Enda Kenny on Saturday Night With Miriam

JonathanAnon

on NOW, for whoever is interested... big pressure on Enda to do better than he did on the Late Late Show...

bonzos

This time he does not have to deal with tubs and his FF agenda

nesf

Pretty meh interview tbh. He just doesn't inspire me as a speaker at all, or interest me to any great extent.

George Orwell 1982

Looks like he did give a better performance than when on the late late though.

JonathanAnon

I like Enda Kenny, he's done a great job with FG, but I think I know why he doesnt convince people in interviews :

1. He is "too nice" and lacks the spine to stand up to fight his corner. He let FF-ubridy walk all over him... Tubridy quoted a number of tabloid assertions of Kenny (not having the balls to ask the questions directly himself of course) and basically asked him his opinion on these assertions. He should have called Tubridy on his i) lack of moral courage in quoting somebody as a means of asking a tough question and ii) his own FF background, and his objectivity.
2. He lacks passion. Maybe he has been advised not to do so by whatever PR company FG employs, in case he would come across as being aggressive... or maybe it's his disciplined background being a teacher.... but I think Irish people appreciate when people fight for something they really believe in. And I never feel any true conviction/belief/passion from him.
3. His body language / mannerisms ... he tends to nervously smile at inappropriate times (not unlike Miriam herself) .. making him seem a bit like an idiot. He should sit up straight, look the interviewer straight in the eyes, and answer the questions confidently, without smiling... and interrupt if there is something that you dont agree with...

He could learn a lot from Bill Clinton, or *get sick* Bertie Ahern.

allthedoyles

It looks like the image is going to be the downfall of FG - ( by reading the above posts )

Ordinary people don't seem to look at their policies at all .

What will they have to do to win over the Irish people ?

nesf

allthedoyles wrote: »

It looks like the image is going to be the downfall of FG - ( by reading the above posts )

Ordinary people don't seem to look at their policies at all .

What will they have to do to win over the Irish people ?

That's what annoys me, I *like* quite a few of their policies (the health one in particular), I'll probably vote FG, I just can't bring myself to like Kenny. And I *want* to!

P. Breathnach

nesf wrote: »

Pretty meh interview tbh. ...

Agreed. It's only a few minutes since it finished, and I watched it all -- and I can't remember anything he said.

nesf

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Agreed. It's only a few minutes since it finished, and I watched it all -- and I can't remember anything he said.

I remember having to hear than "the long grass has been shorn" line over and over again.

Liam Byrne

JonathanAnon wrote: »

He could learn a lot from ..... *get sick* Bertie Ahern.

Ah Jaysus no.......Kenny mightn't be the most inspiring, but he doesn't need to get all used-car-salesman fake and and corrupt and a hundred times worse!

EDIT : Apologies to all decent used-car-salesmen!!!!!

supersean1999

what a horrible interview never let the man talk kept repated seme **** which he kept addressing bad interviewer, this is sat nite tv not prime time, makes me remember tub interview berti the fraud all smiles and then attack enda for 20 mins, is fianna "FAIL' (the people) hiring all rte workers

Wide Road

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Agreed. It's only a few minutes since it finished, and I watched it all -- and I can't remember anything he said.

You have summed up Enda. Brilliant post. He is a nice guy, but......

65bl

nesf wrote: »

That's what annoys me, I *like* quite a few of their policies (the health one in particular), I'll probably vote FG, I just can't bring myself to like Kenny.

Agreed but dont think i can vote for Kenny

supersean1999

would he be more popular,

nesf

65bl wrote: »

Agreed but dont think i can vote for Kenny

Who else is there though? FF? Lab? I mean, I'm fairly happy with how FF dealt with the fiscal situation but I do feel it's time for a change of the guard. Labour I just can't stand really, too populist, too weak on fiscal/economic issues. I could vote Green but I'm not an environmentalist and don't feel drawn to their policies. SF and me just don't get along on policy, they're about as far as you can get from me on economic issues and stay in the mainstream of politics.

So, eh, either I don't vote at all (which feels wrong) or I vote FG.

P. Breathnach

nesf wrote: »

I remember having to hear than "the long grass has been shorn" line over and over again.

I may have done him a favour by forgetting that infelicitous line.

