Longford-Westmeath Independent Deputy, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, is paying little attention to the criticisms of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, saying he will wait for the Irish electorate to pass judgement on him after the lifetime of the present Government.
Deputy Moran was responding to comments levelled at himself and Minister of State for OPW and Flood Relief, Sean Canney, in the Dáil on Tuesday by the opposition leader, regarding the pair’s decision to flip a coin to see who got the role of Minister of State first. Deputy Martin said this “shed a bad light on the question of Ministers of State and their appointment”.
Speaking yesterday (Wednesday ), Deputy Moran said: “I have more things to be worried about in the country and what is going on in the Longford-Westmeath constituency to care about it,” he said. “He doesn’t service any of the issues affecting the people of the country when he is talking about Sean Canney and myself in relation to the flip of the coin. Everybody knows now how we made the decision.
“The conversation Micheál had with Sean Canney and I in the corridors of the Dáil was five and a half months ago. He asked us how we made the decision as to who would go first. He asked why we hadn’t put pressure on the Taoiseach to secure a second Minister post and we said we couldn’t as we had lost one of our members. I told him I had the position for the second year and that we were going to support one another fully in the role. Micheál claims I said quite the opposite, but that’s up to him. I am not getting embroiled in a dispute with him.”
Deputy Moran says the Fianna Fáil leader’s comments only serve to deflect focus away from issues that matter: “I have an awful lot of things going on in the Longford-Westmeath constituency and in the country at large - trying to help people looking for new pay deals, people that are on hospital staff. All that is far more important than worrying about what Micheál thinks of me.
“In many ways it is a great honour that the leader of the opposition party takes time out to talk about me. I’ll let him make his own comments and I’ll be focusing on working for the country.
“I must say, I have the utmost respect for Micheál, but he is judging me on my first six months. That’s his business. I’ll wait for the Irish electorate to judge me in a few years time, they are the important ones.”
