Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I hope the Tánaiste does not mind me interrupting him, but I have heard that. I have heard the Tánaiste say that and he does not need to keep repeating it. I am more concerned with the Tánaiste's informal way of doing things and looking after his friends. He must accept that to any person looking on that it is insiders and outsiders. Dr. Ó Tuathail was an insider with the Tánaiste. To put that in context, the Tánaiste actually said in relation to golfgate in Clifden that one has to lead by example. Various members of the Fine Gael Party resigned their positions because what they did and their error of judgement was so serious, and so as to lead by example. Did the Tánaiste lead by example here?

I will go back to the planning matter where the Tánaiste phoned the county council and which was covered in Timemagazine. Trump did not want a wind farm or a windmill going up. The Tánaiste said he endeavoured to do what he could do about it. He said he rang the county council and inquired about the planning permission and that it was subsequently declined. It was very good of the Tánaiste to say that it probably had nothing to do with him but he got the praise for it and so on. In relation to Trump, who was not President at the time, the Tánaiste said, “In many ways, I actually like that approach because you know traditional civil service and diplomatic approaches can be all about hierarchies, and sometimes the principals just need to talk and sort it out.” The principals at that stage being the Tánaiste, then the Minister, and Mr. Trump, before he was President. That is the informal way the Tánaiste did business. I am running out of time for the Tánaiste to give me an answer, but I am telling the House that this is the way he continues to do it. There was certainly a political gain because he bought off the threatened massive political campaign by that organisation, of which Dr. Maitiú Ó Tuathail was a member, and who threatened to put posters everywhere and to go to all candidates and GPs, but Tánaiste bought it off.

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