Note that this does not necessarily mean a general election in Eire.

www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/i...leader-35725263.html

The name - in English - of the country you refer to is Ireland or Republic of Ireland.

Kenny was a reasonable safe pair of hands - after the country's serious problems following the 2008 crash.

It is now likely he will be succeeded by a gay doctor/politician - with Indian parents.

How things have changed in that country too...where once Catholic priests were revered (now ignored or ridiculed).

And gay people ostracised - and now being elected to the highest positions...

K, many British people refer to the Republic of Ireland as Eire.

Some, in my view rather stupid, Irish people think that this is offensive, but it is actually a courtesy if anything.

I do agree that Ireland's 'transformation' is quite amusing.

Varadkar's politics are basically hard right 'screw the poor' Thatcherite, but he seems to be almost immune from media criticism, because of being an out gay homosexual man.

K wrote:

And gay people ostracised - and now being elected to the highest positions...




A little simplistic, unless you believe that none of the much-vaunted Irish writers/playwrights/novelists were queer - which would be a rather eccentric proposition.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Behan

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miche%C3%A1l_Mac_Liamm%C3%B3ir

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde

And even (possibly, at a stretch, given some of his poems)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Pearse

Yes Behan, MacLiammoir and Wilde admitted their homosexualiy - and the latter was even imprisoned for it, in Reading.

Pearse probably was too, although some view his somewhat unusual behaviour as a consequence of having aspergers syndrome.

Irish authors and theatre led the world around the time of the war of independence, culminating in 1916.

O'Casey, Joyce and Yeats were others who graced the streets of Dublin at that time - although many left it at an early age, rarely to return.

For example - Wilde, O'Casey, Joyce. Something the Irish Tourist Board often fails to mention. Although the ITB promotes a great Joycean pub crawl...

K wrote:
It is now likely he will be succeeded by a gay doctor/politician - with Indian parents.

Correction! Varadkar has a Mumbai born father and an Irish mother; his doctor father met his mother - a nurse - whilst working in the NHS here.

Varadkar is now odds-on favourite to become the next Prime Minister of Ireland. Bright, but shy or socially uneasy.

Doesn't have the baggage of political Irish history and will inject a new businesslike approach to a dated Irish political system.

Non-Catholic, gay and pragmatic - breaking the mould of over 100 years, and good news. Gerry Adams (twice his age - will find it hard to bring up the past).


Our nearest equivalent might be Disraeli - who became our PM, Queen Victoria's friend - and the smasher of so many Victorian moulds...