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Updated 2.40pm
TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has said that he would like to see Queen Elizabeth visit Ireland in 2016 as part of the events surrounding the commemoration of the 1916 Rising.
Speaking to the media after a business breakfast in London this morning, Kenny said that the government had made it clear “some time ago” that it intended to invite members of the Royal family to some events in two years time.
He said he was pleased to hear the Queen herself speak about the possibility during last night’s historic State banquet at Windsor Castle.
“I was actually pleased to hear the Queen herself speak last night that members of her family and her government would stand side-by-side with representatives from Ireland at appropriate commemoration ceremonies,” he said.
Asked if he would like to see the Queen return to Ireland in 2016, he responded: “Yes, I would like to see it, but obviously there is a protocol attached to this.
He said that Irish people have become “very much enthused and interested” in pageantry and ceremonies attached to State visits such as the one taking place this week.
Kenny said that working out the participation of Royals in any events would have to take into account the different perspectives people have on the past.
Asked about the criticism in some sections of the British media of Martin McGuinness’s attendance at the banquet last night, Kenny said that the Sinn Féin MLA should have attended the State banquet in Dublin Castle in 2011.
He also pressed home that it was up to leaders in the North to sort out their differences in the interests of the peace process.
“What I tried to say here, which I think was endorsed by the Queen and President last evening, was that you cannot have a block of politics anchored to the past which does not allow for the next generation to move ahead,” he said.
He added that the past “should not strangle the opportunity for the future”.
Speaking at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London this afternoon, the Tánaiste said that an invitation to the Queen and other members of the Royal family was something that has been discussed for a long time and would be considered by the government.
“I was very pleased to hear what Her Majesty had to say last night. The idea of perhaps members of the Royal family participating in the 1916 events is something that we have talked about before,” he said
For his part, the Foreign Secretary William Hague said that it was important to commemorate the events together.
He said commemorating “all the events from that period” including the Rising needs to be considered by both governments.
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is it not gnp that matters or me being stupid
Correct a rise in GNP is a sign of growth in the domestic economy.
think GNP in Ireland is 20% less then GDP
GDP takes into account foreign companies operating here and GNP takes into account Irish companies operating abroad. I think thats the main difference.
One of the reasons why we’re in such a mess.The more money sucked out of the economy the greater the fall in GNP.
GNP = GDP – Factor Income From Abroad.
A more illuminating differentiation:
GNP = the total income earned by domestic citizens regardless of the country in which their factor services were supplied.
GDP = total value of goods and services produced in the domestic economy, calculated according to the returns received by the factors of production owned by the residents of the country, irrespective of citizenship.
It’s all from the likes of google eBay and itel and that my friends never touches Irish soil, god bless america
GDP includes multinational companies…GNP strips out the multinationals…GNP is a much truer measurement of irish economic output..:)
so i’m at a loss here. is this good news or bad news, or just a different shade of bad news? I suppose it means that we have a lot of foreign investment, which is kinda good…but then again, it doesn’t seem to be effecting our GNP, which i suppose is bad. maybe it’s all just news and I don’t have to categorise this one.
Do you FEEL any richer?
It like relationships, its always more complex than it first appears.
It’s good to see that Multi nationals are doiung well but awful concerning to see that domestic SME’s etc continue to be in free fall. SME’s account for over 90% of our private sector employment.
We are in danger of making Multi-nationals the new construction industry.
Bloody Enda Kenny!
More treacherous incompetence!
Leslie these figures are not published by the Dail
15% unemployment, how can this be so! there is plenty of money in the economy, it can’t be all doom & gloom – Fergal :-)
perhaps our truth tellers in dail eireann are not giving us the true facts Ferg.
Its the opposite Fergal too little money in the domestic ecomony.GDP includes all the profits made by multinationals whose money is repatirated to their home country.
Take for example google. their profits come from out side Ireland anyway and then they pay staff who spend it here. We also tax their profits albeit abit more tax would be good.
Sad thing is in economics is that the economy can grow with unemployment staying high. What this effectively means is that Ireland punches far above its weight for a nation of its size. nnAlthough GNP is a more accurate reader of economic health Ireland’s is still rather healthy per capita but still declining unfortunately. nnLeslie this has nothing to do with the dail!
I was shocked at how low the wages are in other countries. I was talking to a bank teller in Portugal and he informed me that he was on €650 per month. Significantly less than of dole for a 36 hour week. Major purchase items such as cars seemed even more expensive over there….
true, but then the cost of living is way less then ireland. while this doesnt necessarily include the basic commodities such as food or clothing it covers just about anything else.
rent / luxury goods from cigarettes to computer components or television sets for example.
i can only speak from my own personal experience of course.
i build computers as a hobby and i cannot recall the last time i bought so much as a cable in ireland, which is a shame as i think the economy could certainly do with encouragement to leave money in the country.
but if items are 1/3 the price in other countries like germany, the uk or holland, i dont see how ireland can be competitive in the eu market.
this is the age of e-commerce. amazon, ebay and alike expand the markets beyond local and national borders.
not good news anyway most of it is repatriated we need the money to stick around here
have your say