Fine Gael

Dara Murphy controversy had impact on byelection, says Burke

Senator Colm Burke, who was second with first preferences in the constituency byelection, told the Irish Examiner the scandal over Mr Murphy’s Dáil absence “hurt” his chances at winning a seat.

Dara Murphy entitled to over €500k after resignation

Dara Murphy will be entitled to over €500,000 in taxpayer-funded termination and pension payments following his resignation as a TD.

Minister Eoghan Murphy faces heavy criticism at FG parliamentary party meeting

Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan has launched a blistering attack on Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy during a private meeting of the parliamentary party.

Daniel McConnell: ‘Absentee TD’ avoids inquiry and can expect another €500,000 in payments

After the Irish Examiner revealed his intention to resign his Dáil seat to take up a plum €150,000 job in Europe, Dara Murphy did the needful.

Fine Gael minister says Dara Murphy should pay back expenses

The outgoing Cork North Central TD insisted that he has been “compliant” with Leinster House rules

Letter to the Editor: Taoiseach’s response to Dara Murphy was poor

The most disappointing aspect has been the response of Leo Varadkar to this whole affair.

Leo Varadkar defends absentee TD Dara Murphy

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has defended Dáil absentee TD Dara Murphy but said he has not discussed the deputy's expected resignation with him.

'This will be fully investigated' - Tánaiste wants answers as €236k spent to make room for unused printer

“I’d like to know how that happened. I’d like to know the details in terms of how this happened before making any informed commentary on it,” he said.

Varadkar backs Verona Murphy as he plans to canvass in Wexford

Mr Varadkar said Ms Murphy has ‘strong views’

Road Haulage Association defends Verona Murphy as someone who 'strives to avoid division'

The Road Haulage Association has strongly defended Fine Gael's by-election candidate Verona Murphy dubbing her someone who strives to avoid division and seeks to bring people together.

Fine Gael confirm they do not have a standard vetting system for candidates

Fine Gael do not have a standard vetting system for candidates, the Taoiseach has confirmed.

Varadkar ‘must take blame for race-card politics’

Fine Gael has been branded a “safe house for right-wing politics” after the Taoiseach continued to back a by-election candidate who claimed asylum seekers need to be deprogrammed when they come here.

Senior civil servant: Dysfunction that led to Frances Fitzgerald resignation 'could have arisen in any department'

Secretary-General of Justice Aidan O’Driscoll told the Oireachtas committee relating to his department that “as a secretary-general of two departments I can say this could have happened in any department”.

FG extends lead in new opinion poll

Fine Gael will be sorely tempted to seek an early General Election as its support now stands at 32%, up three points since the last poll in September.

MEPs reject criticism of vote against improving supports in Med

Fine Gael MEPs have rejected widespread criticism that they are turning their backs on refugees fleeing across the Mediterranean after voting against a European parliament motion to improve supports for migrants making the journey.

Fine Gael squandered chance to be a new natural party of government

Opinion polls leading to cut-and-run elections are the road to ruin. That a tranche of parliamentary opinion in Fine Gael is hot to trot means it is time to open the window and let in cold air.

Jim Daly: A hard career choice

Minister Jim Daly’s decision to retire from politics, at the age of just 46, is surprising and unsurprising. The Cork South West Fine Gael TD said it was “a deeply personal decision”. He has five children aged between six and 16 and he said he felt that he had put politics first for many years and it was now time to put his family first.

Taoiseach praises outgoing Jim Daly: 'I always admired his directness, his capacity for independent thought'

The Cork West TD confirmed he's leaving politics as he was finding it "increasingly difficult" to balance his work with his family life.

New taxes being considered as Government bid to reduce plastic use

Single use plastics like knives, forks and straws are to be banned while the carbon tax will also increase.

Fine Gael only aiming to win 1 out of 4 by-election seats, Taoiseach says

Fine Gael is only aiming to win one out of the four upcoming by-election seats.

Taoiseach eyeing up May 2020 general election date

Addressing his party colleagues in Cork the Taoiseach said May would be the best time for the country to go to the polls.

Government won't 'sugarcoat' effect of no-deal Brexit, Tánaiste says

Checks between Northern Ireland and Ireland will be "temporary" if Britian crashes out of the EU, the Tánaiste has said.

Fine Gael criticises Fianna Fáil demands for €4.35bn spending in six months

‘The old adage certainly rings true – a leopard can’t change its spots,’ he said.

Fine Gael can still shed lacklustre image by tackling issues head-on

The issues for the Government, which is essentially Fine Gael, are Brexit, beef and broadband.

Criticism of Young FGer's attendance at US conference dubbed 'Stalinesque'

A right-of-centre conservative group have hit out at "Stalinesque" criticism of Young Fine Gael president Killian Foley-Walsh's attendance at a hard-line US conference amid calls for him to be removed from his party role.

'What she did was wrong': Fine Gael TD says Maria Bailey shouldn't stand in next election

A Fine Gael TD has broken ranks and said that Maria Bailey should not stand for the party in the next general election.

In the battle for Ireland’s centre, what does Fine Gael actually stand for?

What does the modern iteration of Fine Gael stand for? This is the question that has dogged the leadership of Leo Varadkar since he became party leader two years ago, says Gary Murphy

Fine Gael seat in jeopardy as long as row is allowed fester

The bitter feud in Fine Gael’s Waterford organisation which has exploded this week has been a long time coming.

Deasy ally lodges formal bullying complaint over ‘mob mentality’ at Fine Gael party meeting in Waterford

An ally of Fine Gael TD John Deasy has lodged a formal complaint with the Taoiseach over alleged “bullying and intimidation”.

Motion of no confidence in John Deasy tabled by brother of constituency rival

Waterford Fine Gael TD John Deasy has demanded the local Fine Gael organisation be stood down as he hit back against a motion of no-confidence in him.

