Editorial: Sinister White House noises and the bowl of shamrock
Have we reached a point where the United States of America can no longer be taken seriously on the world's political stage?
An administration led by a man who refused to accept the result of the 2020 presidential election and subsequently instigated an attack on his nation's Capitol Building in Washington D.C. is now throwing his weight around in Europe in what appears to be strong endorsement of far-right beliefs.
So this man, who should not be taken as seriously as he is, dispatched his vice-president to Munich to launch what can only be described as a brutal ideological assault on Europe, accusing its leaders of suppressing free speech, failing to halt illegal migration and running in fear from voters’ true beliefs.
Needless to say, the same gentleman won't be invited back.
In fact the time has arrived for Europe to kindly tell these misguided persons to concentrate on fixing the myriad of problems on their own patch rather than sticking their noses into other country's issues.
Threats of tariffs by the US against countries refusing to bow down to its presidential tough-guy tactics should be met with the contempt they deserve.
The reality is the new US administration is determined to stir up as much international disruption as it possibly can in order to deflect from its own shortcomings and inadequacies.
So it should be met head-on by refusing to indulge these people and finding new friends elsewhere.
Perhaps when and if our Taoiseach visits the White House on St. Patrick's Day (and there is no guarantee an invitation will be extended), he should make the point abundantly clear that the USA's current international policies and approaches are not welcome.
Better still, he should not bother going at all and simply send the bowl of shamrock by courier!