Controversy over Leo’s spin unit is unsettling Paschal
PASCHAL DONOHOE and other ministers are becoming increasingly uneasy over negative publicity around the controversial Strategic Communications Unit and the Taoiseach’s growing spend on spin.
The flat-footed nature of Leo Varadkar’s response to this week’s housing and sexist abuse controversies attracted sharp criticism of his advisers.
One minister asked: ‘What exactly are this array of geniuses doing? The only media attention this lot get is attacks on how much they cost.’
One TD noted: ‘Leo is engaging in a level of media empire building that would embarrass Bertie Ahern… the government by spin smear is starting to stick.’ Another said Paschal ‘melts into the wall’ when the SCU is mentioned and: ‘Thrifty Pascal doesn’t like the look of this at all.’