Bertiespeak (moment #253)…
From Beano, who has the detail of this exchange between the Taoiseach and a FG TD from Ulster…
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To be honest I don’t see the Bertiespeak.
FG TD says that there isn’t decent broadband in Cavan and Bertie says he is talking about the Republic of Ireland (as a whole) and not Cavan.
As Bob Geldof would say, Is that it?
“says he is talking about the Republic of Ireland (as a whole)”
That’s a VERY generous assumption to make. Southerners in general and Bertie especially isn’t prone to calling the state of which he is in charge “the Republic of Ireland” unless he’s trying to distinguish it from Northern Ireland, certainly not twice in quick succession, and I’m sure he would have just said “Ireland” or “Ireland as a whole” if that’s what he had meant.
or even “the country as a whole”. All of these would be more natural.
It’s hard to imagine Bertie waving away concerns specific to Dublin with similar syntax, but George’s interpretation is quite possible.
Quite a lively discussion of this at Damien Mulley’s site, as well:
http://www.mulley.net/2008/02/09/video-of-bertie-ahern-not-knowing-where-cavan-is/
That’s why it struck me as Bertiespeak… multiple interpretations possible… Also, is the TD for Cavan Monaghan no supposed to consider a national problem in light of his own constitutents?
Tardy broadband roll out is surely one of the worst failures in FF’s otherwise decent performance in government.
beano,
Bertie said:
“We are talking about the Republic of Ireland, let’s not get down to…(interruption from the floor from the FG TD Seymour Crawford I think)..We will talk about Cavan another day.”
Hardly a Bertiespeak in my view but if you see it as meaning that Bertie thought Cavan was over the border, fair enough but seeing as Bertie was saying that the Oireachtas could talk about County Cavan another day, I doubt it.
I still think it was a mistake George. On the second occasion where Bertie refers to the Republic of Ireland he does seem to emphasise the word Republic.
Perhaps Seymour is wishing for a (re)united Ulster.
Broadband would be provided.
Keep up the good work Bertie, a bit of education down there wouldn’t go a miss.