A deadly opportunity for the shameless

This thing sure moves fast.

The World Health Organization said it had taken 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and only four for the third 100,000 cases.

As I stated yesterday a crisis like this tends to reveal a lot about people.

At the start of last month as the votes were counted it was clear that it had been a disastrous election for Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar.

He even accepted that his time as Taoiseach was over.

Now that was very good of him!

His party had received 455,584 votes, which was 20.9% of the total.

He had gone into the election with 47 Dáil Deputies and came out with 35.

It was his first election as the leader of Fine Gael and it certainly looked to be his last.

Sinn Féin, under Mary Lou McDonald, received 535,595 votes, which were 24.5% of the total cast.

Her part had 22 Dáil Deputies in the 32^nd Dáil.

They emerged from the election with 37, two more than Fine Gael.

By any metric, a 10.7 % swing for Sinn Féin and the most votes cast (Fianna Fáil received 484,320, 22.2% of the total) was a huge victory for the Republican party.

However, it all seems like an age ago.

No one could have foreseen this crisis dropping onto the period of horse-trading that PR systems must go through in order to fashion a coalition government.

Consequently, he is currently the caretaker Taoiseach.

In recent days he has called for a government of national unity.

However, will not include the party which received the most votes in the recent election.

At one move the Fine Gael leader who clearly lost the election is denying the input of top-class public representatives around the cabinet table.

What type of person would use this crisis to cling onto power and deny the greater democratic mandate of a rival?

For the avoidance of doubt, I am not a political neutral on this issue.

However, Sinn Féin being excluded from a government of national unity says everything about Varadkar’s character and nothing about the fitness of Mary Lou McDonald and her colleagues for office.

Quite simply, the Fine Gael leader is using this awful crisis as an opportunity.

Shameful doesn’t cover it.

Meanwhile, on Planet Fitba, the prizes are being handed out by the Stenography Corps.

So Sevco has won the Null and Void league title and they’ve also lifted the Pandemic Cup.

Now, if you think that has anything to do with sporting achievement, then just keep taking the tabloids.

After the last round of fixtures, the mood at Ibrox and in the press box was funereal.

Hearts had ejected Sevco from the Scottish Cup and Celtic had an unassailable lead in the league.

At that point, not even the most deluded brogue wearing stenographer said that the title race was still on.

It was over and Celtic had won.

There were even questions about the long-term future of Mr Let’s Go.

It is a strange world when the high point of your campaign is a global pandemic that causes a shut down of normal society.

The announcement by the British government yesterday was massively overdue.

They have squandered weeks on a Malthusian fantasy.

This charlatan is dangerously out of his depth and his incompetence will cost lives.

His route to the top has been enabled by his ability to bluff and bluster his way out of difficult situations.

That will not work anymore.

Of course, Leo has a mendacity quotient to rival his counterpart in Number Ten.

Vardakar’s recent claim had my Big Fella spitting.

Moreover, he is in a position to make that call.

South Korea is are the gold standard for dealing with Covid-19.

They even had to cope with bad actors spreading the virus-a religious cult.

Yet, they got in front of it.

However, there is still much to do.

As far as his mother and I are concerned we are just delighted to have him home.

I was just upstairs checking on his tea status.

Breaking news: he’s grand for the moment.

He did tell me that he had just received this email from the Irish Embassy in Seoul.

Here it is:

Dear Irish citizen,

I hope that you are keeping safe and well.

I just wanted to send a short message to reiterate something that we, along with our embassy network around the world, have been stressing in social media and other messages – if you wish to travel home, you should make plans to do so as soon as possible. 

I fully understand that many in the community have deep personal and family roots here and, indeed, take comfort in the fact that Korea is handling the COVID-19 crisis very well. 

However, if you are here for the shorter-term, then you should look immediately at your flight options – not just for availability but also to make sure that the transit route is feasible.  The key point is be sure that you can get all the way home.  Even within Europe, there can be difficulty in securing flights home.  And once you are home, it will be critically important to follow the regulations on restricting your movements and social distancing.

Let me reiterate that we are, of course, happy to speak to, or email directly, any citizen who is looking for guidance and advice.

I hope that you continue to stay safe and encourage you to follow all local guidance on COVID-19. 

Best Wishes,

Julian

Julian Clare

Ambassador of Ireland

Fair play to all of the folk in the DFA keeping our folk safe across the world.

This is a valuable document.

I have written before that this a testing time when people and organisations will reveal what they are like beneath the public image.

So yes, Sevco and Leo have much in common:

Lies and cynical opportunism.

We are all in this together and only the lowest of the low would seek to gain any advantage from it.

Stay safe dear reader.