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"The Taoiseach is moving far too slowly" - Labour senator hits out at Enda for delay in Seanad nominations

Kevin Humphreys said that the Seanad appointments and ministerial appointments would amount to “jobs for the boys”.

FORMER LABOUR TD Kevin Humphreys has hit out at Enda Kenny for the delays in appointing senators to the new Seanad.

The Seanad elections took place last month and Humphreys was elected along with 48 other new senators.

However, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny has yet to put forward his 11 nominees – and so the business of the new Seanad cannot begin properly.

Speaking at a Labour event today, Humphreys took aim at Kenny for the delay in nominating his senators.

He said that pressure from Independents and others over who to appoint had “unduly delayed” the appointment of Kenny’s senators.

“It’s important at this stage that every house should be now setting down to work,” he said.

The Taoiseach is moving far too slowly, he’s being too indecisive and we need to get on with the work for the people.

When questioned on whether he thought the delays was the opposite of new politics, Humphreys said that the Seanad appointments and ministerial appointments would amount to “jobs for the boys”.

He also hit out at new government ministers.

“I have not time for people at the moment who we are seeing appointed to public office that are so used to being hurlers on the ditch, supporters of everything and opponents of none,” he said.

What we need now is proper policy to bring the country forward and I don’t see that in the appointments that have been made.

Humphreys was elected as a TD in 2011 and served as a minister of State before he lost his seat in this year’s general election.

Read: Power outage: Today was as much about Alan Kelly as it was Brendan Howlin

Read: Ministers who avoid answering questions could find themselves on a naughty list

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31 Comments
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    Mute Jarlath Murphy
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    May 20th 2016, 11:08 PM

    Five years in power, totally emasculated.

    Five weeks in opposition, reborn.

    The New Face of Labour….

    Unfortunately, that’s what I voted for Five years ago.

    All I got was so much rhetoric.

    I will never vote Labour again.

    A good man that lost your way.

    171
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    Mute Diarmuid Lenihan
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    May 20th 2016, 11:15 PM

    People were saying the exact same thing about ff 5 years ago but look at them now. Don’t be surprised to see labour back in 5 years too, the Irish electorate have extremely short memories.

    87
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    Mute Mark Ryan
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    May 21st 2016, 1:02 AM

    He also was part of a government that added an extra Seanad position because they didn’t like how democracy was working… Now he criticises it!! Gas man

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    Mute James Delaney
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    May 21st 2016, 1:31 AM

    @jarlath – Not to worry – The Magnificent 7 will save us !!!

    25
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    Mute James Delaney
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    May 21st 2016, 1:33 AM

    @diarmuid. I don’t think FF have recovered as much as they’d like. They are walkin a tight rope at the moment even in opposition – If they allow 1 more austerity measure go through – they are back to where they started.

    38
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    Mute William Quill
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    May 21st 2016, 7:36 AM

    What extra Seanad position? It’s constitutionally limited to 60.

    8
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    May 20th 2016, 11:20 PM

    Humphreys sounds like another bad looser maybe he should join Kelly in his corner.

    126
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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    May 21st 2016, 12:13 AM

    Yeah, he’s not one of the “boys” anymore… They’re all so see-through.

    69
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    Mute James Delaney
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    May 21st 2016, 1:29 AM

    Maybe he’s not getting paid a Senators Salary yet. Ah yeah … The Labour stampede to the trough.

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    Mute Josephine Sweeney
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    May 21st 2016, 5:18 AM

    Kenny is unbridled now, giving everyone a ministers job and future pension, we will be broke after this

    38
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    Mute William Taylor
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    May 21st 2016, 12:43 PM

    Not costing Kenny a penny, the poor taxpayer is footing the bill as always.

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    Mute Gerry Fallon
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    May 20th 2016, 11:33 PM

    Labour are making more noise now than when they were in power.please just go away for a few years and sort yourselves out.Im sick reading about Labour.

