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A LINE SAYING this will be Enda Kenny’s last St Patrick’s Day as Taoiseach was removed from a speech Kenny is set to deliver tonight.
When asked about the speech in Washington DC earlier, Kenny played down the issue, telling reporters: “The speech that you got is not the speech that I’m delivering tonight.
“I’ve already explained to my own parliamentary party my intention and how I intend to go about that.”
There's some confusion over a line in Enda's speech tonight - the line saying it's his last St Patrick's Day as Taoiseach was removed 🤔 pic.twitter.com/VZfwP1ZJFX
Kenny has previously said he will notify Fine Gael of his timeline for stepping down as leader of the party when he returns home from his St Patrick’s week trip to the US.
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LGBT rights
Kenny was also asked if he would raise LGBT rights issues with Vice President Mike Pence, who does not support marriage equality and previously called being gay a choice.
“I haven’t met Vice President Pence before but it’s the first time that we’ve ever had two vice presidents of Irish-American connection following each other in the White House.
“I know that the Vice President’s people come from both Sligo and County Clare and clearly immigration and the question of both comprehensive immigration, and also separate from that, the opportunity to have a bilateral arrangement in respect of E3 visas as piloted by Senator [Chuck] Schumer will certainly be of interest to me.”
Kenny at the American Institute for Peace in Washington DC today Niall Carson PA Wire / PA Images
Niall Carson PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images
The Taoiseach said he would bring up the positive aspects of the same-sex marriage referendum passing in Ireland if the opportunity arose.
If I have the opportunity in talking to the Vice President I would be happy to say to him that the experience in Ireland was one of massive relief and release for people who were able to remove themselves from the limbo in which they’d lived for years.
“The following through by the government of the recommendation from the citizens’ convention was an expression of joy and enthusiasm and exuberance and that fact that, where politics really mattered, 80,000 young people came back to cast their vote in that and it was an extraordinary circumstance where that unbridled joy was evident in our people, so I would give him the Irish experience in that regard,” Kenny said.
The Taoiseach was also asked about MEP and former Ukip leader Nigel Farage earlier telling RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke Kenny should apologise for previously saying comments made by Trump were “racist and dangerous”.
Kenny told reporters he didn’t call Trump a racist, and said he doesn’t have to “answer to” Farage.
TheJournal.ie’s political reporter Christina Finn will be bringing you all the latest updates from Enda Kenny’s visit to Washington this week, including his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday.
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Any one notice the way the journal has changed, it was grate for getting a felling of what the rest of Ireland was thinking. Not any more they seem to want to control us now and take away our options, well for me it’s the end of the line I won’t be reading or using it anymore ..red thumb from me.
Actually two lines where removed from his speech. The second read in response to the new journal update: Taoiseach Enda Kenny said ”The Journal acted entirely Inappropriately ” with regard to the removal of the red thumb option.
Fight the red thumb purge. Needs an alliance of former sworn enemies on here – brexit and trump are mere sideshows compared to this travesty #solidarity #fakethumbs
I suggest we stage a dirty protest in the city centre until the Journal red thumb button is brought back. C’mon people let’s make it happen, dirty bums for red thumbs.
Journal will be deleted in 5 mins. Ya cant even access rugby news anymore from the sections bar without having to download the 42 app. No red thumbs, only a green thumb. FFS. Goodbye, not missed.
Enda made no tough choices,he could have eased up on the poor,the low paid,and take more from those who could afford a decrease in salary but still live a luxurious life but he battered the poor into poverty.
@@mdmak33: kenny is more German than Irish,his treatment of his own people over the German financial surrender was nothing short of traitorous.Hospitals,transport, and justice etc have been decimated under his Walter Mitty leadership.
Enda Kenny arriving to the Whitehouse is the equivalent of Father Stone heading to Craggy Island for his summer hols.. You can just imagine Trump wanting to talk about Women and American Football and Kenny sitting there with nothing to say..
People can say all they want about enda but I think hes ultimately a decent guy. When you consider the fck up of a country ireland was in 2009 and where we are now (Economy improving, gay marriage is legal, people actually respect our country again) he has done a good job. If it werent for those tough choices we could still be like greece right now. Years from now he will appreciated as a good leader
@danielplainview: i agree with you on that. best leader in years and a role model for other eu leaders. yes there have feck ups in the past but enda kenny has got this country running again.
How sad that bitterness seems to be a badge of honour for some. I think Ireland is a great place and getting better all the time. If more people spent their energy for positive betterment than negative belittlement then it would be even better again!
Bet the sneaky hure is sweating with the thoughts of meeting Trump,the Soldiers from his Atm story will be there just in case a plant pot goes for him.
Or upgrade and join us? (I actually still have the red option but who cares if it is used or not… there was always a predictable pattern anyway given the outraged thought police on here when presented with an alternative opinion to their own solely correct one)
LOL! I’d say leo loved finding that out. If anyone in FF had the sense they were born with they’d pull the plug over the water charges and go to the people, before FG have a chance to choose a new leader and do a PR blitz.
Sure why should he resign? Didn’t they all say what a wonderful Taoiseach he is, and how fortunate we are to have the benefit of his International experience? Leo and Simon aren’t ready ready to lead just yet! They can’t even handle asking him to stand down, how could they handle Merkle or Maye?
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