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Michel Euler/AP
# long haul
An Taoiseach went on CNBC from Davos and said there's no chance of an Irish election in 2017
Asked whether there should be one, he said “not at all”.
TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has told US news network CNBC that Ireland’s government is ‘stable’ and that there is no chance of an election this year.
Speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kenny was asked by CNBC International’s Steve Sedgwick whether Ireland’s government was stable.
“It is, and it means that you think differently,” Kenny said.
“It means that you reach out to other parties, that you hear other voices, that you work on a programme which is published, which is transparent and accountable and you sign deals with other parties on certain issues to keep government working in the interest of the people.”
The Taoiseach was asked twice whether he felt there should be an Irish election this year, with Sedgwick putting it to him that the Irish election showed the country’s electorate is angry along with other populations in Europe.
Not at all. The people voted in an election, and they gave their answer. The politicians responded to that, and we put a government together which is a minority partnership government.
Hard border
The Taoiseach was also asked in detail about the Irish government’s priorities for the British EU exit.
He reiterated that both he and British Prime Minister Theresa May have agreed that they do not want to see a return to a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland. Kenny acknowledged there is not solution on this yet but said he was confident one would be found.
“In terms of the border, there will only be the one land border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland when Britain is removed, removes itself from the European Union,” he said.
But we’ve agreed that there will not be a return to borders of the past, customs posts along that border, and while this may present a challenge, obviously it’s a question to which we will achieve an answer.
Read: The British and German media reacted very differently to May’s speech >
Read: ‘The UK says it needs 50 new trade agreements straight away… Is that doable?’ >
