Independent Alliance split down middle over Kenny’s visit to Trump
‘We are very, very united – and have different views,’ says McGrath
INDEPENDENT Alliance ministers tried to forge an agreed position on whether Taoiseach Enda Kenny should meet President Donald Trump – but failed.
Transport Minister Shane Ross and Junior Minister John Halligan are opposed to plans for the Taoiseach to take up the offer of the traditional St Patrick’s Day visit to the White House.
Super junior minister Finian McGrath supports the plan, along with Minister Seán Canney and minister-in-waiting Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran.
There was a series of phone calls between ministers Ross, McGrath and Halligan last weekend.
A source told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘Finian was all in favour of going to Cabinet and telling Kenny that he should go but he should go with a very critical approach. Shane and John took the position that there should be a total boycott of the trip.
‘Finian, Seán and Boxer disagreed profoundly with Shane and John. Those in favour said that we must engage in politics; they also wanted to represent the interests of the undocumented Irish with Trump.
‘At the end of the day, we decided that we wouldn’t have an agreed position and everybody would do their own thing.
‘John and Shane took that hard line, Shane was the only voice at Cabinet to raise the boycotting of the visit. ‘Finian supported Shane on torture and immigration but he said that we must engage. ‘Simon Harris (of Fine Gael) and Finian pushed for an all-party Dáil motion.’ While appearing as a guest on RTÉ’s Saturday With Claire Byrne yesterday, Mr McGrath was asked by the presenter about a reported row in the Dáil bar between himself and Transport Minister Shane Ross.
He responded: ‘Claire, I honestly don’t know where this story is coming from, in fairness.
‘Can I say, it was a bit of banter between myself and Shane and there was no row. There are no splits in the Independent Alliance and we are very, very united.
‘We have different views and there are five of us. Shane Ross and John Halligan have one view and myself Boxer Moran and Seán Canney have another.
‘We have agreed to differ and to move on and that is the reality.
‘There is no row and no split and I am still good friends with the latter.’
Mr McGrath denied having any knowledge of Mr Ross’s media advisor allegedly placing a call to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme regarding a letter which had been written by Mr Ross’s wife and which appeared in the Irish Times – a move which would be viewed as an attempt to spin the minister’s viewpoint.
Finian McGrath told the MoS that he continues to support the motion.
He added: ‘There should be a strong Dáil motion, supported by all the different sections of politics in the Dáil, sending a very strong message to Trump that we disagree profoundly with his policies in relation to immigration, Syria, the undocumented and the issue of torture.
‘I think the Taoiseach has to engage.’
‘We have agreed to differ and move on’