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Enda Kenny speaking at a referendum campaign event this month Photocall Ireland

Enda Kenny welcomes 'growth summit' of EU leaders ahead of referendum

The Taoiseach said he shared the stance of other leaders calling for growth policies alongside the Fiscal Treaty.

TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has said he welcomes the planned informal ‘growth summit’ of EU leaders ahead of Ireland’s referendum on the Fiscal Treaty.

The meeting arranged by European Council president Herman van Rompuy will take place on May 23, eight days before the referendum vote.

Discussions are expected to focus on identifying growth policies for the EU as a whole. Several leaders have urged more emphasis on growth, with French president-elect Francois Hollande calling for the Fiscal Treaty itself to be renegotiated in that direction.

Enda Kenny said he had “consistently argued that Europe needs to develop a growth and jobs strategy” alongside austerity measures. He added:

I welcome all statements by other leaders who support Ireland’s view that a growth strategy is an essential ingredient for European economic recovery [as well as] the fact that an informal meeting of the heads of government will take place next week, the main purpose of which will be to intensify our efforts in this area.

Kenny was speaking at a meeting of the British-Irish parliamentary council today. He said that Britain and Ireland had many shared ambitions and called for examination of more co-operation between agencies and businesses either side of the Irish Sea.

The partnering of British and Irish construction firms on the Olympic development in London could be a model for the future, he said, adding: “We will look at ways of replicating that approach across the financial, construction and other professional services sectors.”

Read: Independent TDs and MEP to call for referendum to be delayed>

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38 Comments
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    Mute David Mc Weeney
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    May 14th 2012, 9:13 PM

    Welcomes growth summit? ALWAYS been caling for a “Growth and jobs strategy”? Only a few weeks ago ago, Kenny was shouting down the opposition who called for stimulus, investment and a significant jobs strategy!

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    Mute David Mc Weeney
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    May 14th 2012, 9:21 PM

    “shared stance of other leaders calling for growth strategy along side Fiscal Treaty”?…I suppose that’s why he’s pushing on with the referendum before it’s growth/stimulus been added to it!

    Honestly,what ‘s he at? Liturally really to roll over and take ANY notion that’s swirling round the EU! He ALREADY accepted the Fiscal Austerity Treaty, with NO stimulus or growth plan mentioned in it!

    71
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    May 14th 2012, 9:59 PM

    @ David you said exactly what I wanted to but you can word it so much better than I could Thanks 

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    Mute Mike Hall
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    May 14th 2012, 10:32 PM

    Well said David.

    Note also this pice of Orwellian nonsense:

    “…..Europe needs to develop a growth and jobs strategy” alongside austerity measures….”

    No, Mr Kenny, there’s no ‘alongside’ – it’s one or the other.

    No prizes for guessing which one it’s going to be.

    With this level of economics illiteracy, this summit is likely about nothing more than re-branding the ‘PR’ of the present policies wrecking the Eurozone.

    Scrap the fiscal treaty (read, financial coup d’etat) & set about reforming the failed currency union. We need to this now, before the rest of the ‘periphery’ go the way of Greece.

    39
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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    May 15th 2012, 12:15 AM

    Has anybody ever read a headline where Enda Kenny doesn’t support any EU summit. Whether it be in support of Austerity or in support of growth… Enda is a puppet. No matter what dance Germany/France tell him to dance to, Enda Kenny is more than proud to dance to it.
    Does anybody remember the movie ‘The 300′? Ephilaltes was the disillusioned traitor, who thought that he could earn all the riches and wealth by being the puppet of the Persian King, realized too late that being a traitor would not bring him what is real wealth! I hope Kenny understands he is selling Ireland out at the pass of Thermopylae. With his side kick Gilmore, they are offering the Irish Nation to a foreign power, to extract the maximum from our country, before leaving a scorched earth policy for no Irish citizen to grow the economy from.

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    Mute Pig Boy
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    May 14th 2012, 9:12 PM

    Their Policy has Stagnated this Country ,Growth ? Are they serious ?

    81
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    Mute Gary Clowry
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    May 15th 2012, 3:37 AM

    The problem is how do we have stimulus which will cost a lot of money and at the same time be borrowing one third of all government spending. Very easy to shout about it and a completely different thing to actually do it.
    Also I can’t help but notice that many of you were complaining there was no growth plan and are now complaining they are trying to bring in a growth plan. Maybe it’s just me but I find it hard make sense of some of you.

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    Mute Pig Boy
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    May 15th 2012, 7:34 AM

    Enda Kenny 2012″ You look like a man who could do with a day work ” his words not mine .

    6
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    Mute Sean Hennessy
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    May 14th 2012, 9:41 PM

    It’s hard to soar like an eagle when the country is being run by a turkey!!

    67
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    Mute Darren Englishby
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    May 14th 2012, 9:26 PM

    Bang on David he tryn to make out that it was his idea now …… It’s just brutal leadership . I just can’t understand how we can’t put a government in that will just stand up for us ….

    64
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    Mute David Mc Weeney
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    May 14th 2012, 9:34 PM

    agreed! demands/says nothing…just accepts whatever is dished out in Ireland’s direction,good or bad!

    Said alot when he was “renegotiating” bailout with EU last year, and he returned saying issues “never came up”! Then it transpired he NEVER eben ASKED for a debt writedown…on bank debt that isn’t even ours!!

    Of course ready to pounce on anything FALING INTO our lap,like the bailout interest rate we got due to the Greek situation! Quick to try and claim that, even though cut was 2x what gov ever enquired about!

    We need a leader that can stand up for Ireland,and says what’s best for it’s citizens. Not roll over, and shaft foreign policies on us, while demanding US to accept them!!

