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http://vine.co/v/iMMYZh9A9bY
IT WAS HARD to escape the smell of election in the air around Leinster House today.
The Houses of the Oireachtas were relatively quiet, with most politicians busy knocking on doors in their constituencies but not Enda Kenny, who usually spends his Mondays in his native Mayo.
The Taoiseach was instead making a rare appearance outside the Merrion Street gates of Leinster House to launch Fine Gael’s digital advertising campaign for the election.
This is the election which no one yet definitively knows the date of but, Enda informed us, “obviously, everybody knows the general election is on the way”.
Would he not just put us out of our misery and tell us then? No, but he does have a date. It’s in his head and it’s staying there for the time being. At a later press conference, Kenny informed us he has lots of things in his head.
That’s a relief.
The purpose of this digital advertising campaign, which Enda told us will be all across “the online digital media”, is to assure us that our ‘hard work is working’ and that we should ‘keep the recovery going’.
These are the phrases that have resonated with the focus groups and which Fine Gael has decided will be its core campaign messages. But it wasn’t long before the photoshops were being put out by a mischievous opposition:
Enda had plenty more to say but at this stage we’re already tiring of the stump speech that we’ll be hearing for at least another seven weeks.
It is effectively this: ‘the country was banjaxed, we fixed it, you’re feeling it/you’re not feeling it but you will, we’ll cut your taxes loads BUT you’ll risk it all by giving it back to the crowd that wrecked it (Fianna Fáil) or the crowd that could wreck it (Sinn Féin)’.
Everything coming out of the mouths of Fine Gael and Labour candidates over the next few weeks will be along those lines.
This was the first of what will be many Fine Gael, as distinct from government, press conferences that the Taoiseach will be attending in the weeks ahead. Journalists were even being encouraged to ask political questions rather than policy-based queries.
In fairness, this was one of two public appearances Kenny was making today, the other being the launch of the coalition’s final annual report on the programme for government alongside Tánaiste Joan Burton.
Two press conferences in one day with questions allowed at both is almost unprecedented for Kenny during the past five years. You’d never guess there’s an election on the way.
At the second event, the government handlers decided to keep the journalists sharp by holding the press conference in the courtyard where temperatures were in the low-single figures.
The government unsurprisingly thinks it’s done a great job, achieving a 93% success rate over the last five years.
Even the low points weren’t that low in the grand scheme of things as Joan revealed the only time things weren’t great between herself and Enda was when Dublin were beating Mayo in the football.
“We’re still friends,” Kenny said while noticeably looking away from Joan as she playfully teased him.
Such warm relations surely cannot last the duration of the election campaign as Fine Gael and Labour will look to distinguish themselves from each other in voters’ minds.
As for the other parties, Fianna Fáil will outline its plans for taxes and the economy tomorrow ahead of it’s weekend Ard Fheis.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin is dismissing unfounded speculation that Gerry Adams will be replaced as leader and is launching constituency campaigns all across the country this week.
It might not be official, but the election has already started. All we need now is that date out of Enda’s head.
Personally I have a Z3 and find the screen well big enough, any bigger would for me just be a pain to carry around, but it’s personal choice really,
MH, your last point was very helpful….
Will thanks for the compliment, happy it was useful to you as I can see you needed it based on your comment
I have a note 4 and it is a great phone. Size isn’t a problem… in fact I look at the iPhone 5 or regular 6 and they look way too small now.
My point is you get accustomed very very quickly to the larger screen size.
I have never used pure android but find the Samsung stuff really good so far.
I’ve a one plus one it’s the best phone out there
Completely agree. At half the price of the above phone, don’t understand how ppl can justify it. Really hope the OnePlus drives down the cost of the rest of the phone.
The current 6 is poor. Loose screen and shadow on the screen.
Too big a screen.. Unnecessary imo
I use an LG G2 32GB, paid €260 online. Superb phone, decent screen, great camera, awesome battery life…voted best smartphone of 2013. Can’t recommend highly enough :)
http://mobile.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone/3471896/lg-g2-review/
It’s 2015.
It is not the size what matters, it is what you do with it.
Rubbish phones the nexus,only hipsters or developers have any use for them
Clearly you never used one. I had the S4 Google Play Edition and it was amazingly smooth, fast and simple. The big bonus for me was that it was free of Samsung ‘s bloated software. While it was simple (but still customisable but not to the extent of samsung), the software was so good that I didn’t feel the need to change every nook and cranny.
I happened to break that one so I bought an S4 again(2 months ago!!) and rooted it with the software. It’s even better when rooted. And it’s just as fast as the new phones now. Not bad for a 2yr old phone.
My original nexus 5′s battery died while still within warranty and Google were very quick to send a replacement to me so kudos to them and that’s another good reason to purchase a handset from the play store. It’s still a very zippy phone after the lollipop update and I have to admit I’m delighted with it. Being free of carrier and manufacturer bloatware is a bonus, although Google have gone to town with their own car seat of apps, which, incidentally, you are unable to uninstall. The 6 is a bit too phablet for me personally. My best mate has the oneplus one and although it is very cool, it’s just too bloody big!!!
one plus one is indeed a smashing phone especially after the Lollipop update.
I could get the G3 (2015) and spend an extra 400 euro for essentially the same phone (give or take a few tweaks) but that woyld be pretty brain dead.
None of the networks are carrying it.
I’d switch to bill pay in a heartbeat if they have this phone :(
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