WHILE LEINSTER HOUSE is a place for serious people doing serious work there’s a fair amount of absolutely daft stuff that happens every year.
Despite our elected representatives fancying themselves as serious legislators they are often found engaging in the hilarious, the bizarre, the obscene and the downright outrageous.
So here’s are our not-so-serious political awards for 2015…
The ‘Excellence in the Understanding of The Internet’ Award
Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin takes this gong after she called for the installation of a ‘Skype facility’ in Leinster House following controversy over €2,000 worth of calls she made to Kenya from her office phone.
Luckily we discovered that such a facility already exists.
Mispronunciation of the Year Award
Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames storms into first place here for her mangling of WiFi:
Honourable mention to Mattie McGrath who called for the regulation of ‘the twatters’. We think he meant ‘tweeters’.
Smackdown of the Year
Brendan Howlin almost had it with his “who speaks of Syriza now?” dig at Paul Murphy:
Only for Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher’s excellent retort seconds later: “Who speaks of Eamon Gilmore now?”
Revelation of the Year
Gerry Adams telling the world that he trampolines naked with his dog.
The ‘I’m Mad as Hell, and I Want Everyone to See My Big Mad Face’ Award
Eamon Ryan could barely stomach the mention of Environment Minister Alan Kelly and his record on climate change.
Cop-out of the Year Award
Enda Kenny claiming that a Jaffa Cake is both a cake and a biscuit.
And he seriously thinks he can be re-elected with this sort of fence-sitting?
The ‘Totally and Completely Mortified’ Award
Another gong for Enda Kenny who got badly burned while trying to extend a hand to Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
That’s right Enda, just stare at your immaculate fingernails.
Mortified.
The ‘Must do Better at Social Media’ Award
Labour and its ‘ill-advised’ #talktoJoan campaign on Twitter.
Joe Higgins was one of many to use the opportunity to have a pop at the the Tánaiste.
The ‘Should Really Check These Things Out’ Award
Catherine Noone reading a speech in the Seanad that was pretty much an article by Charlie Weston in the previous day’s Irish Independent.
Whoops.
The ‘Macarena’ Award
It could only be Monaghan councillor Hugh McElvaney:
The ‘Michael Ring Shouting and Roaring’ Award
“YOU YOU YOU! THE CHEEK OF YOU TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH!”
The ‘Peter Mathews Taking a Walk’ Award
The independent TD excelled himself when it came to being thrown out of the Dáil this year.
We counted at least three occasions when he took a walk, until eventually he was just ignored.
The ‘Dogged Determination to Run for Re-election’ Award
Kudos to John Perry for bringing his own party to the High Court in a bid to force his way onto the Sligo-Leitrim general election ticket.
“I would like to thank God for this day. This day is a day for justice,” said the delighted Fine Gael TD after his legal case was settled.
Perry Christmas everyone!
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say