Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)

In his opening statement, Mr. Yates described the thought of having to declare a clear conflict of interest as being a guaranteed mood killer. I put it to him that instead of being impactful, memorable and witty, which he said earlier he trained people to be, such a flippant comment displays a breathtaking level of arrogance and entitlement. The fact is this: Mr. Yates is a former Fine Gael Minister coaching current Fianna Fáil Ministers. Politics is not an entertainment show. We represent real people and real lives. Whether it kills Mr. Yates's mood or not, does he not accept that the public deserve honesty and transparency when it comes to political coverage and conflicts of interest?