euro|topics - Irish Prime Minister announces his resignation

05/07/2009

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Main focus of Thursday, April 3, 2008

Irish Prime Minister announces his resignation

Confronted with accusations of corruption, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern announced on April 2nd that he would be stepping down as Taoiseach on May 6th. The European press comments on this surprise decision and looks forward to the consequences it might have on the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty slated for June 12th.

Irish Independent - Ireland

"Bertie Ahern truly embodies the characteristics of Irishness. That is why people liked him: they saw in him a reflection of their own flawed selves," writes Kevin Myers in the Irish daily. "This culture of selective moral myopia has its uses. Most spectacularly, it enabled the peace process to come it its current status: and central to that has been Bertie Ahern's moral fluidity. Indeed, he was in the forefront in the creation of a political contract which has chosen to exclude terrorists from the consequences of their deeds. ... Yet we need not another second to say that the media class which has spent so much time seeking to destroy Ahern actually embodies the very same moral inconsistency of which it accuses him. But assuredly, it does not embody his virtues. For Bertie Ahern joined no lynch-mob, spoke ill of no one, thought himself superior to no man, and dedicated his entire life to public service." (03/04/2008)

The Herald - United Kingdom

"Mr Ahern's resignation suggests that he has lost his non-stick coating after nearly 11 years as Taoiseach," writes the daily in an editorial. "Mr Ahern's explanations have been unsatisfactory and evasive. Given his stated desire to ensure that the minutiae of his personal financial circumstances do not dominate the Irish agenda to the detriment of the issues that count in the long term and need to be addressed as a matter of some urgency, he was probably right to resign. He can now concentrate on his legal action and hope that the body politic can focus on what matters in Ireland. ... If history is to be kind to Mr Ahern, it will perhaps be for his role in Northern Ireland above all else. Ignoring for the present his personal troubles and their possible implications on this side of the Irish Sea, that would be a positive legacy." (03/04/2008)

die tageszeitung - Germany

Bertie Ahern's difficulties with his personal finances are trivial compared to those of other corrupt Irish politicians, writes Ralf Sotscheck, who points out: "In Brussels they will be delighted about his resignation. Ireland is the only country in the European Union which will put the Lisbon Treaty to referendum. It's true that all the parties, with the exception of Sinn Féin, are pushing for a 'yes' vote, but there was no telling what impact the scandal surrounding Ahern's finances would have on the results. The Irish already rejected the Treaty of Nice for reasons pertaining to domestic policy. In the second round Ahern got his way. Now his resignation paves the way for a 'yes' vote in the referendum scheduled for June." (03/04/2008)

» To the complete press review of Thursday, April 3, 2008

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