Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

These amendments are a sop to politicians who are freaked out by the potential implications of the GDPR and are overstating them. Under the GDPR, the legitimate interest of communicating with constituents is covered but we are trying to say that any communication by a politician is in the public interest, which is a stretch, given some of the bile that is foisted on householders by politicians claiming that it is in the public interest. It is not necessary. The British authorities had something like amendment No. 50. I will not make a big deal about it here. My point is that political work is covered by "legitimate interest" and we do not need this extra clause. It is a stretch to say that some of the stuff that is sent out by politicians or would-be politicians is in the public interest because it is only in the interests of them getting re-elected.