It appears to me that he was once advised to illustrate any point he was making by referring to real people, and so he tries to shoehorn in mentions of individuals or groups that he encountered. For example, if asked a question on science education and the smart economy, he might mention having met with the parents' association of a national school in Wexford last Tuesday, and clumsily try to springboard his answer from there. And he is clumsy in constructing his utterances: he seems to get lost on the way from the beginning of a paragraph to its end.

He lacks the acuity to represent policy positions in succinct and memorable phrases (in other words, soundbites), and when he tries to give us soundbites provided by his backroom team, he sets them in such verbiage that seem wordy and lack bite.

Listening to Enda is like drowning in treacle.

supersean1999

reading the above post makes me wonder just how stupid irish people are, brian cowen has about as much charisma as my dogs ball sack, berti was a fraud , and we still put up with them ,a bunch of chickens we are who wont vote change

P. Breathnach

supersean1999 wrote: »

reading the above post makes me wonder just how stupid irish people are, brian cowen has about as much charisma as my dogs ball sack, berti was a fraud , and we still put up with them ,a bunch of chickens we are who wont vote change

As "the above post" was mine, I think you should note that I speak only for myself, and not for the Irish people.

In this thread we have not been discussing present or former leaders of FF.

nesf

P. Breathnach wrote: »

In this thread we have not been discussing present or former leaders of FF.

No, but some people interpret any criticism of Kenny as coming from a FF activist. Man, I hate politics sometimes.

Wide Road

nesf wrote: »

No, but some people interpret any criticism of Kenny as coming from a FF activist. Man, I hate politics sometimes.

It's weird especially when some FG politicians in Leinster House openly criticised Enda during the leadership heave. I know Power was their objective and when it failed, they tried to slip back into Enda's good books again. Why? Power. It's what the Bruton's and others want. They proved it before.

supersean1999

its just getting boring very boring, same dribble, media dublin driven, and you cant say its not true, anyway, ill def vote fg, cant wait for change, yahoo

The_Minister

supersean1999 wrote: »

reading the above post makes me wonder just how stupid irish people are, brian cowen has about as much charisma as my dogs ball sack, berti was a fraud , and we still put up with them ,a bunch of chickens we are who wont vote change

Tbh, at this stage I almost prefer Biffo to Kenny - at least Biffo can show real anger and channel it respectably - not the imitation of life that Kenny puts across.

Shea O'Meara

Kenny does get in a fluster when angry, but I hope one day the majority of people will vote on policies rather than showman slickness. But I guess we need the leaders get their points across first.
Cowen has a lord of the manor vibe about him, which I don't like, apart from the obvious.

nesf

The_Minister wrote: »

Tbh, at this stage I almost prefer Biffo to Kenny - at least Biffo can show real anger and channel it respectably - not the imitation of life that Kenny puts across.

Almost being the crucial word in that sentence.

nesf

Shea O'Meara wrote: »

Kenny does get in a fluster when angry, but I hope one day the majority of people will vote on policies rather than showman slickness. But I guess we need the leaders get their points across first.
Cowen has a lord of the manor vibe about him, which I don't like, apart from the obvious.

What we want is a party with solid policies with a frontman/woman who can sell them to the masses. FG have the policies but not the man, Labour the man but not the policies (imho). If only Gilmore was a blueshirt!

CoalBucket

A general election is not about voting for a Taoiseach it is about voting for a government.

Vote for whoever but vote on policies.

I don't give a fiddlers if Enda is believable or if Biffo is charismatic.

Vote for the party you would like to form a government.

Wide Road

Shea O'Meara wrote: »

Kenny does get in a fluster when angry, but I hope one day the majority of people will vote on policies rather than showman slickness. But I guess we need the leaders get their points across first.
Cowen has a lord of the manor vibe about him, which I don't like, apart from the obvious.

How does your opening sentence reflect on Mr Gilmore?

nesf

CoalBucket wrote: »

A general election is not about voting for a Taoiseach it is about voting for a government.

Vote for whoever but vote on policies.

I don't give a fiddlers if Enda is believable or if Biffo is charismatic.

Vote for the party you would like to form a government.

If a Government has a crisis the Taoiseach has to calm and sell a solution to the people. Policies are all well and good but a Government needs to be able to bring the people with them when those people aren't amenable to carefully constructed policy documents (i.e. most people most of the time)

bette

nesf wrote: »

If a Government has a crisis the Taoiseach has to calm and sell a solution to the people. Policies are all well and good but a Government needs to be able to bring the people with them when those people aren't amenable to carefully constructed policy documents (i.e. most people most of the time)

Thank God then that we have a great leader who takes tough decisions going forward it's important to say!

