To go or not to go? White House visit questioned

THE opposition to Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s St Patrick’s Day visit to the White House is growing. 

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has warned that unless Mr Kenny cannot articulate the country’s complete rejection of what President Trump stands for, then he should not go. The Green Pary has suggested that the visit should be cancelled. There is also a recognition at Government level that the March visit has connotations far beyond any raised by Washington visits in recent decades. Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar said the visit must be used to argue for our values. Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has said that he “shares the concerns of other EU partners” regarding changes to US immigration policy which prohibits issuing visas for travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for the next three months.

That Mr Trump has invited Steve Bannon, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and chief-of-staff Reince Priebus to take part in National Security Council meetings, while excluding the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the director of national intelligence, unless discussions are related to their “responsibilities and expertise”, is an indication of the complete cultural change under way in the administration.