AGM shows major support for dissident director

DISSIDENT EBS director Ethna Tinney may have had the overwhelming support of the 1,000 or so members who turned up to the society’s fractious annual general meeting yesterday but the board was not without its backers in the audience.

As member after member lined up to cheer on Ms Tinney, a lady down the back of the Burlington Hotel’s huge ballroom decided she was not impressed with her cause or those supporting her, especially the independent senator and journalist Shane Ross (who had earlier lashed into the board accusing them of “shafting” Ms Tinney for daring to speak out).

One of them, Mary Caffrey, patiently waited her turn before a microphone was passed to her. Mr Ross, she declared, was a “self-serving publicist seeking publicity”. She accused him of being a “fantasist” and having an agenda of trying to force members of the EBS to demutualise.