Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste referred to cohesion, centralisation, cost-saving and the consolidation of websites. These are all admirable matters which do not cost €5 million. We are all for good communications, telling the truth, as well as portraying and giving the truth the complexion it deserves. Since its establishment, the strategic communications unit has used a new tagline, “A Government of Ireland Announcement”. The first announcement I heard was on the disability pension. It amounted to a dishonest abuse of taxpayers’ money to give the complexion of political ownership of the people's entitlements. It was wrong on every level.

I have nothing personal against the director of the strategic communications unit. In fact, I know him personally and all of his family as he comes from Sligo.

The only difference is this is not a business. This is not about creating a complexion of ownership of the people's entitlements, which this is doing in terms of creating a complexion of Fine Gael's and the Taoiseach's, Deputy Leo Varadkar's, ownership of what the people were getting and entitled to long before he was finished school, never mind at the dizzy heights of being flanked, as my colleague said, like the commander in chief - all that was missing was Camp David and Marine One outside the door. No, we do not need that; we need the truth.

The issue here is an abuse. It is putting a marketeer's branding on people's entitlements: "We own this - a Government of Ireland announcement". I was at the cinema with my girls on Sunday. My six year old saw the ad for Project Ireland 2040 and she thought it was a great cartoon and it was then followed by "Tomb Raider". Both were immensely entertaining but, sadly, equally far-fetched. "Tomb Raider" was made by a studio. That particular cartoon, with those lovely pine aircraft flying around Sligo, where we do not have an airport any more, thanks to you guys-----

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