Idiot Tánaiste brings up West Life in trip to China

Bricriu

Idiot Tánaiste goes to meet Chinese politicians and brings up 'West Life'.

Er, China has a completely different culture to Ireland. The Chinese politicians never heard of this talentless, manufactured band.

This poor man shouldn't be allowed to go abroad again. He is an embarrassment in so many ways.

Atlantic Dawn

Pity he didn't do the accent...

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

Yakov P. Golyadkin

No links, no context, no nothing?

Twitter is good for sharing what's on your mind.

Ten of Swords

Westlife were performing in China 2 months ago, and are back again in Macao next week

While the politicians may or may not know who they are without more context I assume that is why he brought it up (or was advised to bring it up?)

https://www.westlifeweb.com/westlife-tour-dates/

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121343306#Comment_121343306

Take that (pun intended), OP. 🤣

Gregor Samsa

The Chinese politicians never heard of this talentless, manufactured band.

That's coz in China they're known as "Eastlife".

RetroEncabulator

The Chinese government is *very* fond of bland, utterly apolitical, safe pop groups.

pgj2015

He meant Thug life.

Ubbquittious

GBoL

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058321756/idiot-tanaiste-brings-up-west-life-in-trip-to-china

It is quite embarrassing that after 100 years of independence, the best thing he can think of to say that comes out of Ireland is Westlife. They just stared as if he said nothing.

Statistics nor readily available for last year, but in 2021, Ireland's merchandise imports from China (€8.6 billion) were approximately 56% less than those from the UK (€19.5 billion).  Could we get either of those countries to keep Westlife?

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121346224#Comment_121346224

I am not embarrassed in the slightest. You should try to get over it.

Francis McM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121346236#Comment_121346236

Kian / Shane, whats the weather like over there? Any chance you could stay there for a few years?

touts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121343306#Comment_121343306

Ah here now. You can't be using facts in a debate about Irish politics. That's totally unfair to the OP who just relies on twitter to know what to think.

SuperBowserWorld

Go West !

https://youtu.be/LNBjMRvOB5M?feature=shared

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058321756/idiot-tanaiste-brings-up-west-life-in-trip-to-china

Maybe he was just explaining in very simplistic terms the superiority of 'West Life' to life under the communist yoke.

Kind of a Cold War vibe I'll admit but then MM has never really embodied the zeitgeist

mariaalice

The OP comes across as some sort of prissy Department of Foreign Affairs graduate or academic uptight fussy and academic.

elperello

Just an ice breaker before getting down to business.

If anyone should be embarrassed it's the CCP

UI_Paddy

China loves Westlife if I'm not mistaken (have heard My Love is used to teach English), it's North Americans who have never heard of them.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058321756/idiot-tanaiste-brings-up-west-life-in-trip-to-china

There are so many self-hating Irish people who perpetuate this idea that every Irish person abroad is somehow a magnet for international mockery. You see it on sites such as this all the time: where Irish bands which are massive all over the world (such as Westlife) are imagined to be derided as parochial nobodies or conversations between world leaders about the Irish are dreamt up where the Irish are referred to as thick paddies or such.

It's a very strange defence mechanism where they delude themselves into thinking that leaders from "proper countries" like China, the US, and the UK are laughing at us and calling us mean names behind our backs.

It was the same years ago when Enda Kenny was Taoiseach and Nicolas Sarkozy was pictured ruffling his hair, the perception by some in Ireland was that Sarkozy was mocking or belittling Kenny and treating him like a pet.

The reality, of course, was that at that time Sarkozy and Angela Merkel were trying to bully Kenny at the time into changing Ireland's corporation tax policy. Far from being a little pushover (the perception in the Irish media), he refused to budge.

It's the same here. I don't like most of his policies but Micheál Martin is no fool, nor is he an embarrassment to anyone. I'd certainly prefer him as Taoiseach than Leo Varadkar, and that's as someone who would rather eat their own excrement than vote for Fianna Fail.

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121375317#Comment_121375317

Who wrote the songs is financially secure for life 😂