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Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry has said he was “beyond disgust and depression” over how Taoiseach Micheál Martin dealt with the fallout from the revelations that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar had leaked from a confidential document.
During a heated exchange at the party’s parliamentary meeting, MacSharry is believed to have said there was “palpable” anger across the country over Varadkar’s actions, but accused Martin of acting as “Leo’s main standard-bearer.”
He claimed that Martin had “dragged” the party to 11% in opinion polls and needed to accept the reality that he was “part of the problem.”
It is understood that the Taoiseach said that he had always been very clear that the actions of the Tánaiste were “wrong”; Fianna Fáil “is not accountable” for the actions of the last government; and he personally has “a longer-term view” on these issues.
However, when Mr. Martin said that he was “opposed” to the “personalized nature” of the criticism, MP MacSharry chimed in saying, “There is nothing personal about it. You are the leader of the party. If you can’t accept it, then you shouldn’t lead the party. “
The ten-minute exchange, part of a two-hour meeting, was later described by some of the TDs, senators and MEPs from Fianna Fáil as a “car accident”, “brutal” and “a complete frontal attack with a machine gun”.
Some members of the parliamentary party were highly critical of Rep. MacSharry afterward, with one saying his performance was “shameful, exaggerated and totally unnecessary,” while another said it was “a crazy spiel of which Trump would have been proud. “.
There were other criticisms from the defenders of Fianna Fail, described by a member of the parliamentary party as “forceful” but “measured”.
Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill expressed concern that the party was seen as fighting “for Leo.”
Former Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen contrasted Leo Varadkar’s treatment with his own position, claiming that he did not receive “due process.”
He was also highly critical of the media for creating a culture in which resignations were constantly sought.
John McGuinness was also said to have criticized the way the party dealt with Leo Varadkar.
Before the row, the Taoiseach made it clear that the Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions will remain in effect for the full 6-week period. He added that the infection rate before Level 5, of more than 1,000 a day, was “very high” and, consequently, the restrictions “will pass after 6 weeks.”
Most of the meeting focused on Fianna Fáil’s legislative plans in areas such as social media, hate crimes and how to deal with a Court of Appeals ruling that a dead child cannot be identified when someone is accused. to kill him.
Varadkar apologizes for ‘errors of judgment’ by leak
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Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused Tánaiste Leo Varadkar of providing an excavation to a friend when she passed a confidential document to the director of the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) last year.
He said that Maitiú Ó Tuathail’s organization was in free fall and that he needed the help of his friend, the Tánaiste.
McDonald described the episode as “cozy club” politics and insisted the story was not over.
He claimed that Mr. Varadkar’s alibi had been dismantled and accused the Fine Gael ministers of misleading the public in their defense of the Tánaiste.
Ms. McDonald repeated her call for the publication of all correspondence between the An Taoiseach Department and the NAGP.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the Tánaiste had broached the issue and has accepted that his actions were an error of judgment.
Mr. Martin said that the Tánaiste had dealt with the matter quite carefully and apologized.
He said Sinn Féin should realize that high moral ground is a dangerous place to be.
The Group of Rural Independents has formally requested tonight the Dáil Procedure Committee to investigate whether the Tánaiste violated any code of conduct for TDs or Office Holders.
The Group of Rural Independents has formally requested the Dáil Procedure Committee to investigate whether the Tánaiste violated any code of conduct for TDs or Office Holders. @rtenews
– Mícheál Lehane (@MichealLehane) November 4, 2020
Also speaking in the Dáíl, the co-director of the Social Democrats Roisin Shortall called for a revision of the Code of Conduct for incumbents after the controversy.
Ms. Shortall said the code says that officials must respect the confidences entrusted to them.
She said: “Clearly the Tánaiste did not do that … the last few days have been harmful for the Government and politics.”
Ms Shortall added that there had been “the spectacle of a high-ranking member of the government exposed” and added that it was “dirty activity for dirty purposes.”
In response, the Taosieach said that all members had an obligation to adhere to the code of conduct.
He added that he had made it very clear that what the Tánaiste did was not the best practice and he was wrong.
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Additional reports Mícheál Lehane
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