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A WAR OF words has broken out between the coalition parties, as Helen McEntee said that “women all over the country understand what it’s like when men try to claim credit for their work”.
It follows comments from Fianna Fáil’s Dublin Bay South candidate Jim O’Callaghan, who suggested that he had proposed many of the initiatives tha McEntee had introduced during her time in the Department of Justice.
“We need to build on the good proposals that Fianna Fáil came up with before,” he told RTÉ’s Prime Time last night.
“I commend the minister for the fact she adopted our proposal about raising the recruitment age and also the retirement was raised to 62,” he said.
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In response, McEntee said last night that O’Callaghan had turned down a junior ministry in the Department of Justice and that she had “turned up day in, day out”.
O’Callaghan responded: “I’ve been far more effective as a backbench Fianna Fáil TD… than being the Minister’s assistant. I’ve been much more effective as the Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson. The Minister has adopted my proposals in respect of knife crime. She adopted my proposal in respect of the Children’s Act. She adopted my proposal in respect of recruitment. She adopted my proposals in respect of safe countries.”
Asked about McEntee’s comments in which she said women know what it’s like when men try to claim credit for their work, O’Callaghan said “no circumstances was he trying to adopt the role of the man”, stating that there were a lot of Fianna Fáil work went in to achieve those ideas, which involved people like Senators Fiona O’Loughlin and Lisa Chambers.
Justice ministry
At a press conference earlier today, the Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson stressed that his party wants to take control of the Department of Justice in the next Government, with Fianna Fáil arguing that the country needs a “sense of urgency and leadership after 14 years of a Fine Gael Minister for Justice”.
“I believe had we had the full ministry in the Department of Justice, I believe we would have seen greater progress in the area of justice,” O’Callaghan said.
“I’m not going to personalise it to Minister McEntee, but I do think there is a benefit to help the Department of Justice under new political control and direction as it really needs a new energy within that department,” he added.
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‘Simply arrogant’
When asked if she wants to retain the job as Justice Minister, McEntee said:
“Nobody’s elected here. Nobody has been elected here. My focus over the next two weeks is to get re-elected to represent the people of Meath East. I hope that we will be in a position to return to government with Simon Harris as Taoiseach.
“Anything beyond that really is a matter for two, three, four weeks time when we see what the outcome is and what people have decided.
And I think anything beyond that is simply arrogant.
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This minister is clearly one of the worst ministers for justice to ever hold the office a competent minister wouldn’t be getting so touchy and narky.
I’m sure she’s a very nice lady but definitely not up to the standard required to be Minister for justice
@Tim Brennan: it’s hard to pick which minister was the worst in this government it could have been pretty much any one fo the. But my top 4 complete and utter failures are Helen McEntee, Roderic O’Gorman, Stephen Donnelly and Norma Foley.
@Social Guy: The fact she missed out on a bit of time on maternity leave she would not have lasted in fairness the most competent minister in Government held two jobs for awhile and was excellent in both a real shame Heather H retires
@Nala O’ Neill: I really don’t think just naming female ministers raises the bar of any conversation. It’s not because they’re women that they’re bad at what they do. Look at Roderic O’Gorman, Eamon Ryan! Hardly stellar in comparison. This bullshit of more women in politics because of their gender is stupid and it’s ruining democracy.
It’s highly unedifying for government parties to be squabbling like this when they’ve been in coalition for years and probably will be again after the election, following an unnecessarily long period of ‘negotiation’.
It doesn’t help restore faith in our political system, which has been badly dented, when politicians apparently can’t behave like mature adults.
@Ger Whelan: Coalition partners didn’t use to squabble so much. Now an upcoming election seems to bring on a kind of mania in which anyone can say anything, promise anything, fight with anyone, for some imaginary advantage. They take leave of their senses (such as they are) for a few weeks. It just makes them look bad, and I think it’s got worse.
@Brendan O’Brien: this particular pair are trying desperately to differentiate from each other…..never used to be an issue I guess with the more traditional senior and junior partners
@Clare Power: not attall. I suggest if your planning to be on taking on such an important role then you may want to delay your family planning for a while. It was irresponsible of her to do things the way she did especially when she was so far out of her depth to begin with. And before ye start name calling,yes there are some roles that are not suited to someone who plans on not being there for large chunks of time weather it be for pregnancy or any other foreseen reason.
@Gavin Smartr: Maybe this is a reason why young women today are choosing between family and a career because they aren’t receiving the support when they choose both.
