Murphy battles
EMBATTLED Fine Gael candidate Verona Murphy has been front and centre of the 2019 by-election and she was joined by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Monday in Wexford town as she makes a final push for a Dáil seat.
With each day a new controversy has been plastered over the front pages of national newspapers involving Murphy.
The story this newspaper published on Tuesday was at the heart of many of the reports early in the week. Her comments suggesting that the housing minister Eoghan Murphy’s attitude to people on the social housing list was ‘let them have cake,’ were picked up on and later raised by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin during Speaker’s Questions in the Dáil, as was her remark that migrants as young as three could have been infiltrated by Isis, a comment which sparked outrage with calls for her to be removed from the party ticket. (She later clarified that the comment arose form her experiences visiting refugee camps in Calais as a hauliers representative).
Further comments about drink driving laws being too restrictive also found their way into the national media.
The Ramsgrange woman linked asylum seekers to ISIS and called for them to be ‘deprogrammed’ on RTÉ’s This Week Programme that Sunday. The Irish Times then reported the following day that Murphy made further comments linking migrants to the terrorist group while canvassing in Wexford the previous Friday.
Fulsome apologies followed from Murphy and she even came in for criticism for making the apologies. Accompanied by Justice minister Charlie Flanagan she attended an Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre in Dungarvan Monday evening to gain a better understanding of asylum and refugee issues. She spent over four hours there and speaking afterwards, said: ‘I was very moved by my visit. I met men, women and children from wartorn regions who came here to escape brutal violence so that they could live normal family lives.’
Over the following days the national media highlighted several aspects of Murphy’s past including a bullying case of which she was one party, how the Road Safety Authority warned her not to interfere with safety inspectors going about their work, among other stories including one in which she is alleged to have used the Taoiseach’s name to gain influence during an argument. She has denied the accusations. Throughout her own party was split on the newbie candidate. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Simon Coveney rowed in behind her immediately, Mr Varadkar saying he accepted the apology issued by Ms Murphy following what he called her ‘foolish’ words on the issues. He added that it had been a ‘learning experience for her and ‘anyone involved in politics.’
Mr Coveney expressed confidence in Murphy but said she has been ‘bruised’ by ‘a very difficult few days’.
Speaking in Zagreb, the Taoiseach said: ‘She’s apologised twice now and withdrawn her remarks in full, that’s good enough for me. It’s up to the people of Wexford to decide next week if it’s good enough for them.’
Murphy was considered to be the party’s brightest hopes of securing a seat in the by-elections – which are notoriously difficult for sitting government parties to win. Mr Coveney said that Fianna Fáil had faced a similar controversy, and their candidate had apologised.
Murphy attended several official functions mid-week, including the opening of the new Georgia Southern university campus hub in Wexford town and was front and centre for photographs.
The party put an embargo in place, preventing her from speaking to the media, no doubt hoping the controversy would play itself out, but that was not to be.
Mr Varadkar encouraged ministers to support Murphy on the campaign trail. ‘We’ve four candidates in these by-elections and I would anticipate ministers, TDs, senators, party members will be canvassing for all four candidates.’
How times had changed from just four weeks previously when Mr Varadkar was praising his candidate to the heavens during a pre-opera dinner in the Thomas Moore Tavern in Wexford town on a video which was later shared on Facebook. Last week, looking far less bubbly on RTE, the Taoiseach said migration was a ‘sensitive area’ and politicians ‘need to tread carefully in what they say’.
He added: ‘But at the same time we need to acknowledge it is an issue the public talk about, and therefore politicians have to be able to talk about it too. The case I always make is one that is in favour of migration,