John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I take this opportunity to congratulate my constituency colleague on his elevation to the position of PD leader and Tánaiste, but I must leave that aside for the moment. Does the Tánaiste accept that it was fundamentally wrong for the Minister for Finance at the time, Deputy Bertie Ahern, to accept payments for a speaking engagement in Manchester? Does he agree that this was in breach of an ethical code? Has he had serious discussions with the Taoiseach on this matter? Has he discussed the Manchester payment with the Taoiseach? Does he recall when he was out of politics, saying that the party that stands for anything stands for nothing? Is it now the case that his party stands for very little except its own self-advancement?

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