Declan Ganley
LABOUR TD for Cork South-West Michael McCarthy has likened Declan Ganley’s entry into the referendum debate as being akin to a “vanity project”.
Deputy McCarthy said, “I recognise the mandate that public representatives of all hues and none have on either side of the Stability Treaty argument, and I respect the mandate that people will use to support the Treaty and indeed to oppose it, which is a healthy aspect of any democracy.
“However, I cannot fathom Declan Ganley’s input into the referendum debate in recent days. This is an individual who has no electoral record worthy speaking of, other than his unsuccessful attempt at election to the European Parliament in 2009.
“For him to use the Stability Treaty as a forum for his own vanity project is vulgar in the extreme, and it is something that genuinely offends my sense of democracy. Such vanity is best left to peacocks, and it is a very dangerous day indeed when an individual without an electoral mandate can monopolise commentary around a democratic plebiscite when their motives aren’t very clear.
“The ratification of the Stability Treaty is one of the most significant decisions that the citizens of our country will make in a generation. In this context, nothing less than a robust, responsible and clear debate from all sides is required, and not the indulgent sentiments of an individual who remains somewhat of an enigma.
“The Government is committed to winning back our economic sovereignty. Whatever the Treaty arguments might be in local authority chambers up and down the country, or in Dáil and Seanad Eireann, at least they are based on a democratic mandate. I have a huge difficulty with somebody who engages in what I believe is nothing more than a vanity project with very serious consequences for the economic fortunes of this country,” he said.
Recent Comments