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TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY caused a bit of bafflement this evening with his sudden reappearance on Twitter (after a three year absence) at 8pm on a Sunday night.
We can reveal that his return to Twitter isn’t about wanting to live-tweet Love/Hate, but to draw people’s attention to #littlethings, a mental health initiative:
A spokesperson for the Taoiseach told us:
We’ve been looking at this for some time now, the issue is something that’s close to the Taoiseach’s heart. This was seen as an appropriate way to enter Twitter.
The account is a joint venture between Fine Gael and Government spokespeople, and will be managed by his staff. But we’re assured that the tweets will all be the Taoiseach’s words.
His previous tweet (which now appears to have been deleted) was about his weekly message, and was posted on 8 July 2011. And before that he even took to Twitter to chat about televised debates and reply to some tweets.
But once Kenny was elected Taoiseach, his tweeting stopped.
TheJournal.ie had already attempted to get to the bottom of the situation last month, and learned that the inactivity was “down to a disagreement between government officials and the Fine Gael party over how the account should be used”.
As we explained at the time:
The Government Press Office, and its official news service MerrionStreet.ie, cannot takeover use of Kenny’s Twitter account as it’s an account in his name and not that of the office of the Taoiseach. But officials close to Kenny have vetoed the account being used at all.
Now it seems they have come to a little agreement.
- Additional reporting Hugh O’Connell
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Looking forward to seeing the far right, she who sues, candidate getting the thrashing she deserves
@DJ François: She hung in despite the imitation and constant harassment — even the organised pile-on by the tax-payer funded politically correct censors disguised as non-government organisations did not put a halt to her gallop.
@Mary’s Abbey: ***canned laughter***
@DJ François: You’d hope she’d get the message that she is hated but she’ll never stop trying to get on that gravy train.
@Mary’s Abbey: hehehehehhe
@Mary’s Abbey: so r u saying her constantly intimidating and harassing people didn’t help her Mary ?
@richard fennessy: Definitely, her going into shops and harassing the staff and filming it doesn’t seem to help. @Mary’s Abbey, that “candidate” is a pathetic example of an Irish person.
@DJ François: Over one thousand Irish Patriots think you are talking through your bonnet!
@Mary’s Abbey: never heard a real patriot referring to themselves as a patriot.
@DJ François: Lost deposit and made a show of herself at the count-what a loser, and a green probably going to win, bloody hilarious. I’m waiting for her latest Facebook meltdown, blaming everything but her nonsense policies for her loss
@DJ François: These “patriots” aren’t fit to lick the boots of my grandfather, QM for D company, 4th Batt. 1916.
He hated racists.
@Mary’s Abbey: over 24 thousand others thought otherwise
@DJ François: she’s already started. A van with an out of date tax cert is to blame.
Its not looking good for the old doctor who owns most of North County Dublin.
So FF to get 2 seats. The message is, it doesn’t matter how criminally corrupt or incompetent you are, keep your head down for a while they’ll soon forget.
@JustJack: I have noted the Fianna Fail supporting constituencies and making a mental note to check my change twice when I am passing through them. They are still Ireland’s wrecking ball.
@JustJack: and even so people still vote FF/FG/LAB. I guess you could be right.
@JustJack: move on man
They’ll have the seats for 6 months max before next year’s GE. Almost seems like a waste of money running these bye elections.
@Pete Gilmartin: it’s easier to stay elected than get elected.
If we vote for FFFG we deserve everything we get.
@Shazam37: you’re so right. I’m getting seriously frustrated with the people in this country who either don’t get out to vote (unless legitimate reasons) and/or vote FFG, Lab, Greens. The same people will wail about the state of the country but will STILL vote these parties in! The country is getting worse, not better guys!!!!
