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London mayor refuses to apologize to Irish over St. Patrick’s Day remarks

Says he has ‘nothing further to add” to comments about ‘crap’ St. Patrick’s Day event

By
DARA KELLY,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Sunday, February 19, 2012, 9:17 AM
Updated Sunday, February 19, 2012, 9:17 AM

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London mayor Boris Johnson
London mayor Boris Johnson


London mayor Boris Johnson says he has no regrets over the comments he made about the city's St. Patrick's Day event and that he won't be issuing an apology.

During an interview with the New Statesman magazine, Johnson linked the annual St. Patrick's Day gala dinner to Sinn Fein and called the celebrations "leftie crap."

The black-tie event was canceled by Johnson's office in 2009 to save money.

"I’ll tell you what makes me angry... spending £20,000 on a dinner at the Dorchester (hotel) for Sinn Féin," he said in the interview.

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The mayor's comments have been labeled as offensive by the estimated 200,000 Irish population in Britain's capital and Irish community leaders are looking for an apology.

However,  Johnson insists he had no regrets.

According to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the mayor said "they have nothing further to add" and stressed the comments were "about the use of public resources." A further statement stated that the mayor "does support London’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations."

The mayor's comments may cost lose him key votes in the city’s Mayoral elections on May 3.

Said vice-chair of the Labour Party Irish Society, Christine Quigley: "Boris should get his facts straight. The annual St Patrick’s Day event he refers to was a self-financing community event attended by a wide range of Irish actors, politicians from every party, community figures and celebrities. It did not cost the taxpayer £20,000 and it was not a Sinn Féin event."
 

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17 Comments

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seanomelb | Feb 22, 2012, 06:11 PM EST
ciara do you mean the grave dug for him by the british.

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ciaradexy | Feb 21, 2012, 11:53 AM EST
IrelandNorth,Im well aware who Pearse was! But I somehow doubt hes turning in his grave because Boris isnt a fan of Paddys day parades in the UK! Get off your high horse there!

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maryosullivan | Feb 20, 2012, 11:02 AM EST
Boris; TSK, TSK, have you forgotten ,SF is now on your side? Not nice to criticize your friends in public,you might hurt Gerry's feeling after all he has done for you folks

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wdwrkr371 | Feb 20, 2012, 09:57 AM EST
Why do we care what this man say's. Life right now is complicated enough trying to navigate through one disaster after another don't sweat the small stuff and this is small stuff.

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IrelandNorth | Feb 20, 2012, 06:00 AM EST
cheddah1918! Spoken like a true Patriot. Hope there were many Paddy's in Washington's Revolutionary Forces kicking the King George's redcoats asses back to Brittania. We live in an age of revisionist history (hysteria?). Glad to see some people remember theirs. ciaradexy! I'm Irish, and you don't speak for me. I care. Anyone in Ireland under 40 is historically illiterate, due to historical revisionism and press/media censorship. Ciara! P. H. Pearse was an Irish patriot, not a member of Boyzone. And 1916 is much more than a minute after a quarter past seven in the evening. Paradigm! You obviously need to embrace a new viewpoint.

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cheddah1918 | Feb 19, 2012, 06:50 PM EST
sorry....three points

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cheddah1918 | Feb 19, 2012, 06:50 PM EST
I have two points to make about 'March 17th'. 1. Here in Massachusetts, United States of America, we celebrate March 17th as 'Evacuation Day', which was March 17, 1776, the day that General George Washington fortified the Dorchester Heights with cannons captured at Ticonderoga, and forced British General William Howe to retreat by sea back to Nova Scotia, Canada. This was Washingtons first victory in the Revolution. 2. The Mayors of the U.S.A wouldn't make such insensitive comments such as these by Mayor Johnson. 3. March 17th in Ireland, from what I have observed as an American tourist, is a holy day of obligation for the Catholics, a celebration of the death of Saint Patrick. However you celebrate it, enjoy yourself. Let's just ignore this Mayor from London. Let the electorate speak on May 3rd.

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seanomelb | Feb 19, 2012, 04:17 PM EST
He appears to have the same hair stylist as Trump and the same loudmouth to boot.

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ciaradexy | Feb 19, 2012, 03:06 PM EST
Its funny how the irish couldnt care less if theres a Paddys day celebration in the rest of the world and yet the foreigners do!

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robnamccannfulk | Feb 19, 2012, 02:43 PM EST
one word--arsehole!

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cillowen | Feb 19, 2012, 01:39 PM EST
This Boris twit has that racist blood flowing, as would be normal for those of his ancestral superior stripe.Mozzel Toff. Boycott England is one answer - loss of the scheckel is a great option. Letting them to wallow in their third world London town - Dirty old town. Paste these truths far and wide.

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Delta19USA | Feb 19, 2012, 01:34 PM EST
What I would like to know is how the hell did an idiot like him become mayor of London? London sucks anyway and I am English. Looks like Londoners will be the only one throughout the world who are NOT Irish on 17th.

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Springfield9 | Feb 19, 2012, 12:50 PM EST
All right then, Boris won't have his GLBT parade!

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Murph46 | Feb 19, 2012, 11:44 AM EST
f... him and the horse he road in on ,a bloody johhny bull wanker!

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Paradigm | Feb 19, 2012, 11:31 AM EST
The handful of real 'objectors' probably didn't even realise Boris had "offended" them. Sure, with their 'heads buried in the sand' they wouldn't even have heard! Anyway de Valera politics and demonstrative IRA b***s**t is gradually dying out - give it another 90 years!

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