Taoiseach has yet to deliver

A LETTER in your newspaper (May 25) described Enda Kenny as a “real” Taoiseach after his speech at College Green during Barack Obama’s visit.

Kenny’s speech was at times laughable and embarrassing as he roared at the massive crowd. It sounded like Kenny was commentating on a Junior B football final back home in Mayo. What made it more mortifying was that it was almost immediately compared to the finest public speaker in the world. Obama instilled a sense of purpose and pride of place in the Irish people, a feat which our own politicians have never achieved.

Obama’s charisma and natural charm won over the audience from the very moment he said, “My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas”.

Describing Kenny as a real Taoiseach is absolutely ridiculous considering the short time frame he has been at the helm in Leinster House. When he was attending all the royal visit engagements last week and the Obama speech, I was left wondering, does this man not have a serious job to run our troubled country?

Kenny has bigger hurdles to overcome and many problems to solve before he can be described as a “real” Taoiseach. Kenny simply arrived into the Taoiseach’s office at the ideal time for boosting public opinion. A matter of weeks after taking charge in the Dáil, the Queen made an historic visit to these shores and her majesty was followed a week later by the hugely popular president of the US.

These type of visits increase public morale and improve the chances of people approving of the current Government. He came into office directly after the toughest budget in the state’s history was made by the outgoing government which is already seeing benefits, for which Kenny and his party are being given credit. He has done nothing yet, nothing to assure the voters, nothing to gain our trust, nothing at all really except shouting at us in College Green.

Justin Kelly

Edenderry

Co Offaly