@Everyone’sgonecrazy: well the country has been driven by FFFG – I know Lab Green have been in office recently enough to have helped destroy the country but they’ve never led a government. i won’t vote Lab (I’m against trade unions) but I’ll give greens a preference after SD, independent maybe SF depending on the candidate. But I won’t vote for the leading three under any circumstances
@Shazam37: Yes, FFG are the main culprits of misery. While I sometimes admire the idealistic views of the greens, they aren’t realistic for a lot of people in Ireland. Environmental taxes etc are great in theory but doesn’t prevent me from needing a lot of petrol per week to drive into work. I grew up in a city but house prices were crazy and unattainable so I moved to rural Ireland. I have no choice but to drive. I work hard, pay my taxes, have a mortgage, myself and people like me shouldn’t be punished with the taxes the Greens advocate for
@Everyone’sgonecrazy: it’s just me feminism. You shouldn’t be punished? Equally children shouldn’t be punished by inheriting a world we’ve basically destroyed because you need to drive a car.
The greens policies are realistic – you just don’t want them.
Policies like that change behaviour. You’d have to move. Or change jobs. Or find all ger stove means of transport . Which is the point. Everyone who uses an environmentally damaging vehicle gets punished it for it.
@Shazam37: I get what you’re saying and I agree to a point, but what did their policies on diesel vs petrol cars actually achieve for example except for making things harder for some people? Has it contributed positively and significantly to climate change? I don’t believe so. It’s easy to say I’d have to move or change jobs but seriously, everyone can’t live close to their jobs/cities, rural Ireland, in many cases, doesn’t have anywhere close to a regular and fit-for-purpose public transport system.
@Shazam37: and I’m not saying nothing should be done, I want to leave my future children a better world, but come on, we’re an insignificant blip on world carbon emissions, I’d respect and buy into green-type policies a lot more if the politicians/the world stood up to the main culprits of pollution. Our crowd won’t and I don’t see the Greens doing it either if they got into power.
Looks like the Shinner is doing well in Dublin Mid-West.
God help us all.
@Chin Feeyin: No surprise. You see SF Councillors between elections actively helping the community, while you only really see the FFG Councillors at photo ops.
@Chin Feeyin: pffft. Maybe people with more sympathy toward the less well off.
God help you you mean.
@Chin Feeyin: yep it’s what u get for actively helping people and not just popping up at election time
@Chin Feeyin: I just want to ask you some questions and Ihope you are no offended in any way. Do you ever feel violated after listening to your parties lies and nonsense? Do you really believe everything they tell you about how great they are?
@The Risen: nonsense. While i would never vote FG I know emir Higgins has dine more work for that community in the last ten years than the likes of Mark ward or SF will ever do. If he does top the vote which I expect him to the community will suffer as a result. A populist vote and certainly not a that will serve the people.
@The Risen: “FFG”?
Are you Willy McBride? Thought so.
@ChuckE: Which “community”? This is an election to the Dail. His responsibility is to the nation after that. Not his constituency.
@David Corrigan: I have never expressed support for any political party on here. Never. Not once.
@Shazam37: God help me is right. If SF ever get into government (they won’t) I’ll be paying a lot more tax, and I pay enough right now thank you very much.
@Chin Feeyin: yes – so it’s all about you. Homelessness health – you don’t care about any of that so long as you’re alright.
Which is what makes you such a distasteful character.
@Shazam37: Now, now. Your Great Leader told you not to be hurling abuse at people on the Internet.
@Chin Feeyin: where’s your pon pons today
@Chin Feeyin: answer the question
@Chin Feeyin: ?? Who’s my great leader? I don’t support a particular party. I am
ardently against FFFGLab
@Shazam37: Fair enough. I thought you were a Shinnerbot – there’s a lot of them on here.
@Chin Feeyin: pffft. Yea you thought that because you’re so ensconced in you own agenda. Your own self interest.
I actually think of people other than myself. That kid eating dinner off cardboard for example.
@The Risen: only if their on welfare ! We want everything and someone else to pay for it
@Alan: no just those things which are fundamental to human survival. Shelter healthcare. Water.
@ChuckE: I’d never vote FG but…..Eoin O Broin has been an excellent rep for that area and his input on solving the housing crisis has been second to none.
