Glass farce as Enda puts press in their box
Journalists massed at Government Buildings for the launch of the Coalition’s green initiative only to be blocked from approaching our ever more timid Taoiseach.
The Government’s masters of bad publicity informed a bemused media Enda would not be taking any questions, only posing for soft focus photos, so we should all do as we were told and toddle off home.
But despite elusive Enda seemingly running scared of the national press, a helpful little email suddenly appeared detailing his “comments” at the launch.
Who Mr Kenny had made such “comments” to during his moment of media magical realism was unclear as journalists had been corralled in the entrance area known as the Glass Box some 25 metres away from the great man.
The assembled print and broadcast heavyweights — and yours truly — refused to budge and tried to make our presence known by vigorously waving at the Taoiseach through the glass when he appeared for his vanity snap some 17 minutes late.
But he either did not see, or more likely, did not care about communicating with the Irish public — too many awkward questions about why Angela Merkel’s recollection of his allegedly “tough talking” telephone call on bank debt is so different from his own.
It said much about the green initiative that the Taoiseach could not even be bothered to talk about it — and underlined the fact the only contribution the 115-page document will make to the environment is when it is pulped for recycling.
When a journalist asked: “Doesn’t the Taoiseach want to talk about his green initiative then?”, one of the Government’s media bouncers, sorry, flunkies, curtly replied: “No he doesn’t”.
But as we continued to wave our arms hoping for recognition from the now slightly surreal sight of Enda Through The Looking Glass, all was becoming clear, for who was that standing beside the Taoiseach? No, it couldn’t be? Yes! Yes, it was Feck-It-Up-Phil Hogan — the minister they had locked in the attic of Government Buildings for the duration of the referendum campaign so that he did not annoy even more voters after the great PR triumphs of water charges and the household tax.
Someone who actually understands communications really needs to have a serious chat with Enda’s publicity team as the Taoiseach’s appearances are becoming increasingly slapdash, if not bordering on the absurd.
He fled a business gig last week again refusing to answer any questions despite his flunkies promising a press session, and then Enda was made an object of ridicule for British TV viewers when Channel 4 News’s Michael Crick was allowed to hijack the his canvass of Pearse Station.
Handlers scrambled for excuses at Government Buildings, insisting the invite had said snappers only, but that was the follow-up one hastily rushed out just before the event — and why does Enda feel the need to evade questioning anyway? What is he hiding?
The view through the window in the Glass Box depicted a very ugly reflection of an increasingly out of touch and arrogant Government.
It was Enda’s glass farce.
