Time to put the house in order
IT was good to be home after my brief spell in hospital and great to have my inner spirit restored by being able to walk to my favourite tree and have a quiet conversation with nature.
However, two nights on a trolley in A&E, and the journey through it in a wheelchair to get a scan, is imprinted on my brain. Surely we can do better than this?
The Taoiseach after all is a doctor. Speaking of Leo, what about the shambles in Fine Gael?
First of all, we have the frankly extraordinary scenario of Damien English giving incorrect information to get planning permission. Did it not occur to him that after Robert Troy was outed it was inevitable that his lie would be found out ?
He had after all been a junior minister for housing. Personally, I’ve always liked the man but the bottom line is that as a TD you need to have your house in order otherwise the media will find you out.
If the loss of a junior minister from your own ranks isn’t bad enough, along comes the scandal surrounding Paschal Donohoe’s electoral expenses.
Now Paschal is a big blue beast, a poster boy for Fine Gael, who has so far given a rather unconvincing story about his election expenses. He is to give a further statement to the Dail on Tuesday.
Sinn Fein smells blood and they will be determined to inflict as much damage as is possible. The Taoiseach, who was in Davos, said the explanations put forward by Mr Donohoe are “valid” and that it is now a matter for SIPO. In this instance I don’t think trying to kick the matter into touch works.
So even if Mr Donohoe is an exalted president of the Euro Group, he should still come into the Dail and come straight on the issues at hand.