Enda Kenny

Looking across the water east and west, at the shameless flip-floppery of the formerly Remainer Conservative MPs and the noisy narcissism of Trump, and looking north at the proudly ignorant tribalism of Arlene Foster, it’s hard not to find soon to be-ex Taoiseach Enda Kenny quietly likeable. 

Yes, he was very much an old-school, centre-right FG premier, yes, his promise in 2011 of a ‘democratic revolution’ was complete balderdash (see the housing crisis, the continuing health crisis, the lingering presence of the Catholic Church in the public sphere), and yes, he was for the most part another caretaker leader of another government that did little more than muddle along.  The marriage equality referendum was a notable success but economic stability was achieved at a brutal cost to many and corruption and incompetence are still endemic in most areas of public life.

 But still, at a time when loudmouth antagonism and sham nativism are all the rage among powerful politicians in some jurisdictions, Kenny’s polite and sometimes goofy manner, his reluctance to fling stones (the one fatal exception being his ‘whingers’ remark during the 2011 general election campaign) or fan flames of resentment, are enough to make him seem an admirable leader. And that’s pretty sad.