    102
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    Mute Charles Williams
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    May 20th 2016, 11:46 PM

    And he had no issue with Kenny, FG, cutbacks, austerity, bailing out bankers and bondholders for the past 5 years. Was Humphries in a time warp or just on the piss for the past 5 years and is only now sobering up.

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    Mute John O'Leary
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    May 21st 2016, 12:12 AM

    One bell-end hits out at other bell-end for taking to long to carry out insignificant task….

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    Mute Al Ca
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    May 20th 2016, 11:20 PM

    Well Kevin……the delay is caused by Merkel’s handcramp from up Enda’s arse since 2011.

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    Mute pat seery
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    May 21st 2016, 12:53 AM

    He is waiting to see who the Troika will allow him to appoint like Ak47 and Noonan said we have to charge for Water They are all in it for themselves and there friends Wait and see

    37
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    Mute Cal McLaughlin
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    May 20th 2016, 11:23 PM

    As long as that Marie Louis O’Donnell doesn’t get back in I won’t mind.
    Gives me a pain in me whole that woman.

    55
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    Mute Tony Hartigan
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    May 21st 2016, 12:48 AM

    Only a few weeks ago you were licking his ass.

    50
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    Mute @mdmak33
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    May 21st 2016, 12:41 AM

    Labour, the party of insignificance. Trying to con people that they represent workers, the vulnerable in society.if seanad election was open to the people, not one of them would be elected.

    49
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    Mute Christy Nolan
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    May 20th 2016, 11:56 PM

    Too many out of date prawn sandwiches in his cabinet Danny boy

    35
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    Mute None
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    May 21st 2016, 12:24 AM

    What about affordable housing for working people? What about the middle classes?

    33
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    Mute Midir
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    May 21st 2016, 12:44 AM

    What about affordable housing? What about the people?… fixed that for you.

    28
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    Mute patrick gilmartin
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    May 21st 2016, 2:32 AM

    The Hump trying to sound relevant from a totally irrelevant party

    33
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    Mute Pat Gorman
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    May 21st 2016, 6:42 AM

    What exactly has the Seanad ever done?
    Would even ONE person in Ireland miss this talking shop?
    A geriatric home for failed politicians mostly.
    (Even the British House of Lords takes on the House of Commons now and again…not so the Seanad.)

    27
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    Mute debco
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    May 21st 2016, 4:33 AM

    It’s a pity he didn’t “hit out” at him when he was a td

    24
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    Mute Tomás Ó Briain
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    May 21st 2016, 8:25 AM

    Enda Kenny is moving too slowly forward in the opinion of a has-been Labour TD, now a Senator whose party has taken a giant step backwards and which has shafted the only parliamentary party member with bottle! Labour, you are the weakest link, goodbye!

    17
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    Mute Dan O Neill
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    May 20th 2016, 11:28 PM

    I don’t particularly like Enda, but you cannot deny he has done a great job. Look what he had to work with and he worked miracles. Story of the loaves and fish come to mind.
    Give him a break

    17
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    Mute Charles Williams
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    May 20th 2016, 11:48 PM

    The bankers have the loaves and the bondholders got the fishes.

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    Mute Christy Nolan
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    May 20th 2016, 11:51 PM

    Dan,
    A long, long break?

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    Mute Midir
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    May 21st 2016, 12:54 AM

    He has not worked miracles. He has pursued an agenda of privatisation of public resources and ignored the will of the people. Between allowing NAMA to continue to sell off property at discount prices and his refusal to consider any alternatives to Irish Water he has succeeded in further alienation between the Irish Government and the Irish people. He needs to take a step back and remember that it is us he serves and our interests he should be looking out for. Any honourable man would have stepped aside and let someone else take the too spot. Instead he let his own ambitions delay the formation of a government for months. If you really think he has done a great job, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.

    51
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    Mute von
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    May 21st 2016, 6:16 AM

    Dont think the people are in a hurry as it will be all his own conies who will be his yes men when need be.

    14
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