Favourite Irish political quote

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Purple

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What's your favourite quote from an Irish politician?

I always loved the Bertie-isms and how he mangled the language. His comments to Gay Mitchell stand out for me: "If you stop waffling, we might get some work done. You’re a waffler. You’ve been years around here waffling."
 
I can't remember the exact wording but Pee Flynn telling people that maintaining 3 houses on 140k a year and a housekeeper "isn't easy" and "you should try it sometime".

Brian Lenihan's "mature recollection"

And of course there is Winston Churchills famous quote about the Irish. "we have always found the Irish to be a bit odd, they refuse to be English".
 
Charlie McCreevy's line in the Dáil when homosexuality was decriminalised was great. A conservative TD from Wicklow was very upset about it and Charlie told him to "relax, we're making it legal, not compulsory".
 
A comment by Pee Flynn in which he accused Mary Robinson as “having a new-found interest in her family”

This backfired in the bould Pees face leaving him covered in exhaust soot and cost Brian Lenihan snr , the election.
 
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Bertie’s “cribbin and moanin” rant in which he said he didn’t know why those predicting economic doom didn’t commit suicide, sticks in the memory for me. A year before the global crisis.

As someone nearer the coalface, he could confidently assure us that the boom times would get boomier.
 
“It’s my considered opinion that in the fullness of time history will record the greatness of Collins and it will be recorded at my expense.”

deVelera many years after Collins death in the civil war.
 
Knuttell said:
“It’s my considered opinion that in the fullness of time history will record the greatness of Collins and it will be recorded at my expense.”

deVelera many years after Collins death in the civil war.
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Two man who had great respect for each other. Both should be remembered as the complex and flawed men that they were. Dev doesn't get anywhere near the credit he deserves.
 
Indeed both were compelling in their own way and no one could doubt their love of country.
 
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Oliver J. Flanagan

An outspoken politician and anti-semite, Oliver J was a social conservative who famously urged the government in his maiden Dáil speech to “rout the Jews out of this country … where the bees are there is honey, and where the Jews are there is money”.

A high-profile defender of the Catholic Church’s family values, among his other well-remembered quotes are that “there was no sex in Ireland before television” and “one would want to be a raving political lunatic to think Ireland would vote for divorce”.

The latter quote was uttered after the 1986 Divorce Referendum, one that saw him campaign for a No vote while Charlie was part of the Yes camp.

When he was appointed Minister for Defence, the Irish Times had a cartoon of him driving a tank with the caption "Make war not love".
 
In his maiden speech in the Dáil in 1943 he said "There is one thing that Germany did and that was to rout the Jews out of their country" He said that Ireland should do the same "They crucified our saviour 1900 years ago and they are crucifying us every day since". He was one of the strongest opponents to bringing Jewish refugees to Ireland and even opposed taking a boat load of orphaned children. That said he had broad support in the Dáil and only the determination and political skill of the much maligned Dev made it possible for us to do what little we did to help them.
 
It's in the Dáil report for 9 July 1943 at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1943-07-09/8/#spk_76
 
One of the cleverest things ever said by an Irish politician was Enda Kenny's reply to Brian Cowen's speech dissolving the Dáil on 1st Feb 2011.

Cowen finished his speech ending the Dáil and starting the election campaign with a quote from Raftery

"Anois teacht an earraigh, beidh an lá ag dul chun síneadh, ‘s tar éis na féile Bríde, ardóidh mé mo sheol."

Kenny replied by continuing the quote

"Ó chuir mé i mo cheann é ní stopfaidh me choíche, Go seasfaidh mé thíos i lár Chontae Mhaigh Eo."

In effect, you are starting the election, but it will end up in Mayo (with me).
 
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