I’m embarrassed for you!
Leo Varadkar’s boast in Washington DC about helping Donald Trump over a planning application in Doonbeg produced a backlash from furious voters
A DOZEN angry complaints from the public were sent to the Taoiseach following his trip to the US over his infamous Doonbeg comments and the invitation to Ireland he issued to US President Donald Trump, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The complaints, which take issue with Leo Varadkar on a number of grounds, were released under the Freedom of Information Act after the Department of the Taoiseach refused to even acknowledge their existence following requests from the MoS. The MoS first asked the department’s press office on March 22 – one day after the last complaint was received – if it had received any letters of complaint. The following day, the press office said the issue would have to be processed via a Freedom of Information request. When the MoS said it was only seeking to clarify the existence of the complaints, the request was relayed from a press officer to the assistant Government press secretary, and ultimately to the Taoiseach’s long-term adviser, Nick Miller. He said the request for correspondence would be so great as to ‘require a trawl’. The decision to request an FoI would be ‘very common’, he said. The department said this week that all correspondence had been acknowledged. THE following are extracts from the complaints sent to the Taoiseach before and after his US trip.
EMBARRASSED Trip. FOR YOU
Email: 15/03/2018, 7.55pm Subject: Environment Vs Trump Dear Taoiseach, for the first time in my 40-odd years, I felt I could be proud of my Taoiseach when you were elected. Today, with your admission, or even brag, of putting Donald Trump’s interests above that of our environment, I am disappointed and embarrassed for and by you. A serious redress is required. With huge disappointment.
OUT OF YOU YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Email: 15/03/2018 7.43pm Subject: Trump I have to say that giving an invitation to Donald Trump is a disgrace. Mr Varadkar, you cannot say one minute that you would not invite him and then change your stance. Typical politician – say one thing and mean another. The man is a racist bully and nutcase and he will not get a good reception in this country. As a former supporter of Fine Gael, coming from a family steeped in Fine Gael, since I was a child in the West of Ireland, I just had enough of Kenny and stopped supporting you. I must say I felt you were out of your comfort zone, watching you in action in the White House. I was going to support Fine Gael again when you were made leader, but I have my reservations now. It would appear that you are no better than the rest.
SLEVEEN TD
Email: 16/03/2018 8.26pm Subject: Tammany Hall Taoiseach Dear Sir/Madam, He just couldn’t help himself. You can take the boy out of Clondalkin… Mr Varadkar goes to Washington and out of all the stories he could have told, of course, he picks the one he thinks makes himself look great. The great crony/sleveen TD, who pulls strokes for the dodgy businessman who’s on TV. The immaturity and lack of substance exposed by his completely tone-deaf and tacky, tacky tale devalues our country and the office he holds. That’s before even mentioning the language he used – in what world did he think it was okay to say ‘piss take’ to a US audience and in what world do professional people talk to each other like that, especially at government ministerial level?
Is that what people walk around Government Buildings saying to each other at meetings or when discussing policy issues?
If so, it explains a lot about why Ireland is so crap (I guess that’s the right term?) at so many things. Tammany Hall politics still has some life in it. Why didn’t Varadkar just make up a story that would play to Donald Trump’s ego in the same way Enda Kenny used to make up stories all the time about people he met, who never actually existed? Whatever it took to avoid a proper substantive discussion. Keep it fluffy and meaningless.
No, instead, the DNA in the typical crony Irish politician meant he simply couldn’t resist the urge to brag that a) he’d received a call from Donald Trump and b) he’s then fixed the problem for the Donald and, even better, he did it all before Donald Trump became President, so Mr Trump must know Leo was always a fan as Leo doesn’t just take calls or read emails from anyone, you know.
FOOT IN MOUTH
Email: 17/03//2018 9.24pm Subject: Rugby/USA An interesting week… Veruca does the US outing and sticks his foot in his mouth, re Doonbeg – careless and stupid! No excuses from Harris. Veruca causes discomfort.
SEND ROSS NEXT TIME
Email: 17/03//2018 10.56pm Subject: Flag Good Man, Leo… Yet another gaffe!!! Seems you are colourblind, in addition to being a bad ‘storyteller’!!! We look forward to your ‘excuses’ next week!!! Maybe (Shane) Ross should have travelled for St Patrick’s Day after all. He only makes one gaffe at a time, for the moment anyway !!!!
LLEFETFITNCIRNECDRUELODUSLAOTUS AT LACK OF SHAME
Letter: Sent 19/03//2018, Received 21st. Dear Taoiseach, I am writing to express my concerns about public comments you made on Thursday 15th March 2018 in Washington DC at a launch on Capitol Hill. The essence of these comments was that you intervened on behalf of then businessman and now US President Donald Trump over plans to build a wind farm close to a hotel in Doonbeg, Co Clare, which Trump recently acquired.
