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ENDA KENNY HAS said he has no intention of remaining in active politics until the age of 90 like the former taoiseach and president Éamon de Valera.
The Taoiseach was speaking on the day he celebrates exactly 40 years since he was first elected to the Dáil as a TD for Mayo.
The Fine Gael leader will be seeking re-election next year but said today he does not intend breaking any records.
The longest-serving TD in the history of the State is former Fianna Fáil minister Paddy Smyth. He had served for 53 years and 11 months by the time he retired at the 1977 general election.
But speaking in Dublin today Kenny said he would not go that far, telling reporters:
I have no intention of trying to emulate the achievement of the late Paddy Smyth, who served for 54 years, or indeed retire from active politics, as Eamon de Valera did, at the age of 90.
Kenny joked that he had been reminded earlier that he was elected one month before “that wonderful man” small business minister Ged Nash was born.
This later prompted Tánaiste Joan Burton to joke that Nash would be 80 by the time he reached 40 years in the Dáil.
http://vine.co/v/el3tEd7ubxU
The trio were speaking at the launch of the government’s Enterprise 2025 strategy which aims to create an additional 221,300 jobs and put 2.18 million at work over the next five years.
This would bring the total number of people at work to its highest in the history of the State. The launch took place at the Dopatch Labs, a tech space for Enterprise Ireland-backed companies, in the CHQ Building in Dublin’s IFSC.
Of his four decades in Leinster House, Kenny said: “Four decades is, in these terms I suppose, a very long time.
“It’s a privilege, obviously, and an honour, but I give my credit to the people for having put their trust in me as one public representative over all those years.
It’s been a wonderful journey, to see the changes, the good times and the not-so-good times, to have the levers of responsibility now. Together with the Labour party in government what we want to do is secure that recovery, lock it in for the next generation.
The Fine Gael deputy said he did not know what the future holds but stated that it is his intention to go to the country “early in the spring” and return to government with Labour.
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Great we can burn them instead of coal!!!
@Diarmuid O Brien:
U can but you’ll have to pay VAT on the matches to light them.
@Paul O Connor: the other alternative is use the newspapers to wipe your derrière
Finally something positive for the people in the budget. Can’t remember last time I bought a paper.
I suppose they have to make sure their spin doctors dinosaur media companies don’t die off.
@Jason Walsh: Guess you never came across spin and misinformation on the internet or social media.
How about getting rid of 13% vat on kerosene ,doing something useful for a change ????
Only 5% in north
An answer to a question nobody asked.. political/media bubble to be strengthened.
Who needs to buy a newspaper when you have the Journal :)
@Míleata Watch Co: Well it might now finally be printed including the comments.
The abolition of vat on insulation products might be more useful, beneficial to everyone and address the current problems around fuel costs and energy usage.
But hey, yay for fecking newpapers, the real question is, could Irelands government be any more detached from reality or their responsibilities?
Steam engine manufacturers are aggrieved!
The Sunday Times costs €4
Minus vat €3.64
It was cheaper a few months ago
@Kevin Carroll: Yea but the Irish times is expensive.
Most people now of day have newpapers on their fone
@David Corcoran: What papers do you have?
@David Corcoran: And that’s why they’re semi-literate
And the could also cut the VAT on dog nuts whilst their at it. No VAT on them. In the North
Positive move for the Journalists in employment with the Newspapers
These news outlets have been beneficiaries of incredible amounts of government (people’s) money during covid while readership numbers over the last decade plummeted. That money allowed failed business models to miraculously turn a tidy profit while basically acting as non critical mouthpieces of government. Now These repeaters of government propaganda are in for another tidy sum while periodicals like Village and Phoenix magazine, who have been critical of government policy, will not benefit from this generosity. I guess they always look after there friends so nobody should be surprised
Local newspapers are judged to be more important than national ones. If their journalists are independent, then they are great at exposing corruption at a local level.
@François Pignon: all local papers are owned by the National Newspaper groups
Haven’t bought one in years and don’t intend to ever again.
And is anyone under the illusion that any tax abolished will benefit the customer? Haha! In the board rooms they are salivating.
Sunday Business Post almost 4 Eur. It’s their own fault/greed people are not buying, shovelling their own grave.
As I read theJournal ie
Good news at last.
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