This government is not exactly bringing people with them; it is going through the motions and stepping aside when the eejit lemmings fall over the NAMA/levies/paycuts cliff.

The Taoiseach will be holidaying in a caravan park and dining on chipper food. Role modelling and the foolish electorate believe it all. They can't get enough of this man and his car crash government.

rugbyman

nesf wrote: »

Who else is there though? FF? Lab? I mean, I'm fairly happy with how FF dealt with the fiscal situation but I do feel it's time for a change of the guard. Labour I just can't stand really, too populist, too weak on fiscal/economic issues. I could vote Green but I'm not an environmentalist and don't feel drawn to their policies. SF and me just don't get along on policy, they're about as far as you can get from me on economic issues and stay in the mainstream of politics.

So, eh, either I don't vote at all (which feels wrong) or I vote FG.

NESF,
though i m a FG supporter, i am never one for getting people to vote for negtive reaons, such as to get at someone else,e.g.
you want a change ,and cannot stand Labour. So you must vote FG as then there may be a slight possibility that we will get Fg govt without labour or with less labour(this neg stuff is not my way ,but takes your stated comments as being your view).

Everybody who wants change needs to anaylse the candidates in their area. Ones vote can be wasted if not transferred, or worse still trapped ,untransferred in the count of a "does well but not elected"candidate.

rugbyman

Denerick

I always have my head in my hands any time Enda is speaking. Did anyone notice the queasy smirks he would come out with, the bad jokes about oxegen, the 'aww shucks dad' comments about his son, his completely blank persona that screams 'dead wood'?

I'm sure he is a nice man, but he doesn't inspire me in any way in terms of intellect or charisma. It'd be great if he at least had the former, but without the latter you are dead in politics.

Liam Byrne

Denerick wrote: »

I'm sure he is a nice man, but he doesn't inspire me in any way in terms of intellect or charisma. It'd be great if he at least had the former, but without the latter you are dead in politics.

We haven't had a taoiseach who's been inspiring, or had intellect or charisma, in years......why is it suddenly a requirement now ?

At this stage I'd gladly settle for one with just ethics and some intellect.

Denerick

Liam Byrne wrote: »

We haven't had a taoiseach who's been inspiring, or had intellect or charisma, in years......why is it suddenly a requirement now ?

At this stage I'd gladly settle for one with just ethics and some intellect.

Bertie had charisma and intellect but wasn't a nice guy. Cowen has intellect without charisma. Whatever you think about FF, don't flippantly disregard that.

Liam Byrne

Denerick wrote: »

Bertie had charisma and intellect but wasn't a nice guy.

Ahern implemented upward-only benchmarking; he wrote blank cheques for Haughey from a charity fund; he investigated Ray Burke up every tree, and appointed Callely to the Seanad......I'll let people judge the "intellect" involved in all of those for themselves.

And the problem with "charisma" is that it's a matter of opinion. Ahern had no charisma in my book, and I can stand over that with zero "flippancy".

Maybe I'm different to a lot of people, but I'd view people like Shane Ross as charismatic, because he's earned my respect.

Denerick wrote: »

Cowen has intellect without charisma.

This would be the same Cowen that was castigated by the banking report for making a complete balls of the boom ? He may well have some intellect, but he doesn't use it correctly* in his job, so I have no proof that he had it.

* Some might view refusing to hold by-elections as "intelligent", given that Cowen's aim is to stay in power

Denerick wrote: »

Whatever you think about FF, don't flippantly disregard that.

I'm not "flippantly disregarding" anything; I'm stating it as I see it, having examined the track record of both.

Apologies if I'm the individual shouting "the emperor has no clothes" in relation to Ahern.

Bear in mind that's not a "change of mind after the fact", either : the Drumcondra Mafia and Haughey's "most cunning and devious.." statement, and Ahern writing blank cheques were all around long before it was "populist" to dislike Ahern, so this isn't a recent stance of mine.