That planning application was ultimately unsuccessful and, while you said you thought that it would have been declined anyway, you were ‘happy to take the credit for it’.
Like many people – family, friends and colleagues – with whom I spoke in the aftermath of those comments, I was left incredulous that our head of Government would have acted like this in a such an important planning matter and, incredibly, that he displayed no shame at having done so. Indeed, the manner in which the anecdote was conveyed on television to the whole world suggested to those watching it that you were somewhat proud of having done Trump ‘a favour’.
An important part of Ireland’s image abroad is our reputation as honest, hard-working people with a commitment to human rights, democratic values and the rule of law. Hearing our Taoiseach essentially admit on the global stage to partaking in the worst brand of parish-pump politics left a lot of ordinary Irish people, including me, disappointed, angry and somewhat embarrassed.
I am not a member of any political party and hold no particular political affiliation, so these comments are not made out of any intention to attack your party’s free-market policies or views of how business is or should be done on the international level. Rather, it is with the hope that you will take to heart how what you did while Tourism Minister and what you have now said as Taoiseach, has significantly damaged both your reputation and the confidence of the Irish people in systems of government to be fair, transparent and equitable.
They certainly have left me more pessimistic than ever about the chances of our current political system bring able to solve our greatest challenges. I would also like to take this opportunity to request your response in writing to the following questions at your earliest convenience:
Was the call from Trump during the rugby match the first and last conversation with him prior to your becoming Taoiseach? If not, what were the subjects of the other conversations?
Do you consider it appropriate for elected representatives, and particularly cabinet ministers, to intervene on planning applications on behalf of wealthy businessmen?
Since becoming Taoiseach, have you, or has your office, intervened on any planning applications? If so, which were these and on whose behalf did you make these interventions or representations?
Do you think it is appropriate for Taoisigh or cabinet ministers to use public platforms, such as those afforded globally during St
Patrick’s week, to tell stories which create the impression that the Irish Government can be bought or sold through a phone call, if you are a businessperson of Trump’s wealth and notoriety? Would you agree that your comments have damaged the country’s image?
Sincerely... NO STAND-UP COMEDIAN Email: 19/03/2018 8.58pm Subject: Ides of March Dear Leo, You got great coverage on your trip to Washington DC and New York on the Irish media. I watched the broadcast of your speech in the White House. You seemed to be doing well until you strayed off script. When you started recounting your anecdote about Ennis and Doonbeg, I said to myself: ‘Oh No.’ A stand-up comedian you definitely are not. Your anecdote caused pandemonium amongst the political classes. The Labour Party leader was first out of the traps, demanding all sorts of rubbish. The local representative for Clare, Timmy Dooley, was looking for answers. Barry Cowen also got an airing. I can’t remember if any Sinn Féin people made the airways. I think all the Shinners were in America, on a bit of a jolly. Christ, the SF mob are such hypocrites. The working class can kiss my ass. PS bring back Frances Fitzgerald. HAVE YOU NO DIGNITY? Email: 20/03/2018 8.09pm Subject: Trump I am disgusted that you would meet with Donald Trump, a most disgusting creature. On St Patrick’s Day, no less. Have you no dignity? I am an American citizen of 75% Irish origin and I would never allow Donald Trump on my property, not even to clean the sewer. I would certainly never touch his hand or make eye contact with him. I thought Ireland had learned to stay away from tyrants and maniacs. ENDA HAD AN EXCUSE, YOU DON’T Email: 21/03/2018 4.48am Subject: Taoiseach, You don’t represent me! Dear Taoiseach, just writing to let you know that you don’t represent me when you go to visit Donald Trump in Washington this week. Enda Kenny had an excuse last year in that Trump was only two months in power at the time. You don’t have any excuse as you heard all his lies, all his iffy actions in the bosom of Putin, his strange mate, all his pally-wallying with the nasty NRA, all his disrespect towards women, all his horrible treatment of the ‘Dreamers’ in the US, all his attacks on the free press. No wonder his sidekick, Mr Pence, wants to talk to you behind closed doors without same in the room. And I could go on and on and on… So, Mr Varadkar, you don’t represent me on your visit to the US.
And please, I wish you would tell him not to bother visiting Ireland at any time in the future & if you can’t do that, leave it open till his next term, of which he won’t be in the White House.
For Robert Mueller 111 is slowly… but surely, catching up with him for his shenanigans with his bosomy pal in the Kremlin.
PS as regards getting any promises on trade etc from him on your visit… I would just take same with a pinch of salt. PPS to you & all those travelling with you… have a safe journey.