Flanagan accused of 'unsavoury' comments

A LABOUR backbencher has accused Fine Gael parliamentary party chairman Charlie Flanagan of “testosterone-driven” comments after he used Twitter to criticise Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton.

Amid further signs of strained relations between the Government parties, Galway East TD Colm Keaveney claimed the stability of the Coalition was at risk after Mr Flanagan’s comments.

Mr Flanagan had asked: “Has Joan Burton a Government death wish?”

However, yesterday he declined to comment further other than to confirm that he had sent the tweet.

Ms Burton had earlier intervened in the controversy over meetings between Fine Gael ministers and Independent TD Michael Lowry by questioning the wisdom of Ministers having contact with people against whom adverse findings were made in tribunals.

Last night, Mr Keaveney criticised Mr Flanagan’s “unsavoury” and “testosterone-driven” comments and said they called into question the judgment of senior figures in Fine Gael.

Describing the use of the phrase “death wish” as “horrific stuff”, he claimed Fine Gael TDs were unhappy with Mr Flanagan’s remarks and may seek to have him replaced.

“What you tweet and who you meet in politics are important,” Mr Keaveney said. “This kind of near-misogynistic comment is unacceptable.”

A spokesman for Fine Gael said Mr Flanagan’s views were his own and not those of the party.

He said the party had guidelines in relation to Twitter but politicians “will sometimes say things they feel strongly about”.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Ministers closed ranks in defending contacts with Mr Lowry.

Minister for Health James Reilly said it would not be right to deprive the people who voted for Mr Lowry of representation by refusing to meet him.

Minister of State for Public Service Reform Brian Hayes described the timing of a meeting between Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan and Mr Lowry as embarrassing but insisted there was nothing wrong with Ministers meeting any TD about matters of local concern.

Government chief whip Paul Kehoe also sought to defuse the controversy which blew up after it was revealed this week that Mr Hogan met Mr Lowry last year just six days after the publication of the Moriarty tribunal report.

He claimed the story was being blown out of proportion and that the Ministers who met Mr Lowry followed guidelines set out in the handbook for Cabinet. As well as Mr Hogan and Dr Reilly, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan also met the Independent TD.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who phoned Mr Hogan this week about the issue, was satisfied nothing improper occurred, a Government spokesman said. He did not believe there was a need for guidelines to govern such contacts.

Dr Reilly said on RTÉ radio that he was not in a position to refuse to meet any public representative. “They have an electoral mandate from their people. To do otherwise would be to deprive them of their right to representation.”