Mr Martin and the Shamrock fiasco

joe40

FrancieBrady wrote: »

There is a 'standing invite'. He is cynically testing public opinions to guage how much damage going will do to him.
It is the modern way for FF and FG, leak and manipulate.

I would have thought it fairly obvious that "standing invites" don't apply this year, in all walks of life.

FrancieBrady

joe40 wrote: »

I would have thought it fairly obvious that "standing invites" don't apply this year, in all walks of life.

They did apply to the Stormont Executive Office who issued a joint statement declining ir.

joe40

FrancieBrady wrote: »

They did apply to the Stormont Executive Office who issued a joint statement declining ir.

Even if they hadn't declined there is no guarantee the invite would stand this year.

FrancieBrady

joe40 wrote: »

Even if they hadn't declined there is no guarantee the invite would stand this year.

???

joe40

FrancieBrady wrote: »

???

Was the storming executive officially invited to the WH.

Muahahaha

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I think strategically it would send a very strong public message to that Tory government that MM go if invited and as such I believe that is the national interest.

Or would you like the likes of Mark Francios, Mogg and Gove... getting more confident? I don't think you would like that. Because make no mistake, they are ruthless.

Plus Bidens first foreign trip him going to meet Boris in the UK in June before they both go to Cornwall for the G7 meeting on the 7th. Strategically it is important that Martin meets Biden in March to lay out our stall on Brexit before Johnson gets in Bidens ear in June.

I dont think people realise the rocky road we're currently on with Brexit. The Tory strategy with Brexit is to blame the EU for absolutely everything bad thats happening to them. Boris is sabre rattling about invoking Article 16 and he has already demonstrated that he is willing to break international treaties. What we need is for Biden to meet Johnson in June and telling him if he dares do anything to put a hard border in Ireland then there will be consequences from the US. Thank fcuk Trump isnt still in power because he would have just allowed Johnson roll over us.

walshb wrote: »

Backlash from who?

It absolutely should go ahead.

Mood of Irish people? The "I'm not allowed go for me few gargles of a Sunday night, so fook you, Mr. Taoiseach going over to the U.S. to meet some owl lad...?"

.

I blame our media for this general attitude of the public that our politicians are heading off every Paddys Day for a piss up. Without fail year after year the IT, the Indo and all of the tabloids have their feature article of 'What Minister is going Where?'. The radio shows do their audible version of these same articles and get callers on to give out. The annual theme of these re-hashed articles is always that they are off on a jolly and they should be staying at home. Its so juvenile it is ridiculous. All countries practice diplomacy and statecraft and Paddys Day for us is a single valuable opportunity to blitz 30 odd countries in a single day. No other nation in the world has this annual day where their politicians and diplomats can forge links and do business year after year. If the media were in anyway mature about this they would be reporting on the numerous benefits of these meetings rather than year after year making the general public think they should not be happening at all.

Think about it, what would you prefer to be doing on Paddys Day, sitting down beside a fire in a cosy pub having pints or walking around Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in 35 degree heat while wearing a suit and talking sh1te to some bunch of mullahs who wont even let you have a pint or a rasher sandwich? I know what Id rather be doing.

FrancieBrady

joe40 wrote: »

Was the storming executive officially invited to the WH.

It's a standing invitation since 1956...the US embassy's site says the event is 'garunteed'.

If it goes ahead we are garunteed an invite.

Not sure what is hard to grasp here.

Ashbourne hoop

FrancieBrady wrote: »

They did apply to the Stormont Executive Office who issued a joint statement declining ir.

So they turned down an invitation that they haven't received yet ? Fair enough, but as I said previously that should have zero effect on whether MM goes, rightly so.

blanch152

FrancieBrady wrote: »

They did apply to the Stormont Executive Office who issued a joint statement declining ir.

They don't have a standing invite.

FrancieBrady

Ashbourne hoop wrote: »

So they turned down an invitation that they haven't received yet ? Fair enough, but as I said previously that should have zero effect on whether MM goes, rightly so.

