Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

The Minister will have to deal with that in north Mayo and we will see how he gets on. The hypocrisy of politics kills me. Whether in the town council, the county council or in the Dáil, when I believe in something strongly enough, I will vote against it. I voted here with the Labour Party against the critical infrastructure Bill because I believed it was wrong. I believed that it will not do any good for this country and it will be abused by Fianna Fáil and now the Green Party, because they will use that Bill to make sure that developers in this country get richer. I voted against that Bill even though my party abstained. I got into a lot of trouble, but I did not mind because it is what I believe in. When I took a stand against something as a member of Mayo County Council, I did not care what anybody said. If I felt it was right and it was what the people wanted, and if I had given an undertaking at a public or private meeting, then I stuck by my word. I did not care if I never got a chairmanship of a committee or anything else. Politics is about keeping your word.

What kills me in politics is when politicians like John Gormley, whom I wish well, go to meetings——

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