Dail World Tour

[mypost]

As you wonder how to find €100 to pay your household charge at the end of this month, you wonder if you have enough spare change from your wages for an hour or two in your local on 17 March, and you prepare to apply for visas to foreign lands soon, it's good to know that your local caring, sharing TD is preparing to buck the world trend once again, and off to wine, dine, and attempt to charm the elites across the world on the state's national holiday.

The official explanation behind the globetrotting, as every year, is a four letter word beginning with "J", even though there may be more hors d'oevres and oysters up for grabs at the top tables of the globe, rather than that new shiny manufacturing facility you're looking for in Co. Roscommon.

Sending a couple of representatives to niche markets is not enough on the national day these days. 17 Government TD's are on the tour this year, 1 has 4 places to get to, some have a couple, others have entire countries big and small to cover. So where are the great and the good off to throw your hard-earned cash at this year?:


Enda Kenny: Chicago, Indiana, New York, Washington

Eamon Gilmore: Canada

Joan Burton: New York

Richard Bruton: USA

Jimmy Deenihan: Atlanta

Frances Fitzgerald: Boston

Leo Varadkar: London

Michael Ring: Birmingham

Dinny McGinley: Glasgow, Edinburgh

Michael Noonan: France

Pat Rabbitte: Italy

Simon Coveney: Benelux

Paul Kehoe: Germany

John Perry: Finland, Sweden

Ciaran Cannon: China

Brendan Howlin: Singapore

Alan Shatter: Australia, New Zealand


And when you find out in 6 months time that someone seriously tried to outdo "The Bull" from Kerry on their annual junket, that a key Minister went Stateside to go to the hairdressers again, and someone else adopts Roddy Molloy "entitled to it"-speak, you will be told it was to promote your interest, not theirs, while those of you still at home, wait for that elusive "j".

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...312916924.html

[Mr A]

I have no great problem with this to be honest. St Patrick's Day gives Ireland a level of exposure that other countries would kill for and if sending ministers abroad helps that then happy days. Also, it's no harm to let the emigrant communities see they have not been forgotten.

As for creating jobs and investment.. that's never going to be directly measurable but personal contacts and the like can make a massive difference. For this reason I liked the government plan to give tax breaks to high ranking employees of big companies. I've seen what can happen from a single high level appointment in my own workplace- we went from doubting our future and letting people go to creating well over 100 jobs, with the same again in the pipeline and a brand new building on the way. And all because we happened to have one heavy hitter on site fighting our corner. Most of my team are in a site in the US but with no such ally things look a lot grimmer there.

[dahamsta]

I don't have a problem with it either once they fly economy with one PA, and their spending is fixed. Do they and is it?

[Dodge]

Generally fly economy. Spending is restricted to hotels and transport.

They're either guests at the invitation of host country, or part of far larger trade/industry events. In both cases we're engaged at a level far above what a country like Ireland normally is

Seem to recall Varadkar having a bee in his bonnet about this before. Something that changed immediately upIn receipt of his first briefing note as Tourism minister

[dahamsta]

Varadker is a word beginning with 'c' and ending in 't'.

[mypost]

Varadkar's expenses last year.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...293299228.html

Maybe he didn't secure too much investment from India. So going to London this year should limit the flights to economy only.

[Lionel Ritchie]

I don't have a problem with the thing conceptually. What annoys me is that I expect it to be presently confirmed that too few of these folks have ever heard of, much less give consideration to slumming it in, say Travel lodge. It'll be 5 star this and presedential suite that and all the trimmings wherever the whole vulgar mess takes them.

[mypost]

9 went on tour last year, 17 going this year. That's more than a full cabinet, so a lot more receptions and toasts to feast on, hotel stays and expenses to shell out on.

Kenny isn't even getting to the White House on Saturday, as Obama is too occupied with entertaining Cameron, so he will have to wait until Tuesday for the annual ritual. Instead, he has been shunted out to Chicago. And he thought Americans cared about March 17.

[Macy]

Kenny isn't even getting to the White House on Saturday, as Obama is too occupied with entertaining Cameron, so he will have to wait until Tuesday for the annual ritual. Instead, he has been shunted out to Chicago. And he thought Americans cared about March 17.

What would you prefer - tell Obama to stick his meeting if he can't do it on the 17th?

I'd rather wait and see with regards how lavish (or not) their trips are to be honest, rather than judge them on how the last lot (with their limo's between terminals) behaved. I also don't have a problem with more going this year than last either. They weren't in office a month last year, so less time to arrange relevant overseas meetings and it was right that time was dedicated to their new briefs. That's not even allowing for the fact (and probably some won't accept it) the state is in a better position now than then - we were in total crisis when this Government took office.

I don't think this Government will take the pee on expenses and luxuries as the previous FF led Governments, so I'm pretty agnostic on the issue of how many go and to where. Is it doing any harm? Any reason I should object except good old begrudgery? Does it have at least potential benefits in terms of tourist numbers and FDI? I think the positives outweigh the negatives.