All these little spats are to try and convince the electorate that they aren’t two cheeks of the same backside. My belief is that they will continue with their alliance after being re-elected. My hope is that people remember how both FF & FG along with Labour behaved before there was a strong opposition. Think water charges, never ending USC, property tax etc etc.
@Brendan O’Brien: Fair play Brendan, there is the smell of a Doe a ‘P M Doe’ off him, who is mia today, I wonder if he finally banned? Imagine day after day of typing and the reward is getting banned and having comments removed ;)
@Michale Kane: its Stephen kearon. He must get paid to stay away from the pro’s. They are embarrassed by him, so they sent him here to haunt us for all of eternity
@Brendan O’Brien: Tired jim is just one account from this multi account troll . Read any of the Paul m doe (william slevin / fintan pox / john doe / john m doe / john p doe /ulysses / exhausted jim / tired jim / john jon / lefty tears / lefty cries and dozens more troll accounts ) and you will see the quality of his comments, he has never added anything constructive or of any merit to any conversation on this platform. He has been banned on many occasions for good reason.
On one hand , it is pitiful to think how someone’s life choices have led them to be this desperate for attention , while on the other hand it is easy to see that he is such an immature person that nobody will interact with him in the real world.
@tom o reilly: it took nearly half an hour to post the above comment without being deemed too offensive for the journal, yet troll accounts can spam the comments section day and night. Recently some articles are nearly reaching saturation point with troll accounts, if left unchecked , the journal will solely be the domain of these trolls.
@tom o reilly: The journal is heading for a defamation case if they don’t get the trolls under control. I sent the journal 2 emails this morning in relation to King Troll Buster and his remarks.
@Clare Power: Fair play, I gave up reporting. today has been the first day in weeks that I have not seen P M Doe, Trump24 replying to and abusing almost everyone one. And very little from the other usual suspects, however I suspect ‘* Jim’ is a variant of P M Doe, has same like of same nasty words and of course the obligatory ending of ‘lol’ each time.
Imagine the time taken typing all day every day, and your reward for being a good troll is to be banned and all that effort down the drain..
Thanks again for making the effort.
@paul ruddell: Ah I see.. Kearon also used to post under Pat_Hazzard and others I used to know, but can’t recall now, there’s been so many.. cheers bud
Vote Helen McEntee! She is the most competent politician ever! FF said many times that child benefit will rise by 10 euro – nothing further from the truth. Same way they will “rise” core SW payments by 12 euro each year. FF said that government will work full term – turned out to be completely false statement. FF said that Monks election campaign will not materialize! – but his campaign is going perfectly fine!
Interestingly her late father Shane McEntee was one of our better forestry ministers, with genuine interest, understanding and control of his brief. It’s a pity such ability has evaded his daughter, and her colleague the useless minister for forestry Pippa Hackett who undid much of Shane’s McEntees work.
Is it the blonde hair I wonder?
Was always on the cards , the little spat in the middle of the election to try and make it look like rivals , be best pals again in a couple of weeks .
@Tired Jim: give your sausage fingers a rest will you? Muted paul doe, lefty cries, jockey Jim ect… how many more nob heads are ya on here as? Fartin out your incessant dull repetitive dross. Dragging the comments down. It’s perverse what you get off on. Have you no life?
@Tired Jim: sorry I hurt your feelings but you’re not exactly an exponent of socratical debate, are ya? You’re redundant and predictable. That’s a bad combination. You’d get eaten alive on the likes of reddit so you’re on here instead…. to “set the bar” ..”lol”.
Take the evening off man.
I cannot believe fine Gael didn’t demote her never mind make her deputy leader. She possibly could be a capable junior minister but is way out of her depth and reflects fine gaels inability to deal with law and order
Two of the worst that you could pick to be Minister for Justice, Jim O Callaghan threw his toys out of the pram when he didn’t get a Senior Ministry & Mc Entee has destroyed the country. People are just shaking their heads & laughing at how pathetic the two of them are. How come Miriam is left in situ for Elections, surely there is a conflict of interest. Law & Order has completely broken down in Ireland, drug gangs control communities now, the Musical system has completely broken down, people don’t trust it or believe in it anymore & it has never been reformed & lastly our Jails are full, so thugs are getting away literally with slaps on the wrists. Mc Entee & O Callaghan have no intention of fixing it & neither are capable of it either. We need radical change.
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