    60
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    Mute Too Trueleft
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    May 14th 2012, 9:35 PM

    Guess it’s pretty easy to pull u-turns when you don’t have a spine…

    60
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    Mute On the Dole
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    May 14th 2012, 9:30 PM

    Shows what kind of man inda really is !!!

    56
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    May 15th 2012, 12:27 AM

    @ on the Dole. Inda is a snake a traitor a coward a bully a low life and unfortunately the people of Mayo voted for him and the people of Ireland voted his party

    17
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    Mute jrbmc
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    May 14th 2012, 9:42 PM

    Yes and why is it in every picture of him it looks like someone has taken his batteries out !!!

    55
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    Mute I love lamp
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    May 14th 2012, 10:23 PM

    I always say that myself.

    13
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    Mute Gis Bayertz
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    May 14th 2012, 9:36 PM

    This guy continues to baffle me

    49
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    May 14th 2012, 10:24 PM

    Kenny is a clown. He doesn’t know what he wants. He is just a yes man agreeing to whatever europe says he should do because he is too thick to come up with anything himself. He makes Bush look like a genius.

    43
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    Mute Gary Keegan
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    May 14th 2012, 10:18 PM

    Every time a politician tells a porky pie a member of the public should be allowed punch them in the face. I hate the sight of Edna bleed’n Kenny. Rant over.

    34
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    Mute David Mc Weeney
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    May 14th 2012, 10:33 PM

    if that was the case, I think Enda and a few more of them would have fulltime positions as punching bags!

    29
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    Mute Dave Gormley
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    May 14th 2012, 11:13 PM

    Inda makes my face hurt whenever I see him and my ears bleed whenever I hear that mono tone drivel.

    He’s a well oiled political wind vane.
    Nothing more.
    Wouldn’t trust him with my car keys.

    31
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    Mute Ronala
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    May 14th 2012, 9:57 PM

    EU summits are more common that bouts of sexual frustration in a teenager.

    There will just be another agreement, for agreement’s sake, their will not be a vote on it, that box is already being ticked and it will be mostly ignored, the slice of bread approach rather than the loaf.

    The economies of the Eurozone will continue to deteriorate, and there will be another summit, another bailout, another new dawn.

    This is the EU way. There have been nearly 20 emergency summits in the last 2 years.

    They are a joke, that is unfortunately dragging down and threatening all of Europe.

    29
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    Mute O'Reilly
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    May 14th 2012, 9:55 PM

    Kenny held a meeting of EU leaders in Dublin about a month ago to agree growth stimulus pact. This wasn’t reported in mainstream media, a lot of people were not aware of it. A paper was agreed and presented to EU…

    19
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    Mute Too Trueleft
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    May 14th 2012, 9:58 PM

    Do you have a link o’reilly, would be interesting to see, seeing as though he signed the compact sans stimulus faster than you can say ‘traitor’.

    35
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    Mute O'Reilly
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    May 14th 2012, 10:10 PM

    You can Google it. Dublin castle, April 19th. European Commision VP attended. Just went back & read it. Can’t create link!!

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    Mute SeanNorris
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    May 14th 2012, 10:44 PM

    Reilly, I saw what you saw. That was a hypothectical passage in a wider what if…. article, can n’t remember who wrote it but that meeting never took place!

    26
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    Mute Ryan oneill
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    May 14th 2012, 10:59 PM

    O’reilys a FGer he’s used to lying!! And kenny, he has no shame in lying! Traitors, each and everyone.

    27
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    Mute Too Trueleft
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    May 14th 2012, 11:31 PM

    If we can google it, you can link to it…..

    20
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    Mute Dave
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    May 14th 2012, 11:34 PM

    No such meeting ever took place! This was mentioned in a “what if Kenny got up off his hole and did something” type piece.

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    Mute Ann Reddin
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    May 15th 2012, 2:43 AM
    6
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    Mute O'Reilly
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    May 15th 2012, 6:46 AM

    Anne, thank you for posting the link to the article regarding the EU VP speech made at the meeting that DID take place in Dublin Castle on the 19 th of April with a view to peripheral nations discussing growth stimuli. Ryan, you talk of lies yet preface your arguments with “I’m not a Sinn Fein supporter but…” when in fact you clearly are. I at least am & always have been always clear about what I stand for. Trueleft, I couldn’t post the link because I actually didn’t know how to do it!! Sean, Dave. This meeting happened…

    4
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    Mute Fingal
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    May 15th 2012, 12:16 AM

    Jesus h. Is he not embarrassed by his own bullsh!t, we all know he is full of it!

    14
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    Mute Jay Warner
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    May 15th 2012, 12:12 AM

    Last time I saw something flapping around in such a panic it had a hook sticking out of its mouth. at least a fish doesn’t lie to save it’s own skin.

    14
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    Mute Nucky Thompson
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    May 15th 2012, 12:20 AM

    No love in the house for Enda tonight. Ye are awful hard on the man.
    Of course you can have austerity and stimulus simultaneously, its pretty straightforward really.

    10
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    Mute censored
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    May 15th 2012, 2:14 AM

    That gives me a nice image of Enda’s head exploding as he tries to hold onto both thoughts simultaneously.

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    Mute censored
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    May 15th 2012, 2:15 AM

    If Sarko hadn’t been flung aside by the French electorate they wouldn’t be holding this summit. That says it all.

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    Mute El Cheebo
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    May 15th 2012, 1:23 AM

    Talk about changing his tone – he belittled any suggestion of a growth stimulus by SF and the opposition in the last few weeks.

    Does he think we are blind deaf and dumb.

    9
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    Mute Ronala
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    May 14th 2012, 10:17 PM

    Zen Meditation is brilliant, it is especially good for the stressed out and those who suffer with depression. It certainly has saved my life, and i do not mean that in a literal sense.

    6
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