The chairman of the Planning and Payments Tribunal has called for an end to what he terms "the internecine warfare between counsel" at the tribunal.
Mr Justice Flood was commenting on an exchange between counsel for JMSE, Mr Garret Cooney SC and counsel for Mr James Gogarty, barrister Mr Brian O'Moore. Mr Flood told counsel for JMSE: "I'm really serious about this, Mr Cooney, and I'm not directing it to you . . . I am talking about a general situation in this tribunal and it must cease."
He said the "exchange of insults or quasi-insults between counsel" was "unnecessary".
"No matter who starts it, I want it to stop."
Mr Flood also told Mr Cooney that the tribunal was "not a debating society" and that it was "improper" for him "to be hopping up and down like a jack-in-the-box".
Earlier, in response to questions from Mr O'Moore, Mr Michael Bailey agreed that the councillors he would have lobbied "would not be confined to Fianna Fail.
"Whatever project I was involved in I made my best endeavours to contact every councillor of the 78 councillors.
"I often sat on Saturday and Sunday afternoons ringing up councillors, putting my case across to them and I do not deny that to anybody.
"I was trying to lobby them to put across my particular view on whatever project I was trying to put forward at the time . . .
"That's the proper lobbying that I did and I have no hesitation and I'll do it tomorrow and I'll do it the next day and I'll continue to do it for the rest of me life if it's part of my projects that I have in hand," Mr Bailey said.
He agreed that he "could cross the political divide" in his lobbying.
Mr Bailey recalled a meeting with Mr George Redmond at a friend's house during which he sought advice on a particular project.
Mr Bailey inquired of Mr Redmond about "drainage matters" because "he was a retired official of Dublin County Council that had knowledge of lands . . . I asked him what way would he think I should go about trying to develop the lands."
Mr Redmond did not charge Mr Bailey money for the advice on the lands at Balgriffin, nor did he pay him "any consideration" for the meeting.
Mr Flood said he found "nothing wrong with Mr Redmond and the witness holding a discussion upon a subject on which Mr Redmond may well have had information and expertise, provided he was not an official at the time".
Apart from a short sitting next Wednesday, the Flood tribunal has adjourned public proceedings until September.
Mr Justice Flood said it was not possible now to give a definite date when the next witness would be called, but he suggested September 15th.
The first witness in the autumn is expected to be Mr Joseph Murphy snr (82). For health reasons, Mr Murphy snr wishes to give evidence in Jersey.