[mypost]

If you read the press, you'll see new expense issues emerging almost by the week. Latest is Rory Quinn's motor expenses. Who knows what they'll get up to out of sight out of mind, where receptions are long, toasts are many, and business is short. Not that he would, but Kenny should have told Obama to take a hike if he wasn't going to him on March 17. They're preoccupied with Cameron atm, they don't want to know about Enda. It's a snub, plain and simple.

I don't have an issue with going abroad on recruitment missions in general. I do have an issue with doing it on our national holiday. Our leaders should be at home attending the festivities around the country, not in America and Australia, rocketing up the expenses and trimmings. Despite it all, FDI come here on the back of cold calculated business decisions, and move out just as quick when market conditions are less favourable.

[Macy]

What other expenses, except for Quinn? Quinn's broke in mid feb, so should be another 4 or 5 since then.

You are absolutely mental if you think Kenny should tell Obama to take a hike. Apart from anything else, I'm sure the White House would love to not bother with the meeting and photo op that Ireland enjoys every single year, which other countries would give anything for. For Ireland to break it in a pathetic fit of pique would delight them. A completely mental suggestion, even for you!

[Dodge]

mypost, have you any real world experience at all?!

You can't seriously believe its all about toasts do you? (Seeing as youve mentioned it twice)

Kenny is visiting Chicago, Notre Dame, New York and Washington in 5 days. I'd say his schedule has 4 business lunches and 4 business dinners.

You'd rather he'd forego this opportunity to see kids walk up and down a street in Dublin or Mayo?

[mypost]

I'm sure the White House would love to not bother with the meeting and photo op that Ireland enjoys every single year, which other countries would give anything for. For Ireland to break it in a pathetic fit of pique would delight them.

Kenny is not the only world leader that visits the USA President. A number visit him several times during the year.

You can't seriously believe its all about toasts do you? (Seeing as youve mentioned it twice)

Kenny is visiting Chicago, Notre Dame, New York and Washington in 5 days. I'd say his schedule has 4 business lunches and 4 business dinners.

You really think it's all FDI, do you? It is mostly toasts, receptions, first/business class flights, terminal taxis, flash hotels, and the odd few minutes about business.

Look what JOD got up to, and he's not even a PM.

[Dodge]

Kenny isn't a world leader. No one our size gets the exposure we do.

I never said it was all FDI. You have absolutely no idea what happens on these things

JOD was/is a scumbag

[Kingdom]

JOD was,is and always will be, a scumbag

fixed that for you

[Macy]

Kenny is not the only world leader that visits the USA President. A number visit him several times during the year.

Kenny isn't a World Leader. Can you give a list of countries of a similar size that have meetings with POTUS once a year, every year, guaranteed?

[mypost]

I don't think the size of the country is relevant. Many Presidents and PM's visit the White House every year. Kenny is just another one of them and as far as Ireland goes, he is a world leader. Not the biggest maybe, but he is the most powerful man in the country nevetheless.

For all their own globetrotting, you don't see Obama in China on July 4. You don't see Sarkosy in Africa on July 14. You don't see Merkel in Australia on October 3 etc, regardless of their situations of the time. They're at home on those days, as they should be. That is the issue I have with Irish visits abroad at this time of year.

[bennocelt]

Don't have a major problem as long as the costs are kept to a minimum, but what does get my goat is all the money the Failte Ireland/Discover Ireland waste around this time. Remember last year with the lightning up of world sties in green - i mean really, so what, what's that going to do, and their cheesy adds! Reports out last year showed that Scotland spending half the money as Ireland on tourism gets twice as many tourists

[Spudulika]

Questions - who is in Brazil? Who is in Russia? Who is in India? Who is in China? The BRIC group (there is a new S I can't remember right now). I know for sure there was nobody in Russia, at a time when Moscow is hosting a parade (just under 10,000 on Stary Arbat today), a big push to open a greater market for Kerrygold, the Irish Film Festival, Irish Cultural Events and the President and PM wishing the Irish in Russia a "holiday" on TV news today - not one gouger from the Dail or Seanaid bother to come in and try win favour. It's an out and out joke. At the same time millions saw Ireland on TV here today without a website address on anything to do with Tourism Ireland - who told our Ambassador that they don't see this region as worthwhile. Great stuff.

Edit: I fully agree with politicians going away to promote the country, the problem is they're allowed back into Ireland, but still, they are promoting and schmoozing, but there is no direction in anything - like Ireland "certain to be an Olympic base". Crud!

[mypost]

Last year, the government relaxed the visa restrictions on Russian citizens visiting Ireland, and so more are coming here for this year's parade. That does a lot for tourism and the economy in general, without costing a Euro.

Ciaran Cannon got the Indian gig this year.