I am republican, but Beyoncé is the only queen I have time for.
March 13, 2017 10:37 AM   Subscribe

Curious about what Irish politicians think about Queen Bey? A journalist asks the important questions.
posted by threetwentytwo (16 comments total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
Wow, some surprises there! And some creativity. Props for those who actually took the time to respond in a real way.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 11:14 AM on March 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


This is awesome. I love Ireland.
posted by emmet at 11:15 AM on March 13, 2017


I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did - especially since I know nothing of Irish politics and politicians. Really left me smiling.
posted by Mchelly at 11:30 AM on March 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


Bumped into this video looking into "TD":

Enda Kenny teach a US reporter how to pronounce 'Taoiseach'
posted by emmet at 11:59 AM on March 13, 2017 [4 favorites]


Huh. Irish politicians really seem to like Halo. Here's a count of all the Beyonce/Destiny's Child songs named (if someone listed more than one, I counted all of them):

Halo - 7
Crazy in Love - 4
If I Were a Boy - 4
Single Ladies - 3
Irreplaceable - 3
Survivor - 2
Run the World - 2
Drunk in Love - 1
Listen - 1
Bonnie & Clyde - 1
Bills, Bills, Bills - 1
Daddy Lessons - 1
7/11 - 1
At Last (Etta James cover) - 1


My favourite is the guy who answered in all-caps, "OF COURSE, WHO DOESN'T".
posted by mhum at 12:03 PM on March 13, 2017 [12 favorites]


There are Irish politicians and then there are Michael and Danny Healy-Rae--the consummate grass roots, wheeling dealing and outspoken (and regularly misspoken) TDs from Co. Kerry where I have the good fortune to reside. Article to long but the a minute or two of the video says much. If only they had commented on Beyonce.
posted by rmhsinc at 12:20 PM on March 13, 2017


THEY ARE SO EARNEST. Also:
That said, I always felt “Bills, Bills, Bills” from Beyoncé’s days in Destiny’s Child was a good allegory for what has faced the Irish working class. Enda Kenny really is a good for nothin’ type of brother.
posted by joyceanmachine at 12:39 PM on March 13, 2017 [2 favorites]


Sinn Féin’s Pat Buckley :

I’d like her a lot better if she paid the Sri Lanka women who sew her clothing line a decent wage while she enjoys a personal wealth of over a quarter of a billion dollars.

Hadn't heard a thing about that, and I appreciate the politician bringing it to, well, at least my attention. Looks like Beyonce's label denies the claim.
posted by magstheaxe at 1:04 PM on March 13, 2017


Those Healy-Raes are nothing but sleeveens. Cunning, and smarter than they want you to think they are, I don't understand how people vote for them at all, Danny Healy Rae in particular is just despicable, although Michael isn't much better.
Although I do love the Gift Grub take on them (skip to 2mins 23 for Danny Healy Rae).
posted by Fence at 1:50 PM on March 13, 2017


When I moved to Ireland, one of the things that surprised me the most was how accessible our elected representatives are. You can email them, and they will mostly email you back, often immediately. You can make an appointment to see them, and they will see you. Even if they are cabinet ministers, if you are a constituent, they will see you to discuss your entirely local pothole problem*.

I mean, it's a small country and every TD represents somewhere around 25,000 to 35,000 people, but they are much more accessible than when I lived in the US or the UK.

It is a wonderful, wonderful thing. So the fact that there were so many replies to this question surprises me not at all, but delights me completely.

(*This is how the Heley Rays get elected -- they build roads in rural Kerry. For anyone, basically.)
posted by DarlingBri at 2:05 PM on March 13, 2017 [6 favorites]


OK, EVEN IF if all the Beyoncé fans in the NI Taoiseach are insincere (doubtful - folks can actually check if they were at the concerts they claimed to have seen), they have either mastered Google or have staff at hand who know their way around a search engine and/or American R&B.

This puts them so far ahead of the American Congress and Executive it's not even funny.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:31 PM on March 13, 2017 [3 favorites]


Pssst: they're in the Dáil. Taoiseach is the Irish word for "prime minister."
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 7:33 PM on March 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


There was an effort. Minimal, to be sure, but...
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:53 PM on March 13, 2017


This made me giggle (and I needed to have some giggles today), so thank you.
posted by goodnight at 4:46 AM on March 14, 2017 [1 favorite]


Well, Beyoncé is fine, but Solange is where it's at, musically speaking. If we're to get a real handle on politicians, the question needs to be: "Beyoncé or Solange?"
posted by sudon't at 7:52 AM on March 14, 2017 [2 favorites]


My favorite Queen B songs are all on Lemonade and the self-titled Beyoncé but I think Halo is a stand-out because it's where Beyoncé really started to come into her own as a singer.
posted by asteria at 12:17 PM on March 14, 2017


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