The only parties to call to our home over the past couple of weeks were SF, PBP and SF again. Not a peek from the others. Seems to have paid off for Mark Ward
@Paul Dooley: obviously very selective with the areas they canvas. One party knocked on my door and that was FF. No other candidates came the the area
Never mind Doherty, the truly embarrassing point is that Clifford Lee still managed to get 17% of the vote..What a joke
@Velez26: people never learn.
At least, and not in my lifetime, trends show that FFFG will be dead eventually
Live blog, an hour late
Despite all the vitriol, intimidation, harassment and the well-funded non-governmental organisations campaigning solely against Gemma, over one thousand Irish Patriots voted for freedom. From this small seed, a mighty Oak will grow.
@Mary’s Abbey: are these seeds from the local Head Shop?
@Mary’s Abbey: hahahahahaha
@Mary’s Abbey: lost deposit, meltdown at count. The Gemmaroids spinning desperately at the failure of her policies.
partiots my hole.
No-one in my household even got a polling card. Not exactly promoting turnout is it?
@John Considine: polling card not necessary to vote.
@John Considine: Same here. The three of us went up and voted anyway but didnt even realise it was the date of the election until 7.30pm when I spotted a tweet about it. That’s never happened before.
@John Considine: Of course not and I went up and voted anyway. But polling cards are a good way to remind people there is an election upcoming and where and when specifically they should vote.
@Sandra Duffy: you didn’t realise it was the day of the election?
You should have your right to vote taken from you.
@Chin Feeyin: good aul fg attitude there, only certain people who we deem fit should be allowed vote
@Thomas Maher: not a FG supporter.
@Chin Feeyin: uh uh. Well you’ve been bashing the left so who does that leave you?
@Chin Feeyin: there was a big problem with the printing machine
@Shazam37: it just leaves me as an opponent of the Marxists and Trotskyites. Nothing more.
@Chin Feeyin: but as I said / that’s just silly childish sloganism. That might describe the PBP but not Sinn Fein labour or Soc dems who are centre left and socially democratic mostly.
FF are campaigning left of centre which means your a blue shirt.
Me Myself I. The politics of selfishness
@Shazam37: Sinn Fein are Marxists.
@Shazam37: FF left of centre? First I heard of it!
@Chin Feeyin: they’ve always campaigned to the left and more recently governed to the right. It was them after all that built all the social housing of the past and paid the unions through the nose. Ask them they won’t claim to be a party of the right.
As for SF being Marxist. You’re wise of the mark there. Their policies aren’t looney left – it’s just easy and lazy to tar them with that brush because you don’t like their policies. Which is obvious from your name.
Don’t know why you don’t just nail your colours to the mast. It’s make everyone’s life easier. You’re into the politics of self service. You first. Hang everyone else. It’s a legitimate (though deeply distasteful) position to hold.
The only reason you don’t admit it is because you’re worried what other people think of you. Sad really.
Is Charlie Keddy in Cork North Central and Dublin Mid-West the same person?
@Marc Esteve: Yes and he is running in Wexford. He is from Wicklow.
@Marc Esteve: He ran in Wexford too. Same person.
@Darren Doyle McCormack: and Dublin Fingal.
@Darren Doyle McCormack: and he ran in Dublin Fingal.
@Darren Doyle McCormack: he ran everywhere, must have been in training for next year’s marathon
Time to get Fianna Fail back into government next May & start all the hand outs all over again. 100% mortgages massive dole hikes. Building housing estates in swamps.
How people in Fingal, the commuter belt and farming voted Green is beyond me
FF Broke this country and ye muppets vote them back i n
@Ciaran Goggins: you’re a muppet
The results show Verona Murphy running for FF. ?
However no problem with trial by Leo
Fianna Fáil are easily the best party ever in the world by a mile and a half
same shite different election.we deserve what we get.
Karma bites the ass, come on the Greens. Way to go.
The boom is back, great day for Fianna Fáil. Hail the party, hail the man
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