Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
BY NOW, ENDA Kenny is used to receiving questions on when he will step down as Taoiseach, from both journalists and politicians.
But he was surprised to get one during an official visit to Canada yesterday – telling an Irish journalist “I can’t believe that you travelled this distance to ask a question like that”.
Although he’s mentioned it a number of times that he will leave, the Taoiseach has avoided answering when he’ll go, or even when he will announce his departure date.
Kenny said he’d step aside after the garda whistleblower controversy earlier this year, but has said he’d stay on to see through talks in the North and the start of Brexit negotiations (which have been delayed because of the election in the UK).
Kenny missed the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting this week because of his trip to Montréal to meet with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, where he was expected to be asked about his departure.
When asked by the Irish Examiner’s Daniel McConnell when he would be stepping down as Taoiseach, Enda Kenny seemed to get annoyed.
I can’t believe actually that you have travelled this distance to ask a question like that.
“I have come here to meet with the Canadian prime minister and Canadian business to explore the opportunities that exist across the Atlantic for the creation of jobs and investment and to the benefit of Canadians and Irish people.
“That is my business here. Next question.”
When McConnell explained that the question was being asked on behalf of all Irish media, Kenny replied: “I just said to you I can’t believe you have travelled this distance to ask a question like that.”
Later, a spokesman for Kenny told the Examiner that the Taoiseach had not been angry or had lashed out.
Meanwhile, Trudeau’s footwear was drawing attention online.
The young leader wore mismatched Star Wars socks to his meeting with Enda to mark May the Fourth, (a play on words for the Star Wars mantra, May the Force be With You).
He even tweeted out a picture of his R2D2 and C3PO socks.
Who’s up next?
Back home, members of the Independent Alliance have said they have no preference as to who the next Taoiseach should be as long as they honour the programme for government.
Marking their first year in government at a press conference yesterday in Government Buildings, the group unanimously said they could work with either Leo Varadkar or Simon Coveney – the two front runners in the Fine Gael leadership race.
“I have a great relationship with both men and I wish them well,” said Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, the soon to be the Minister for State at the OPW.
Junior Minister for Skills John Halligan and Junior Minister for Disabilities Finian McGrath said they had an excellent relationship with both men.
Leo or Simon?
Transport Minister Shane Ross said who the next leader of Fine Gael will be is a matter for the party, but did say any changeover would be an opportune time to talk about new ideas.
“We have no intention of going out and aggressively demanding all sorts of new things. It will be an opportunity to refresh and to implement new ideas.”
While he did not specify what new ideas the Independent Alliance have in mind, it’s understood the group will ask for a few extra items for their group when a new Taoiseach is voted in. However, a total overhaul of the government programme is not on the cards.
“It is certainly not to us who is the next leader,” said Transport Minster Shane Ross, who added that they have no intention of making “aggressive” demands.
He said the Independent Alliance are more concerned with implementing what is already in the programme for government, before adding to it.
Reshuffle
It’s believed that whoever becomes the next Taoiseach may want to make a few changes in Cabinet.
Speaking to the media yesterday, the members of the Independent Alliance said they are all very happy with their portfolios and don’t expect to be moved from them.
“I am really delighted where I am – I definitely need three years to get some of the things done,” said McGrath.
All the members of the group, excluding John Halligan, said they will be running in the next general election, if and when that is.
“I’m not too sure to be honest, I’ll have to have a think about that,” said Halligan.
With reporting from Gráinne Ní Aodha
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Is this a sponsored article?
@Gary Tuohy: It says it’s supported by Schweppes.
A beverage brand that is sold around the world. It includes a variety of lemonade, carbonated waters and ginger ales.
I personally recommend this beverage. ‘Schweppes’, probably the best beverage in the world.
@Gary Tuohy: Hey man. Not sure! Nice to be asked for the interview though. Cheers for giving it some of your eye time ☺️
Musicians once sang for enjoyment. Then they sang for payment. Then they teamed with the music replicators and distributors who could take sell one performance thousands of times which made many people embarrassingly rich and gave others a living.
They could charge well because the general public had no other way to hear a pristine performance than to pay the “industry”
Then came cheap non-decaying digital replication and the internet ( paid for by the end user through hardware purchase and broadband subscription btw) which enabled them to share and replicate a performance themselves.
It’s not the making of the music that made musicians rich – it was a monopoly of the replication and distribution channels
That game is now up. Time to go back to performing for payment – or enjoyment..
@Nydon: Hey. Agree in that it’s always been about the enjoyment of making music together for us and a big thing for us was to not feel any creative pressure making music for money to survive …thankfully too as we are in the era of free streaming illegal downloads etc. We never wanted that feeling or pressure. That’s why we both still have job jobs. Anything else we make from music music is extra extra ✌️Makes this whole new process of getting our music out there even more enjoyable, no pressure regardless …and it’s been a success so far comparatively ….and look we’re in the journal! Yay! Now to sleep soon…we both have to work tomorrow! Good night ! N & P
@Deadbots:
I hope you can and will make enough out of performing live to have a good life and income. But I’m afraid recording and mass distribution may in future be only a way to advertise what you can do live.
If you can get your biggest fans to become patrons and subsidise some of that advertising cost by paying for downloads then all the better – but I think it’s back to the days of the wandering minstrels singing for their supper :-(
@Nydon: I’m afraid you’re take on the history of musicians/composers and the music industry is overly simplistic and rather disrespectful. The major ground shift that changed the industry for the worse was that people saw the internet technology as a way of sharing and getting music for free and the recording companies didn’t know how to cope with that level of copyright theft. Their way out was to allow Spotify access to their artists at relatively low cost by reducing the artists share to virtually nothing. I’m not sure what you do for a living but if your job was suddenly dropped to a fraction of minimum wage but you were expected to continue to work the same amount because “you enjoy doing it, don’t you”, maybe then you would understand of the damage Spotify and such services do.
@Nydon: Or they can write a mega hit tune or tour relentlessly for 40 hrs a week and sell merch etc
I hear Brewing Up A Storm often on the radio. Should there not be an income stream from IMRO seeing how they charge every little corner shop that has a radio on?
@Squiddley Diddley: Sorry just realised that song was mentioned as an example.
how much did they get for radio play?
@steve white: Hear ya. We don’t plan on income from radio play. Or even sales really. It’s all in the syncing these days. That’s why we want to own our tracks 100% and have our own cyber house for them. Night :)
Crap Bands don’t make any money shocker
@Stevie Doran: Yo! The song we got a payment check for 10 cents for was the same song being given away on so many free download sites the labels profits were being affected. But even still free downloads help get ur music heard n out there. Months later that song was used for a tv show, video game and Milan fashion week. #payday but we didn’t get all the pay cause we gave away too much of our publishing rights.
Now we own all our own music.
Most money to be made these days for bands at our level is in syncing & we’ve already synced 3 songs off the upcoming album it’s not even out yet, and yeppers, that money went straight to us.
You don’t have to like our music. Not everyone will. But want to push message for others to maintain their ownership cause when syncs come calling, hello
Still getting 97p is actually good money for work done 30 years ago.
Joking aside it’s never been better for up and coming musicians. A decade ago some guy in a suit decided whether or not you’d have a career and more often than not went with the safe bet and offered washed up “superstars” millions rather than spreading it around to new talent. Some musicians lament the fact that if it had been ten years earlier they’d have made a fortune but they’re ignoring the fact that they might not have even been heard.
have your say