Carol25

How is a clearly biased FF interviewer allowed to interview one of the main party leaders on television like this? Bertie was welcomed with open arms on this show, with Enda there was no light-hearted banter. Enda wasn't given a chance to get some 'charisma' and character across because Miriam just harped on with the same question for the whole interview about his leadership. Absolute disgrace. And the Irish people are even more so because they buy it! Bertie was a poor speaker, all he had was the 'guy next door' persona. People seem very willing to criticise Enda. I think Cowen is an absolute wreck of a leader, with a party of idiots (except perhaps Brian Lenihan) who wasn't even voted in as taoiseach! They led the country to ruin, yet Miriam questions Enda's qualifications? What about Bertie's or Cowen's? I have to say I'm ashamed of Cowen as our leader and representative abroad. Give me Enda anyday

flutered

watching kenny speak is like watching wood warp or paint dry,
at a leaders meeting in brussels or where ever how would he come across,
i an anti f.f. but this man does not inspire me, f.f. were on the ropes more often than a punch drunk boxer, kenny lacked the verbal know how or maby the mindset to but them away,
his body language ? enough said.

pog it

nesf wrote: »

Who else is there though? FF? Lab? I mean, I'm fairly happy with how FF dealt with the fiscal situation but I do feel it's time for a change of the guard. Labour I just can't stand really, too populist, too weak on fiscal/economic issues. I could vote Green but I'm not an environmentalist and don't feel drawn to their policies. SF and me just don't get along on policy, they're about as far as you can get from me on economic issues and stay in the mainstream of politics.

So, eh, either I don't vote at all (which feels wrong) or I vote FG.

Fine Gael are by far the more populist of all the parties.

FF have set the spin out there that Labour are populist and without policies. They're scared ****less of Labour.

Don't believe their spin. If you need to know anything about Labour's policies, all you need to do is ask them. They will send you on their policy documents.

Bersouth

supersean1999 wrote: »

would he be more popular,

It wouldnt matter what accent the poor man has, He just hasent got the charisma....

TP4725

flutered wrote: »

watching kenny speak is like watching wood warp or paint dry,
at a leaders meeting in brussels or where ever how would he come acrossa,
i an anti f.f. but this man does not inspire me, f.f. were on the ropes more often than a punch drunk boxer, kenny lacked the verbal know how or maby the mindset to but them away,
his body language ? enough said.

Enda Kenny is actually one of the Vice-Presidents of the European People's Party, having being elected to that position by political colleagues from across Europe so clearly he has already made a good impression on political leaders in Brussels and elsewhere.

http://www.epp.eu/party.asp?z=5E5D

The_Minister

pog it wrote: »

Fine Gael are by far the more populist of all the parties.

FF have set the spin out there that Labour are populist and without policies. They're scared ****less of Labour.

Don't believe their spin. If you need to know anything about Labour's policies, all you need to do is ask them. They will send you on their policy documents.

When people complain about the lack of Labour policies they are referring to a lack of 'hard' policies.

They have a ton of waffley 'soft' policies (which are of course valid in their own way, and very important), but on the economy and the public service, the two biggest issues of the day, their policies are dribbling waffle which are purposefully light on detail.

There are some things, like the economy, that you have to nail your colours to the mast over - Labour haven't.
They waffle on about job-creation, and not bailing out the banks, but make absolutely sure that they never put forward a policy in sufficient detail that could possibly be offensive to any sector of society.

The simple fact is that people have looked at the few details that Labour have given out so far, have done the maths, and found huge gaps.

Denerick

Carol25 wrote: »

How is a clearly biased FF interviewer allowed to interview one of the main party leaders on television like this? Bertie was welcomed with open arms on this show, with Enda there was no light-hearted banter. Enda wasn't given a chance to get some 'charisma' and character across because Miriam just harped on with the same question for the whole interview about his leadership. Absolute disgrace. And the Irish people are even more so because they buy it! Bertie was a poor speaker, all he had was the 'guy next door' persona. People seem very willing to criticise Enda. I think Cowen is an absolute wreck of a leader, with a party of idiots (except perhaps Brian Lenihan) who wasn't even voted in as taoiseach! They led the country to ruin, yet Miriam questions Enda's qualifications? What about Bertie's or Cowen's? I have to say I'm ashamed of Cowen as our leader and representative abroad. Give me Enda anyday

I don't understand your reasoning. Miriam interviewed Enda in the wake of a catastrophic challenge to his authority, when he narrowly escaped a coup... What was she going to talk about, what he makes of this bad weather we're having?

