‘Alliance with Casey? We’re fine, thanks...’
PETER Casey has laughed off suggestions he was seeking to join the Independent Alliance when he was spotted talking to Shane Ross at the weekend – claiming he instead told the Transport Minister he was ‘a disgrace’.
Mr Ross was almost as vitriolic in his response to the rumours yesterday, tweeting: ‘FF, Renua – this week it’s the Independent Alliance in Peter Casey’s sights. We’re fine, thanks. Stick to the day job.’
Controversial Presidential candidate Mr Casey and Mr Ross, the Minister for Sport and Tourism, were spotted in an ‘in-depth conversation’ on the fringes of the Presidential inauguration at the weekend. This prompted one national newspaper to speculate that Mr Casey was ‘about to join the Independent Alliance’, headed by Mr Ross.
But yesterday Mr Casey told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘It’s rubbish. I was giving him a piece of my mind. I was actually saying he was a total disgrace. I told him he should consider resignation.’
He went on to claim he was expressing concern over the recent VAT hike which Mr Ross oversaw for the hospitality sector. Mr Casey added that it would lead to suicides.
‘I was telling him that it is wrong to force Dublin VAT onto the rest of the country,’ he said, referring to the budget decision to scrap the special 9% VAT rate in the hospitality sector, restoring it to 13.5% from the beginning of the new year.
The hike has been criticised by restaurants and smaller hotels.
Former Dragons’ Den star Mr Casey said the VAT change would mean ‘restaurants going out of business and hotels closing down’ outside Dublin. ‘It will mean people losing their jobs and becoming unemployed, maybe for the long term,’ he said.
He added that Mr Ross was ‘out of touch’ and said his bloc would face retribution when the election was eventually held.
‘He said to me that it was a small increase and that people wouldn’t notice it,’ he said. ‘That is ridiculous. I said to him, in Dublin they might see it as a rounding-up, but in rural areas they will definitely notice it... He is penalising country people.’
Mr Casey claimed the economic depression caused by the VAT rise would cause some people to take their own lives, and that it would indirectly be Mr Ross’s fault. He said: ‘I told him he should reverse the VAT increase, or defer it. He was saying things, but I wasn’t in the mood for listening to him, so I can’t remember what he said.’
On the prospect of joining the Independent Alliance, Mr Casey said: ‘I wouldn’t want to join any political party I can’t be the leader of, but he [Ross] isn’t leading his, and he isn’t leading in his Department. He is terrible, a total disgrace. When I am in politics I will not be like him. He is out of touch.’
Mr Ross was offered a personal right of reply to Mr Casey’s criticisms, but there was no reply.
However, he did issue his tweet ruling out Mr Casey joining his alliance. His comments echoed a previous tweet by Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley, in response to Mr Casey’s claims that he could join Fianna Fáil and lead it. Mr Dooley wrote: ‘Ah, we’re ok thanks!!’
Mr Ross’s spokeswoman said Mr Casey had ‘used the chat to highlight his unhappiness’, while a Independent Alliance spokeswoman said it was untrue to suggest that Mr Casey would be joining the group.
‘He is penalising country people’