Alright, I give up.
Some people are clearly happy to be spun.

blanch152

Muahahaha wrote: »

Think about it, what would you prefer to be doing on Paddys Day, sitting down beside a fire in a cosy pub having pints or walking around Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in 35 degree heat while wearing a suit and talking sh1te to some bunch of mullahs who wont even let you have a pint or a rasher sandwich? I know what Id rather be doing.

I was on a couple of State visits to the Middle East. They are not fun at all.

walshb

In a nutshell:

This trying to compare and conflate the leader of this country to the normal joe soap who has to abide by restrictions is utterly ridiculous.

I am a normal joe soap who abides by the Covid rules...

MM is the taoiseach.....I have no protest whatsoever with elected politicians doing essential business...

Who the fook is giving out about him going to the U.S. to meet the President? Has to be the usual lowest common denominator groups of populist toerags...

An Claidheamh

GSBellew wrote: »

Mad if people think a scummers funeral, golf trip & a one on one sit down with the US president have the same value to the country, or indeed carry the same risk to spreading covid.

Only one of the three carries any potential benefit to the country, the others ar just assholes being assholes, I'll let you decide for yourself which is which.

What is it with people in this country?

A virus cannot tell the difference between politically motivated funerals, golf shindigs or trips to Washington

Probably why FFG have made such a mess

An Claidheamh

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

So Francie, you want a United Ireland, right?

We are currently in competition with a Tory government that wouldn't skip a heartbeat putting a hard border on this island.

Do you know why they aren't?

It's not the EU or their trade deal - it's the Biden administration.

I think strategically it would send a very strong public message to that Tory government that MM go if invited and as such I believe that is the national interest.

Or would you like the likes of Mark Francios, Mogg and Gove... getting more confident?

I don't think you would like that. Because make no mistake, they are ruthless.

You don't think Martin, Coveney, Varadkar and Richmond...know exactly what they are dealing with?

They do. They know all too well these people represent an existential threat to this country and are only held back by our own alliances and one in particular.

That's why MM should go.

It’s the threat of the return of the PIRA and the simple fact that Britain are not capable of putting a hard border in another country that prevents it

Biden is already pro Ireland, United Ireland and SF

MM can use the phone

BattleCorp

An Claidheamh wrote: »

What is it with people in this country?

A virus cannot tell the difference between politically motivated funerals, golf shindigs or trips to Washington

Probably why FFG have made such a mess

The country doesn't benefit if you or I go to a funeral, golf shindig or a trip to Washington.

The country benefits if MM or whoever is Taoiseach gets a meet and greet and hold the shamrock ceremony with the US President and top brass. They get to build political relationships that may lead to jobs etc.

We seem to forget how small and insignificant Ireland is on the world stage. We are in the unique position of getting to meet the US President and his top aides every St. Patrick's day. I don't know of any other small country who get such access.

We'd be foolish to give up this tradition as it benefits the country.

An Claidheamh

marieholmfan wrote: »

What's your point?
Or rather what do you imagine anti-Irish, racist, rapist, informer old-Etonian Eric Blair's point to have been?

I am on the left (unlike Eric Blair) but Mehole should definitely go. Miss the visit once and it might never come back.

Anti-Catholic, Anti-Semite, Anti-Liberal deeply racist imperialist gunman also

fantaiscool

BattleCorp wrote: »

The country doesn't benefit if you or I go to a funeral, golf shindig or a trip to Washington.

The country benefits if MM or whoever is Taoiseach gets a meet and greet and hold the shamrock ceremony with the US President and top brass. They get to build political relationships that may lead to jobs etc.

We seem to forget how small and insignificant Ireland is on the world stage. We are in the unique position of getting to meet the US President and his top aides every St. Patrick's day. I don't know of any other small country who get such access.

We'd be foolish to give up this tradition as it benefits the country.

I wonder if their opinions would be different if he was going to meet Trump...