She was interviewing ENDA. Not Brian or Bertie. For Christs sake, I really wish the Fine Gaelers would learn some sense of proportion and stop abstracting everything back 'to those FF bastards who ruined this country byjesus'...

Liam Byrne

Denerick wrote: »

I don't understand your reasoning. Miriam interviewed Enda in the wake of a catastrophic challenge to his authority, when he narrowly escaped a coup... What was she going to talk about, what he makes of this bad weather we're having?

She was interviewing ENDA. Not Brian or Bertie. For Christs sake, I really wish the Fine Gaelers would learn some sense of proportion and stop abstracting everything back 'to those FF bastards who ruined this country byjesus'...

I presume Carol was comparing / contrasting Miriam's interview of Enda with the fiasco of an interview that she did with Cowen.

supersean1999

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I presume Carol was comparing / contrasting Miriam's interview of Enda with the fiasco of an interview that she did with Cowen.

exactly

Aidric

Denerick wrote: »

She was interviewing ENDA. Not Brian or Bertie. For Christs sake, I really wish the Fine Gaelers would learn some sense of proportion and stop abstracting everything back 'to those FF bastards who ruined this country byjesus'...

Well said. No matter what the thread some posters take it upon themselves to launch an attack on FF, one in particular.

annie19

Denerick wrote: »

I always have my head in my hands any time Enda is speaking. Did anyone notice the queasy smirks he would come out with, the bad jokes about oxegen, the 'aww shucks dad' comments about his son, his completely blank persona that screams 'dead wood'?

I'm sure he is a nice man, but he doesn't inspire me in any way in terms of intellect or charisma. It'd be great if he at least had the former, but without the latter you are dead in politics.

i couldn't have said it better my self!

Wide Road

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Agreed. It's only a few minutes since it finished, and I watched it all -- and I can't remember anything he said.

Again, a brilliant post. Nobody really replied to it for some strange reason. Maybe because it's true, and that's even after viewing the repeat programme.

MrDarcy

It was cringeworthy to watch. he seemed to have a lot to say about considering himself to be "a real leader". The one thing about this country and Kenny is indicitive of this, is that everyone wants to be a leader or a manager but nobody wants to do the work or the heavy lifting. Kenny thinks because he saw off a recent challenge to his leadership that he is now fit or able to run the country, it's laughable only that the stakes are so high, this from the man who wanted to compensate everyone from rip off taxi drivers to Eircom shareholders only a few years back and was running around with a worthless "contract" on the last occasion.

To be honest he looked like someone who was on Dragon's Den, clueless, inexperienced, confused, uncertain and bluffing.

The big winners next time round will be Labour, not that I'd be voting for any of them...

angeleyes

I only saw some of the interview with Mr. Kenny and I thought Miriam O'Callaghan was totally unprofessional. Its meant to be light entertainment - and she was nothing short of a bully - asking the same questions and not letting Enda Kenny answer them. Her FF bias is obvious.

I also feel that too many are getting hung up on a Taoiseach having charisma. Charlie Haughey was meant to have it as is supposedly Bertie Ahern and look ath the mess they made of things and history will not be kind to them.

I think Mr. Kenny wants to be Taoiseach and is prepared to work hard - who cares if he has charisma growing out of his ears as long as he is going to sort out the mess. He has a good team around him - competent and experienced people.

maynooth_rules

Why is charisma always discussed with Kenny. When it became quite clear that Biffo would be taking over from B. Ahern, I don't remember people questioning his lack of charisma. I wish people would remember that they are voting for a party and their policies, not just on a leader and whether he has bloody charisma

angeleyes

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Why is charisma always discussed with Kenny. When it became quite clear that Biffo would be taking over from B. Ahern, I don't remember people questioning his lack of charisma. I wish people would remember that they are voting for a party and their policies, not just on a leader and whether he has bloody charisma

Exactly

The_Minister

maynooth_rules wrote: »

Why is charisma always discussed with Kenny. When it became quite clear that Biffo would be taking over from B. Ahern, I don't remember people questioning his lack of charisma. I wish people would remember that they are voting for a party and their policies, not just on a leader and whether he has bloody charisma

Bertie Ahern is very charismatic.

The fact that he managed to sink the country is irrelevant - he is still charismatic.