1 2 Nov/Dec 2016
T
HE ELECTION of Donald Trump is just
the latest headache for an already pre-
cariously balanced Irish government.
The election of the man whose words
were described as ‘racist and danger
-
ous’ by Enda Kenny just a few months ago does
not in itself pose an imminent threat to the Taoi
-
seach’s political survival but it certainly
intensifies the political and economic uncer
-
tainty already heightened by Brexit.
While most Irish people would agree with the
sentiments expressed by Kenny during the US
election campaign in response to Trump’s con-
sistent attacks on immigrants, women,
minorities and the disabled, it may not have
been, in hindsight, the cleverest thing in the
world for the Taoiseach to express such forth-
right opinions about a possible incumbent of the
White House.
No wonder he was on the phone to ‘The
Donald’ less than twenty-fours hours of the
shock US presidential result to ensure that the
door will still be open when he brings the bowl
of shamrock to Washington in March.
It would not be so awkward for Kenny if he was
not already under pressure to set a date for his
departure as leader of his party and the govern
-
ment. And it will have to be both, despite the kite
he has recently flown about staying on as Taoi-
seach while relinquishing the leadership of Fine
Gael.
He has already claimed at various times that
his experience is needed to navigate the turbu
-
lent waters following Brexit but he can’t have any
such illusions about the impact of the latest
international shock to the Irish economy from
the promised Trump era.
The most immediate is Trump’s promise to
reduce domestic corporation tax from 35% to
15% with its inevitable consequence for Irish tax
revenues from multinationals but others include
his threat to deport undocumented immigrants
and to place obstacles on young people making
study and work trips to the States. Not to men
-
tion the knock-on effect of his victory for the
election of extreme right-wing forces in France,
the Netherlands, Italy and possibly Germany if
the refugee flow persists, over the coming year.
Kenny knows he is hanging on by a thread and
the rival contenders for leadership will almost
certainly intensify their campaigns in the new
year with the expectation of a contest by late
Spring, if not before.
Neither can Michael Noonan expect to receive
any retrospective laurels from his cringe-making
welcome for president-elect Trump on his arrival
in Shannon in 2014. Whatever about Kenny the
finance minister is a political dead-man walking,
for a number of reasons.
In the week before Budget Day in October,
according to a number of flies on the wall in
Merrion Street, there was the usual flurry of
activity and panic in the Department of Finance
as the big day approached. Except the nerves
of officials were frayed, not by the well flagged
budget, but by the minister’s date with the
Public Accounts Committee days later where his
role in the Project Eagle affair was to come
under scrutiny.
Noonan had been informed by NAMA execu
-
tives, in March 2014, of the dodgy fee payments
associated with the planned sale by the agency
of its £5.6 bn Northern Ireland property portfolio
to US fund, Pimco. While Pimco withdrew from
the sale on the advice of its compliance team the
sale went ahead to Cerberus who paid just
£1.24bn for the commercial and property assets
just weeks later.
Although he protests otherwise, Noonan
could have made known his reservations about
continuing the sales process in the light of the
shocking information about backhanders to
legal and other insiders, including a former advi-
sor to NAMA, but did not do so.
It then emerged that Cerberus was repre-
sented by US firm Brown Rudnick, the same law
firm that acted for Pimco. And that Brown Rud
-
nick along with Belfast solicitors, Tughans, and
a number of others including Frank Cushnahan
a former member of the agency’s Northern Ire
-
land Advisory Committee (NIAC) were due to
receive £15m between them in success fees from
Cerberus for their assistance with securing the
deal. Former NI first minister, Peter Robinson
NEWS
Fine Gael in government
was determined to protect
its law and order credentials
no matter what the cost to
its public-service
Endangered
Time to take Kenny and
Noonan away
by Frank Connolly

Loading

© 2015 Village Magazine

Back to Top