Imagine Trump was still in office and MM came out and said he wasn't going to go and meet him for the Paddys day ceremony.

We'd be hearing "I can't believe he's not going to meet the president of the united states!!" lol

BattleCorp

fantaiscool wrote: »

I wonder if their opinions would be different if he was going to meet Trump...

Imagine Trump was still in office and MM came out and said he wasn't going to go and meet him for the Paddys day ceremony.

We'd be hearing "I can't believe he's not going to meet the president of the united states!!" lol

If Trump was still the President of the US, I would support and expect MM to go.

We don't have the luxury of MM being able to phone up and say 'I'm not going cos Trump's a cnut'. T'wud be a stupid move on behalf of Ireland to do something like that.

FrancieBrady

The feelers must have come back negative. Sensible decision in the end.

https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1360279872795459585

Ashbourne hoop

It's off, as I suspected it would be. The knicker twisting was fun while it lasted.

James Brown

Should always send who ever...except during a pandemic.

Sickner for MM. All he wanted was the trappings.

Muahahaha

Somewhere in Clontarf Joe Duffy is fuming, he could of gotten a full week out of Martin going to the White House

An Claidheamh

FrancieBrady wrote: »

The feelers must have come back negative. Sensible decision in the end.

https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1360279872795459585

It would look bad for Biden and all the Americans who attended while he is using the Covid crisis as his first victory in his first 100 days

statesaver

BattleCorp wrote: »

The country doesn't benefit if you or I go to a funeral, golf shindig or a trip to Washington.

The country benefits if MM or whoever is Taoiseach gets a meet and greet and hold the shamrock ceremony with the US President and top brass. They get to build political relationships that may lead to jobs etc.

We seem to forget how small and insignificant Ireland is on the world stage. We are in the unique position of getting to meet the US President and his top aides every St. Patrick's day. I don't know of any other small country who get such access.

We'd be foolish to give up this tradition as it benefits the country.

Not going for one year due to a globe pandemic, I think the tradition will survive.

blanch152

statesaver wrote: »

Not going for one year due to a globe pandemic, I think the tradition will survive.

I am not so sure, this is a bad result for Ireland.

Hopefully you are correct, but it will remain a worry. We don't want to end up like other small countries and be lucky to meet a US President once a decade.

An Claidheamh

James Brown wrote: »

Should always send who ever...except during a pandemic.

Sickner for MM. All he wanted was the trappings.

Another case of FF being the placeholders for FG, no photo op for MM in the White House

Dempo1

Utterly sensible decision for what is an utterly, embarrassing, Cringe fest and vomit enducing annual spectle. I once saw merit in this yearly event but after watching Leaky Leo act like a lapdog around Trump and especially Pence, I thought, enough of this absurd nonsense. All that's required is to show Biden and Martin how to use Zoom.

FrancieBrady

An Claidheamh wrote: »

It would look bad for Biden and all the Americans who attended while he is using the Covid crisis as his first victory in his first 100 days

It's a bit of an embarrassing look for Martin...sitting like a lapdog saying he 'waiting for an invite', instead of taking the leadership role and doing the right thing. Huge opportunity missed by him.

micosoft

Risteard81 wrote: »

He's not the head of state. He's the alleged head of government. He's a barely elected tyrant.

I didn't say head of state - he still has the most important executive role in the land. Your last line reveals you to be a keyboard anti-democrat so I'm out.

CrazyFather1

FrancieBrady wrote: »

It's a bit of an embarrassing look for Martin...sitting like a lapdog saying he 'waiting for an invite', instead of taking the leadership role and doing the right thing. Huge opportunity missed by him.

The only people it is embarrassing for is the ones shouting on roaring about this for weeks when it was never confirmed it would happen.

The last statement from MM was that he would wait and see, it would all depend on Covid. Nothing has changed. Why would it be embarrassing for him?

Bit of a shocker for Huff&Puff party member breaking the lockdown to get all outraged on TV for nothing. What will we get outraged about next week?