to be in a position to move on responsibility to a younger generation.
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