Government ‘hiding’ risk of border poll by omission

The Government has been accused of “hiding”’ sensitive issues from the public after it emerged that the possibility of a border poll will not be included in the National Risk Assessment.

Politicians made return €166k overpaid expenses

Forty-seven TDs and senators who were overpaid expenses were made refund over €166,000, it can be revealed.

Fine Gael TDs concerned by latest poll figures slump

Fine Gael TDs have privately raised fears the party could be dumped out of office by a Fianna Fáil-led minority government unless it tackles a worrying poll slump before the next election.

Blind to reality - FG ignore growing inequity

Fine Gael might dismiss The Sunday Times poll that put the party on 23%, five points behind Fianna Fáil, as a consequence of being in government for almost a decade but that would be a grave error of judgement.

Frank McBrearty to sue FG for post-traumatic stress disorder

Fine Gael has confirmed the resignation of one of its councillors, Frank McBrearty, just two months after he joined the party and one week after the local elections.

Lack of self awareness could undo Fine Gael’s hold on reins of power

It's never a good position to be in when people are laughing at you rather than with you, to be the butt of all jokes. If you’re a political party it’s tragic.

Taoiseach tells Fine Gael to get ready for election

Leo Varadkar has told a private meeting of Fine Gael TDs that an internal review to “establish the facts” in the Maria Bailey saga will take two weeks.

‘Injured party’ tone helps radio interview to backfire spectacularly

Maria Bailey's car-crash interview with Sean O'Rourke was meant to repair the damage done by last week's swing claim controversy, writes Daniel McConnell

About time claims were on the slide

Two little vignettes in the life of a gormless hack.

Taoiseach defends Eoghan Murphy's controversial 'co-living' comments

The Taoiseach has defended the controversial co-living model of accommodation in the Dáil, stating it is part of the solution to the housing crisis.

Timing is everything in politics and Fine Gael’s timing is all wrong

Timing is everything in politics. There are signs that Fine Gael has got its timing badly wrong again in the run-up to local and European elections, now only nine days away.

Fine Gael accused of 'fueling racism' through actions on housing and poverty

Speaking at the Social Justice Ireland event, Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan claimed it is "only a matter of time" before the far-right gain traction in this country.

'These things happen across all parties' - TD sent 'tricky questions' from activists during radio interview

Leaked WhatsApp messages show Fine Gael encouraged activists to send in 'tricky questions' to a radio station interviewing Michael Martin.

Ministers demanded McGrath apology behind the scenes

Minister of state Finian McGrath’s climbdown on Sunday came after demands from Fine Gael ministers that he withdraw criticism of gardaí.

Fine Gael courting the campaigners as election candidates

There was a time when securing a former county GAA player or other sports personality was a major coup for any political party.

Sinn Féin Councillor hits out at Taoiseach for housing claims

Last night Leo Varadkar told Fine Gael members at the party's annual conference, that parties on the left and Sinn Féin were voting against new housing projects.

Leo's criticisms were 'cheap, complete nonsense and have gone down very badly', FF claim

Michael McGrath, the Fianna Fail's finance spokesman hit back at Mr Varadkar saying they were ill-judged and lacked the appropriate respect, given their support allowed the Taoiseach to remain in office.

Varadkar hits out at 'toxic' Sinn Féin and 'finger-wagging' Fianna Fáil

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has promised to increase the entry point to the higher rate of tax to €50,000 over the next five years should he be re-elected to office.

'I am already working on Budget 2020': Donohoe rules out General Election this year

Speaking at the Fine Gael party conference in Wexford this morning, Mr Donohoe said he has already started on next year's budget.

DUP MP to address Fine Gael National Conference this evening

Over 1,000 party members are attending the two-day event in Wexford, which ends with a televised address by the Taoiseach tonight.

FG MEPs take credit for Orban suspension

Fine Gael’s seven MEP candidates have said they were to the fore in seeking the suspension of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban from their European party grouping.

Taoiseach failing to connect with FG’s rural base

Fine Gael has gathered this weekend in Wexford for its second national conference in less than six months.

Nearly 300 jobs created by Irish firms in US

Leo Varadkar met CEOs from both sides of the Atlantic at an event at the US chamber of commerce in Washington DC this morning.

Taoiseach’s St Patrick’s trip to US delayed

The Taoiseach brought forward his departure to last night to avoid being in the air when the crucial votes in the House of Commons take place tonight but is taking a personal day in the States before his formal programme commences.

Confidence-supply no longer ensures government stability

Resignations and defections have changed the Dáil voting arithmetic, so that non-aligned Independents now hold the balance of power, says Dr Michael Harty

Fine Gael set up group to increase presence in North

Fine Gael have set up a dedicated group to increase the party’s presence in Northern Ireland. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the establishment of the Northern Ireland engagement group at a meeting of the Fine Gael party last night.

We must address terrorism and people smuggling, Taoiseach tells EU-Arab League summit

Leo Varadkar made the comments as he said there is a clear need to address terrorism, people smuggling and to improve living conditions on both sides of the Mediterranean if the problems are to be tackled.

Ireland lagging behind other EU countries on asthma mortality

Senator Catherine Noone said Ireland should strive to improve its record on treating the condition.

Taoiseach 'not playing chicken' over Brexit as May delays vote in Commons

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned British prime minister Theresa May Ireland is "not playing chicken, not playing poker" over Brexit after Ms May delayed a crucial House of Commons vote on the deal until just days before the EU-UK divorce date.

Fianna Fáil 'taken aback' at Simon Harris' comments on CervicalCheck team

The Taoiseach has been forced to defend the Minister for Health after he was accused of trying to "destroy the reputation" of the CervicalCheck team.

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Wednesday, December 04, 2019