Politics

Analysis: Tense, eventful week at the United Nations gives everyone plenty to talk about

State’s leaders all trod carefully in New York with mixed success as homelessness, migrants, Israel, Palestine and Iran all impinged as part of political reality

President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Simon Harris at the opening session at the United Nations gathering in New York: Both waded into hot water while they were away. Photograph: Maxwell’s
Jennifer Bray's picture
Jennifer Bray
Wed Sept 25 2024 - 20:53

It’s a well-known fact that when it comes to big foreign trips, the wheels can come off for political leaders very quickly.

Mix jet lag with early starts, late finishes, a packed schedule and a hungry media pack and the result is often gaffes, slip-ups and flared tempers.

Who can forget Leo Varadkar apologising after regaling an American event with the story of how he had interned in the US at a time “when some parents would have had cause for concern about what would happen to interns in Washington”? Or Enda Kenny rebuking a journalist in Canada for asking him about an election date when he was standing next to a puzzled Justin Trudeau.

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This week, Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Green Party Minister Eamon Ryan and President Michael D Higgins travelled to New York for the United Nations general assembly, attended by world leaders.

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As the press gathered for the first official set-piece of the trip – a press conference with Higgins on Sunday – it looked as though Harris was in hot water already. In an interview with the Sunday Times, he drew a link between homeless numbers and rising immigration levels. His comments drew criticism from the Opposition, and created some anxiety in Government with some officials wondering how much of an issue it was going to become on the trip.

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Higgins had no problem wading in, saying he did not agree the housing crisis was caused by immigration issues. But it was comments made at the end of his press conference that caused controversy. It seemed clear to the travelling press corps that he was insinuating the Israeli embassy had got their hands on his letter to the newly elected president of Iran and circulated it. How would they have done that, though, he was asked. “I have no idea,” he said.

In any event, he said he never used the word “leaked” but at an exceptionally tense press conference the next day, where he repeatedly tried to shut down questions on the topic, he also said he had no regrets. Departmental staff watched on with barely disguised alarm as the President repeatedly butted heads with journalists.

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As this played out, the Taoiseach blitzed his way through back-to-back bilaterals, roundtable events, multiple press conferences, lunches and dinners. He confessed to having jet lag but his only minor slip-up was revealing the time of his surprise October US trip in an interview with The Irish Times, which officials had refused to disclose up until that point.

He closed out the week with a meeting with the president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, and a visit to the New York Irish centre while the Tánaiste announced further humanitarian support for Sudan and Lebanon. Both return to Ireland in the small hours of Thursday morning and will be straight into Cabinet and budget meetings, where the political focus will move to next.