QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“Erm ... ... ... ”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during the Virgin TV leaders’ debate, when asked about his history of drug taking.
“Brave, blunt, often prepared to swim against the tide if he felt it right, he was someone deeply respected and admired across the troubled landscape of Irish politics... I spent many hours listening to him and learning from him. He had a brilliant turn of phrase and sharp wit which he would use to great effect. He could be difficult but never ill intentioned.” Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Seamus Mallon, one of the architects of Good Friday Agreement.
“He has been dealing privately with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from several decades of work in conflict zones around the world. He has been supported throughout this time by friends and colleagues in news.”
BBC Head of News Jonathan Munro confirming Fergal Keane is stepping down as Africa Correspondent because of PTSD.
“We have all lost a kind, funny, warm, creative and truly loving man whose uncompromising individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary humour has given pleasure to countless millions across six decades”
The family of Monty Python star Terry Jones, who has died at the age of 77.
“Sometimes, maybe I don’t show that I care enough... being blunt and straight talking can come across as a bit insensitive sometimes. My partner Matt says that’s the doctor in me ... ‘you want to get in there quickly and, you know, fix the problems, stem the blood’.”
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirms he’s been working on his empathy.
“The spirits of evil are emerging in a new guise, presenting their anti-Semitic, racist, authoritarian thinking as an answer for the future, a new solution to the problems of our age… Of course, our age is a different age. The words are not the same. The perpetrators are not the same. But it is the same evil. And there remains only one answer: Never again! Nie wieder! That is why there cannot be an end to remembrance.”
German President FrankWalter Steinmeier speaking at the International Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem.
“The signing of the Withdrawal Agreement is a fantastic moment, which finally delivers the result of the 2016 referendum and brings to an end far too many years of argument and division.”
British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson.
“I thought that I was supposed to feel like I was going to pass out at the end of a show, or in the middle of it. Now I realise, no, if you eat food, have energy, get stronger, you can do all these shows and not feel [enervated].”
Singer Taylor Swift revealing she starved herself and almost passed out during performances, describing her struggles with an eating disorder in a documentary.