SEXIST TWEETS TWIT QUITS
Disgraced Fine gael officer forced to resign over vile comments
FINE gael’s sexist tweeter Barry Walsh was forced to quit yesterday after branding women “bitches”.
He stepped down from the party’s executive council after Leo Varadkar called on him to resign.
In a letter, Mr Walsh said: “I deeply regret the tone and language I used in some of my tweets.”
FINE Gael sexist tweeter Barry Walsh was forced to quit yesterday after vile misogynistic posts calling women “bitches”.
His resignation came just hours after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar urged him to resign from the party over his comments.
In his letter to party bosses, Walsh wrote: “I’m writing to tender my resignation from the Fine Gael Executive Council, effective today.
“I am doing so out of respect for the membership and the Taoiseach in particular, in order to prevent any further distraction.”
He claimed he had been subjected to a “trial by media” when he himself had used social media to make vile remarks about women.
He added: “I also do so in the hope that it may bring an end to the “trial by media” which has occurred in the last 48 hours and placed intolerable pressure on my family and friends.
“I deeply regret the tone and language I used in some of my tweets. I realise some of my remarks have caused serious offence to many people and I apologise unreservedly for that.”
Pressure had been growing on the former head of Young Fine Gael after Mr Varadkar said he expected party members to “set a higher standard”.
He added: “It would be for the best if he resigned and stepped down as a member of the executive council pending a disciplinary procedure which is now under way.
“Mr Walsh is below the standard of what we expect of a Fine Gael officer.
“There are lots of trolls and nasty people on Twitter, but I expect Fine Gael officers to set a higher standard.”
Mr Walsh had come under blistering attack from mainly female members of the government party over a series of tweets and comments he has made that have been damned as completely inappropriate.
The charge has been led by Fine Gael Dublin TD Kate O’connell who herself has been subject to some of Mr Walsh’s online slurs. She raised the issue at the parliamentary party meeting this week after he tweeted an insult about her after a debate on abortion at the party’s Ard Fheis last Saturday.
Ms O’connell claimed she had received assurances from the Taoiseach that action will be taken on foot of her complaints.
She added his recent outbursts were not isolated incidents and that his comments were “consistent, sustained and unacceptable.”
Prolific tweeter Walsh, with more than 10,000 posts in less than three years, is understood to hold very right-wing views.
He has repeatedly attacked those who would be considered to be pro-choice ahead of the upcoming referendum on the Eighth Amendment, including Ms O’connell, and comedian and writer Tara Flynn.
One such tweet read: “From what Tara Flynn says, she was pregnant and just couldn’t be bothered having a baby.
“So she had it killed. Why is she a feminist hero?”
Female political opponents have been regular targets of Walsh’s “bile” too. He has described Mary Lou Mcdonald of Sinn Fein as a “stupid bitch” and used the same inflammatory term for Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin did not want to comment directly on an internal Fine Gael matter when pressed by reporters, but he did say the controversy has prompted his party to review its social media policy for members.
He said social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook have a role to play too.
Mr Martin said: “On the use of Twitter and social media platforms, it’s about time that people stopped using them to abuse and insult people and to accuse them of things they haven’t done, and to use all sorts of language to dehumanise them.
“And I think the social media platforms are in danger of degenerating into very extreme, intolerant political language.
“I think the social media companies have a lot to do here as well.”
Walsh is below the standard we expect of a Fine Gael officer LEO VARADKAR YESTERDAY