TERRY PRONE FIRES OFF
Officials claimed they didn’t exist! Printed here for the first time, astonishingly frank extracts of Terry Prone’s highly confidential advice to ex-Minister Fitzgerald, showing how to keep Mick Wallace off air; what to do about Alan Shatter’s criticism..
GARDA STATS
‘You will note that I have taken all statistics out of it. Given the impending Inspectorate report, and the likelihood that the report will question some of those statistics, it would be unwise for the minister to unquestioningly quote from a Garda Siochána Annual Report.’ SEPTEMBER 2014 WARNING NOT TO TRUST GARDA’S OWN STATS
DEALING WITH WALLACE
‘I’m both sorry and glad I didn’t get to this when it was first crafted … If the department wants to give legs to a dying story and put Deputy Wallace on every radio and TV station for the next week. I would heavily recommend against that course of action.’ JUNE 2014 REBUKE AFTER THE MINISTER PENNED A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON WALLACE
NOT MEDDLING IN INTERNAL AFFAIRS
‘I’m sorry this took so bloody long, but I wanted to keep as much as I could of … [the] draft while moving it away from meddling in the innards of the gardaí.’ JULY 2014 ADVICE FOR A MACGILL SUMMER SCHOOL SPEECH
WAG THE FINGER, NOT THE DOG
‘Minister, the two asterisks indicate a gesture of index finger wagged from side to side,’ BODY LANGUAGE ADVICE FOR THE SAME SPEECH
CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY
‘This is radically rewritten, for two reasons. 1) The original was too long. 2) It was patronising, ‘host country’ stuff. In fixing 1 above, I have removed Alan Shatter and defensive references to process improving. Why should those present give a toss?’ FOR A SPEECH TO NEW CITIZENS IN SEPTEMBER 2014
SHATTER CRITICISM
‘You could tell her that I’m finding no interest in the part of journalists in Alan Shatter’s criticisms: they see them as belonging to last week. The news bulletins have pushed him to one side.’ She also said that if the delay issue did end up being raised, Minister Fitzgerald should then say something like ‘the controversies around the former minister [Shatter] had put a speedbump’ in its progress. FEBRUARY 2015, AFTER FORMER JUSTICE MINISTER ALAN SHATTER CRITICISED THE GOVERNMENT
DRAFT SPEECHES: THE GOOD
‘This is a beautifully argued speech with which I should not interfere, because it is coherent and consistent in tone throughout. Because the argument is laid down, layer on layer, the minister needs to read it out loud at least twice so she can do it justice. Tess.’ JUNE 2014, FOR A RESPONSE TO SHANE ROSS
DRAFT SPEECHES: THE BAD
‘Marion [Mannion Ministerial Adviser] no offence, but the latter was certifiable.’ MAY 2014 COMMENT ON A DRAFT SPEECH (Ms Mannion later responded: ‘Thank you for another masterpiece … think you are being kind to draft submitted.’)
DRAFT SPEECHES: THE UGLY
‘I’m sorry, but I’ve had to cut away three quarters of the original. Not the venue for the Encyclopaedia Britannica of Departmental self-praise. ‘I think you’ll find now it addresses things that have been niggling (like culture) has a recurring theme that allows us to stress the importance of consultation/listening and has a bit of humour. Shout at will. Tess.’ JULY 2015 MORE ADVICE FOR MACGILL SPEECH