Shielding the straw man Kenny

ENDA Kenny’s handlers’ efforts to shield the Taoiseach from press exposure have reached ridiculous levels. And still they can’t stop him telling reporters that he is not opposed to a coalition with Sinn Féin. Last Monday, British prime minister Theresa May was in Dublin and the dictatorial press office told us there would be a pooling arrangement.

However, Feargal Purcell, the Government Press Officer on €115,000 a year, decided to personally choose the two reporters who would ask questions on behalf of the large Irish press corps.

Unsurprisingly, the eternally compliant Irish Times and the state-funded broadcaster RTÉ were selected.