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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShLc1_H2e2s
The full text of the Christmas message from President Higgins:
I WOULD LIKE to send my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to everyone here in Ireland and to our extended global family across the world.
While we have nearly always tended to think of Christmas as a happy time as families come together to enjoy the festive season, I am also conscious that, for some of you, this year will be a Christmas where unemployment, financial insecurity or the absence of a loved one now living abroad will cast a dark shadow. For many others, it will be a sad time due to illness or family bereavement.
So these are troubling and testing times for so many but while acknowledging the hurt inflicted, the dismay caused, by the mistakes that were made, I also believe that the Irish people have the resilience, the fortitude and the wisdom to move beyond any destructive cynicism and recrimination and have the capacity and determination to move on and craft a new positive form of their Irishness.
It has been truly inspiring for me to witness the innovation and the resourcefulness that have come to the fore in our time of economic need and to see, across this island, communities renewing themselves in social solidarity through co-operation and together showing practical concern for each other and particularly for the less fortunate in this country and, indeed, throughout the world.
While the wider global environment is worrying, we are seeing some positive results in our economic affairs. Our exports continue to grow; many of our companies have become more innovative and competitive; and direct inward investment is robust but the great challenge of creating jobs, reducing unemployment remains.
We Irish also remain a nation of great cultural and sporting achievement, and this continues to enrich our society and enhance our reputation abroad. There is also widespread support for a post-recession future driven by our people’s creativity and grounded in a real economy that harnesses our indigenous strengths and adds lasting value to our society.
I am confident that, drawing on our shared strengths and our ethical values, we will rebuild a sustainable and strong economy while also at the same time building a just and inclusive society that ensures the participation of all its citizens.
Ireland is a country and a people moving forward with a common purpose and a shared aisling of hope and courage; a country that will marry the best of its old wisdom with the new found learning wrought from the chastening experience of recent troubled times.
We are a country of which there is much to be proud; whose possibilities are still to be fully imagined and realised; and whose people I am honoured to serve.
I wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.
Michael D Higgins is President of Ireland
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” we are seeing some positive results in our economic affairs” give up the bullshit Michael D & leave the political sound bites & government propaganda to the liars. Other than that happy Christmas to you & yours.
@Chicken ball Ann .
Get back into bed and get out the other side , it’s a good positive piece for Christmas. Happy Christmas Ann.
I’d say his own economic affairs have seen drastic improvement alright!! ;-)
Even though some commentators here feel like spreading holiday sadness and bitterness, I would still like to wish everyone – including President Higgins and the rowdy bunch shouting him down – Happy Christmas, Happy Solstice and Happy New Year or Happy whatever-you-feel-like-celebrating-over-the-next-few-days. And for goodness sake – for the sake of just having a rest and a brake – could everyone chill out and take a holiday from the negative comments for a few days, so I can stay in my possibly foolish happy state-of-mind, at least until the end of the weekend? Thank you :)
Thanks for that Michael, I feel all better now.
Still no accountability though right? no actual changes in government policy right? no REAL shake up of the system, or proper political reform?
Merry Christmas to you too.
He’s okay in his big house.
People who are ok generally have positive outlooks. It’s the people who aren’t ok see reality, because they experience it.
I feel I must clarify, I’m not having a go at the Presidents work to date, but at government in general. Without these badly needed changes this speech is meaningless.
More “bulls” from M D… You see, talk is easy!
@Glyko Yes, as you’ve just demonstrated…
The only way forward is to now stop the blame and realise we are a great country and it’s time to heal. Great message Michael D. Happy Christmas.
I’d have to question the relevence of a Presidential speech at this time of year. With all due respct to the office of president…someone living in the surroundings he lives in and who is on the pay packet he’s on won’t know the difficult and turbulent times ahead for the rest of the people of this beaten weary nation. The intentions are good but a speech like that might have been better coming from someone outside the political classes.
You may recall there was an election and he won. Therefore he is best placed as the people’s representative.
I cringed my way through that.
Why ?
Don’t all the Presidents speeches have to be pre-approved by the Cabinet? Case closed.
I like m.d .his intentions are good .but we have a government that has no imagination no focus no real passion for change .even if they did something radical and it didn’t work at least they would be thinking outside the box.the speech is good but means nothing to most people who are hanging on by there finger nails .
I’m guessing if they did something radical, most people would be too busy looking for flaws to notice…
Nice sentiments but again words from someone who knows nothing of the hardships of ordinary people.All politicans included in this.If you are getting a minimum of 93 k,how with a straight face can you say you understand peoples fears.
MDH “knows nothing of the hardships of ordinary people”?? A cursory look into his background, say, 2 minutes’ worth of effort online, would have disabus you of that piffle. You might deign to exercise what (presumably) sits between your ears some day.
* disabused
Was I the only one reading that in his voice? creepy!
why on EARTH is this Elf not in Lapland helping Santa, its getting very late Elf, hurry!
he talks about our resourcefulness and yet he will sign documentation taking away our resources in the new year what a load of waffle from more silver tongued and educated deceitfulness we are so gullible to be taken in by these charlatans
I wonder, will our “socialist” president will be happy to sign off on socially regressive taxes, as the one person with the true power to say “no”, that would “change the presidency”.. If he reminded the party that he once led of their principles and refused to stand down.
