Michael Martins impression of a Chinese person

yermanoffthetv

Michael Martin on Today fm talking about the Chinese attitude to Ireland as a software hub. I thought this was an astounding gaffe from a former minister for foreign affairs! Have a listen...

http://audio.todayfm.com/1058475.wav

mailforkev

Heard this on the news at 11.

It's like something out of Father Ted, and from a Minister of Foreign Affairs no less.

He might as well have been doing slitty eyes with his fingers too.

Mr. Presentable

Micheal Martin - not a racist

oceanclub

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x5Rcc17eb8

Fairly cringeworthy at the least. At least Cowen was drunk and in private when doing his impersonations.

P.

Matt Le Tissue

oh dear:(

ednwireland

14 years in cabinet learnt nothing

Sponge Bob

"you Irish very good at software", cripes

omerin

lol

This has brightened up my day

Now if only he could impersonate a good politician ....

brianw

clown
when was this?

jonnyfingers

What was he thinking! Sounds more Japanese to be honest.............:p

But in all seriousness no need use an accent to say what he was saying.

dilallio

Jeez - The opposition will really go to town on this chink in his armour.

I would love to see Enda Kenny do a chinese accent

Anita Blow

Am I the only one that doesn't care about it? He hardly paraded around on air shouting "sucky sucky five dolla"

Sponge Bob

Suppose in fairness he was talking to the kind of person who picks up their news coverage from Today FM not from RTE1

jonnyfingers

So one faux pas by a party leader. Hopefully Enda doesn't mention the war to Angela Merkel.

danbohan

yermanoffthetv wrote: »

Michael Martin on Today fm talking about the Chinese attitude to Ireland as a software hub. I thought this was an astounding gaffe from a former minister for foreign affairs! Have a listen...

http://audio.todayfm.com/1058475.wav

hardly newsworthy , what would be interesting is Chinese man doing an impression of a cork man !

mayotom

yermanoffthetv wrote: »

Michael Martin on Today fm talking about the Chinese attitude to Ireland as a software hub. I thought this was an astounding gaffe from a former minister for foreign affairs! Have a listen...

http://audio.todayfm.com/1058475.wav

ah he will put his foot in it enough times in the next 11 days to bring the FF vote closer to where it should be "0"

Anita Blow wrote: »

Am I the only one that doesn't care about it? He hardly paraded around on air shouting "sucky sucky five dolla"

Thats not the Chinese , thats Vietnamese

marymc

Ah, it's completely newsworthy. Every policitian is fair game for the month.

bleg

SO I HEAR YOU'RE A RACIST NOW MICHEAL?!

WHAT'S THE PARTY VIEW?

HOW MUCH TIME WILL I HAVE TO DEVOTE TO THE WHOLE RACISM, MOST OF MY TIME IS TAKEN UP BY THE FARM AND IN THE EVENING I JUST LIKE A CUP OF TEA.

Bottle_of_Smoke

FFS that's not a gaffe or in any way controversial(I was all excited he did something really stupid). It wasn't a mocking tone, grow up lads.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

suprised he didnt throw in a "diddy mao" as well for good measure

sollar

I don't know what all the fuss is. So he tried to use a foreign accent big deal. The PC brigade are becoming smothering. Where are we going with all this???

I can see a public reaction against this silly hyper PC rubbish developing in the UK already and hopefully is gains ground fast. People need to be reasonable about what really is offensive and what is not.

Sir Oxman

oceanclub wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x5Rcc17eb8

Fairly cringeworthy at the least. At least Cowen was drunk and in private when doing his impersonations.

P.

I sort of cringed and laughed at the same time there.

"You Irish very good at software"

Jaysus, bleedin dope!

almighty1

Jesus thats cringeful but hardly makes him a frigging racist does it? People need to understand the actual definition of a racist.

hardCopy

Bad call, bad impersonation but I don't think it was derogatory.

Fianna Fail won't get my vote but for other reasons.

Pauleta

Is that it?

If he put on a French or an American accent nobody would say a thing. I use to work with a few chinese lads and always did chinese accents around them and they would make fun of mine.

