Words don't come easy to stung Enda

DÁIL SKETCH:SOME ANGRY people said bold words to the Taoiseach.

Enda didn’t like it.

And he certainly wasn’t going to repeat in the Dáil “the range of verbal comments” directed at him by certain protesters at the weekend.

“Unrepeatable in the House here,” quivered Enda yesterday, mindful of the rules of decorum.

We can only imagine.

It’s rough out there, in the real world. But sometimes politicians, even taoisigh, have to put themselves about among the people and take the flak.

By all accounts, there was a lot of abuse directed at the Taoiseach when he toured a shopping centre in Athlone. The sort of barracking he has had to put up with at recent events would be difficult for anybody to endure.

For obvious reasons, there are a lot of upset and frustrated people around at the moment, and there are also some who make it their business to fan the flames of their anger for their own ends.

But Enda, who regularly underlines his authority when in the Dáil by stressing he speaks “as the head of Government,” should remember this when he’s on the road.

He came up against an irate man during acrimonious scenes at his referendum canvas in the midlands.

“Take the bridge, head west and stay there” shouted Gordon Hudson, as noisy hecklers crowded the Taoiseach.

First, Enda tried to engage the anti-water and household tax campaigner by asking his name. “It doesn’t matter” came the indignant reply.

The hecklers were making one hell of a racket. In the midst of the din, Enda shot back: “You could do with a day’s work, I’d say.”

Whereupon Mr Hudson retorted: “Oi! Self-employed and had to pack it in because of ye. Twenty-nine years self employed. Don’t give me your crap.” As head of Government, Enda should have kept calm and carried on.

Instead, his injudicious comment – provocation from a crowd or not – led to Richard Boyd Barrett demanding in the Dáil that he apologise for “a very demeaning and insulting comment to a man who worked very hard for 30 years.”

There was none forthcoming. Instead, the Taoiseach decided to focus on his own hurt.

“I understand what can happen in times of challenge when people are under stress, and I myself was the subject and the victim of a range of verbal comments, probably from some of your own acquaintances, that are unrepeatable in the House, here in this forum” he said sniffily to Boyd-Barrett. “I don’t know people in Athlone,” said the People Before Profit deputy for Dun Laoghaire. “As I understand, Gordon Hudson was no way being threatening to you, or anything like that.” Enda was stung.

“I don’t deal in glib comments and I don’t deal in demeaning attitudes towards anybody.” But his comment in Athlone was grist to Boyd-Barrett’s mill. Did he seriously believe it appropriate to say what he said to a man who had worked for many years in a small business? Did he not now think that he made an error of judgment? If Enda thought that, he didn’t say it.

The Taoiseach launched into a long spiel about his Government focusing on job creation and what it is doing to stimulate growth. He understands the need to help people in small and medium businesses.

When he finished, Boyd-Barrett said quietly “I think you should not have said that to that man.” Enda and words – when to say them and when not – is proving a bit of a problem for him again.

Should he debate on television with Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams? After saying last week that he would not take up an offer from TV3 to facilitate one because he wouldn’t deal with presenter Vincent Browne, the station said Ursula Halligan would moderate instead.

Yesterday, word came back from the Taoiseach’s people that he would not do a one-on-one debate with Adams – leader of the No side, according to Enda recently in the Dáil.

The Opposition is delighted with this turn of events.

“You do very well behind closed doors,” snorted Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley, when the Taoiseach told of the “good, vigorous discourse” he enjoyed at a public meeting about the fiscal treaty the night before.

Enda told Sinn Féin their heart really wasn’t in their anti-treaty argument.

“You’re the one who’s running scared, Taoiseach. Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Gerry Adams looked suitably smug. He’s ready to debate, apparently. “Shovel ready,” according to Opposition deputies.

Outside Leinster House, three Sinn Féin heavyweights held a press conference to outline their growth package. But everyone wanted to know how their leader felt about being snubbed by Enda.

“Very disappointing” said Pearse Doherty. “We challenge him again to a debate.”

“Enda Kenny is running away from this debate,” said Mary Lou McDonald.

“He is hiding behind a difficulty that he may have had with a particularly presenter. That doesn’t cut any ice.” She threw out the challenge again.

But Fine Gael appears to be of the view that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Keep Enda under wraps. Let the main protagonists do the heavy lifting and remain statesmanlike and relatively unscathed.

Then again, maybe Enda will surprise us all yet and accept the gauntlet thrown down by Gerry.

If the Taoiseach is doing something of a Cowardly Lion routine – then Gerry could be something of a Tin Man.