Or will he allow us enter a treaty that will place the governments, EU ministers and financial system beyond reproach, and give the EU permission to demand sums of millions if not billions for payment within 7 days?
It all remains to be seen.. Here’s hoping for change in the new year, let this be the last Xmas where Ireland’s “leaders” fail to lead.
Patronising cliche ridden waffle from ‘King’ Michael D. Nauseating
Please forgive the rudeness and disrespect of some of the previous posters. There is a great sense of hopelessness around here at the moment. I’m sure you’ll understand ad thoughtfulness and compassion are two of your many attributes.
Please don’t let Enda gag you. I’ll be watching you on Vinny brown tonight and reading between the lines. I’ve always found your words inspirational and full of hope. Hope is something we need a lot of at the moment. Love you and happy Christmas XXX.
reada i have news for you, i voted for that man but i know when i am been plasmas by bullshit
I love him Derek. He’s never been afraid to tell the truth. He’s only started and god we’re an impatient lot but give him a chance. His heart is in the right place and he’s not driven by ego. I’m tuning in tonight and hoping Enda hasn’t given him his script. So there. Hah. ;)
reada, you could not do much worse than donating to guide dogs for the blind this time of year, you know what they say about love, and the script for his sort is set in stone
B-)
I feel like I’m in mass listening to the priest. That isn’t a compliment.
Am with most of ye on this. Empty message. People are expecting more than from him and if he doesn’t deliver there will be a backlash.
Lisa, what are you expecting him to deliver? Jobs?
To challenge the governent against any further bailouts and unfair taxes. Yday we just agreed to give money to the IMF! He didn’t challenge it.
As proud of Michael D. as ever we were. Those giving out about the message seem to think that he should’ve transformed the office and indeed the whole nature of the state in six weeks. If Michael D. had been that impatient for the last 50 years he wouldn’t have achieved half as much as he did.
not really, in the context of where we are as a nation, and how the government is performing, that speech is meaningless.
Michael D., as President of Ireland you have to make these kind of speeches, but regardless of your Government approved message, thetoric is cheap!
Action speaks louder than words and despite all the pre-election talk about ‘changing the Presidency’, nothing has changed in the ‘Park’….The old adage ‘the more things change, the more they say the same’ comes to mind!
What we need from our ‘Leaders’ is positive action and untill we see that, we will remain sceptics of our political set-up!
I have no doubt but that you are a decent man, so I wish you and your family all good tidings for Christmas!
Give the guy a break. I know politician baiting is a national passtime but what was he supposed to say? Dont get me wrong I disagree with Michael D on a number of things but he said all he could say really. As president he cant exactly announce that we are shafted and that every politician in Leinster house should be shot. I thought he did reasonably well and thats from a seasoned cynic.
Do any of you know anything about Loyalty ? .He as President of Ireland is loyal to all of us, but he can not come out and openly criticise the Government . His speech was lovely , in spiring and I like him . He is intelligent , clever, practical, patient, kind and gentle. Happy Christmas everyone !
maybe he shouldn’t say anything.
The Capuchin Friary in Dublin handed out almost 2,000 Christmas food parcels today. Platitudes do not feed people.
Happy Christmas to you and yours though Michael D.
The office of President is prehaps the most expensive “rubber stamp” in the world.Offer no wage just expenses honourary post only,see how many race for the aras then.The office has always been a sought after prize of the political parties.M D could have done alot more staying in the Dail but ego got the better of him or Labour don’t which.
I did Johnaton and i still stand by what i said.If he wants to show solidarity with ordinary people its kind of hard to do it when you have pensions in excess of 100k and a salary of 250k.
How much does he get paid exactly, between wages, pensions and expenses?
Whose yer man?
The wage after accepting a pay cut 250k roughly,expenses for office of President roughly, 315k.TD’s pension,minister’s pension,senead pension,lecturor pension from NUIG and not sure if he collects this old age pension.Combined income excluding expenses roughly 350k roughly sure someone will dispute this but all in the public domain.
How much??? SIgh.
We should pay him 35k like Martin Mc Guinness was going to take and invest the 315k left over every year into promising Irish companies to try and create a few jobs. Michael D has been a politician for many years and I’m sure he’ll be financially sound for the rest of his life with 35k a year (if he gets into difficulty we would help him out). It would be a great example to other politicians and people if our president done something like this and a great wee Christmas present for our country every year.
Better again we shouldn’t even have a president. Listening to his speech was like listening to a broken record. Talk is cheap and I’m. afraid this is all we’re gonna get off this guy. He sounds like some boring old priest giving a sermon.
The SAME OLD COMMENTS ALL A LOAD OF BULL S–T.GET OUT ON THE STREET AND MARCH TO GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN A PEACEFUL MARCH AND LET THEM KNOW HOW WE FEEL,NO ONE GIVES A F–K ABOUT THE COMMENTS “LESS OF THE BULL S–T AND MORE ACTION”
Elf
Spelt your name wrong Jonathan must be be that thing between my ears sorry about that.
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