Max Power1

Anita Blow wrote: »

Am I the only one that doesn't care about it? He hardly paraded around on air shouting "sucky sucky five dolla"

That would have been newsworthy

Paparazzo

almighty1 wrote: »

Jesus thats cringeful but hardly makes him a frigging racist does it? People need to understand the actual definition of a racist.

Yeah, there's a difference between a racist and an idiot.

Mr E

If you give him your vote, he love you long time.

Hippo

More Steve McLaren than Bernard Manning. Pretty stupid though!

mike65

yermanoffthetv

mike65 wrote: »

Haha fantastic stuff. Sombody was quick off the blocks with the creyolas this morning! :pac:

PeakOutput

non issue

d'Oracle

PeakOutput wrote: »

non issue

Spoken like a true person who is telling the truth.

This is probably the least gaffe-like "gaffe" I have heard in some time.

Balmed Out

political correctness gone mad. get a life

steelcityblues

Are Paddy Power taking bets on a Chinese invasion by tomorrow morning yet?

yermanoffthetv

d'Oracle wrote: »

This is probably the least gaffe-like "gaffe" I have heard in some time.

Defn:"An unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator" Given, its a very minor one but id say thats about right, wouldnt you?

At least he didnt put a lampshade on his head while saying it.

billyboy01

oceanclub wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x5Rcc17eb8

Fairly cringeworthy at the least. At least Cowen was drunk and in private when doing his impersonations.

P.

You Cork Irish, you are very good at racism!:D

This muppet and his party are clowns!

smellslikeshoes

He is a clown but the outcry over this is way over the top.

gandalf

Not the worst gaffe in the world but I would have assumed the man who was up until a few weeks ago our minister for Foreign Affairs would have more cop on and sense than do something like that on a live radio show!

If Enda Kenny did something like this you would have people using it as link in their signature that Kenny was a racist.

nesf

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

FFS that's not a gaffe or in any way controversial(I was all excited he did something really stupid). It wasn't a mocking tone, grow up lads.

Yeah I clicked the link thinkings "Oh God, what has he gone and done now" and listened and well, just really cannot see why people are up in arms about it.

nesf

gandalf wrote: »

If Enda Kenny did something like this you would have people using it as link in their signature that Kenny was a racist.

Yeah which just underlines how people clutch at any straw no matter how weak if it backs up their political bias.

Duckjob

Thread disappoints. I was expecting a Ted-style lampshade on the head and stretching the eyes type thing.

Now he'll have to hold an evening to celebrate the diversity of cultures in Cork. Except for the Maori - Of course, there are no Maori in Cork.

For Forks Sake

Micheal's opening statement in tonights debate

omerin

nesf wrote: »

Yeah I clicked the link thinkings "Oh God, what has he gone and done now" and listened and well, just really cannot see why people are up in arms about it.

Don't think for 1 minute he's a racist, but this is very funny and not something you'd expect from a politician let alone one that held the foreign affairs post


This is genuinely one of my moments from 2011, this is comedy gold! In fact I'd put it up there with the fifth occasion I heard Lennihan say "we turned a corner"

nesf

omerin wrote: »

This is genuinely one of my moments from 2011, this is comedy gold! In fact I'd put it up there with the fifth occasion I heard Lennihan say "we turned a corner"

Ah but you see the FF path to recovery is based on the dodecahedron. There are many corners for us to navigate around..

yahoo_moe

omerin wrote: »

This is genuinely one of my moments from 2011, this is comedy gold!

Setting the sights high for this year obviously - we're only 44 and a half days in!

blackdog2

It can be argued that there is a time and a place for this kind of behaviour, but do we want a head of state who behaves like this in office?

It's really mystifying as to why he deemed it necessary to impersonate the Chinese accent. What exactly did it add to his performance? Does he think it will endear him to the Chinese investors? Is he trying to deter them?

RetroBate

What's the chinese for "you irish are very good at banking"?

billyboy01

RetroBate wrote: »

What's the chinese for "you irish are very good at banking"?

"you irish are very good at *anking"

We are also very good at something else thats associated with bankers!

Hotblack Desiato

blackdog2 wrote: »

It can be argued that there is a time and a place for this kind of behaviour, but do we want a head of state who behaves like this in office?

He's not running for President, as far as I know.

spiralism

Oh God that was embarrassing... god help him if there's much made of this is all I can say