Frank Fahey meeting on the economy may have begun with protests and ended in a walkout, but the Fianna Fáil TD is determined to continue his public meetings on the main political issues in the run up to the General Election.
“I’m a great believer in free speech and I’m happy to address issues that people want addressed,” Dep Fahey told the Galway Advertiser. “I will not allow a small group to undermine me, the meetings, or my attempts to be re-elected.”
On Monday night Dep Fahey hosted a public meeting in the Clayton Hotel on the economy. The speakers included both Dep Fahey and Dr Alan Ahearne, economic advisor to Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.
The impression given by initial reports of the meeting and early morning radio broadcasts on Tuesday was of a tense affair, which degenerated into anger and recrimination.
However Dep Fahey says the meeting did not descend into chaos and was not the “bruising encounter” it has been portrayed as in some quarters.
“There was a small number of people who were there to disrupt the meeting,” Dep Fahey told the Galway Advertiser. “Outside of that many people who were there spoke to me afterwards, people who are not Fianna Fáil, and I answered their questions. I would not call it a bruising encounter, I’m happy to face the wrath of people who are angry.
Left alliance Galway Unites Against Cutbacks staged a protest outside the hotel before the start of the meeting. Chants of “Fianna Fail Out” and “No Cutbacks, No Fees, No Fianna Fáil TDs” were heard at the start and end of the event.
“Working class people know too well how the FF/Green/Harney Government has used the economic crisis to attack the income and public services for people on low and middle incomes,” said Dette McLoughlin, PRO of GUAC, “while handing over billions in euro of our money to bankers and speculators.
Ms McLoughlin added that Government TDs and senators “need to listen” to the general public as to why Fianna Fáil’s economic policies “are strongly criticised, and why this country needs immediate change.”
Dep Fahey said he was “aware of the protests” and added: “I decided that the protest group - which included supporters of Shell To Sea, which has been campaigning against me for many years - should be given their say and we tried to do that at the meeting.”
The meeting was also attended by Free Education for Everyone, a grassroots group of students and university staff, who are campaigning to fight the re-introduction of fees.
A spokesperson for the group was highly critical of Dep Fahey and Dr Ahearne, accusing them of having “no connection to the reality faced by the people of this country” and said that “the core issues were ignored”. The group eventually staged a walkout in protest.
“Free Education for Everyone NUI Galway initiated the walkout after a question we asked on the increase in the registration fee was met with complete waffle by Frank Fahey,” the spokesperson alleged.
“It was apparent many of the audience felt disrespected and they too walked out. The walkout was a result of total and utter frustration and was justified by the way the audience were treated.”
Dep Fahey queries this assertion though.
“It was a very productive meeting and we answered questions that we were asked honestly,” he said. “I think it was a mistake on the part of certain people to cut the meeting short. We were meant to end at 9.45pm but at 10pm we were still taking questions when they decided to walk out. It’s a pity they did as it was a positive meeting.”
