Flynn's long goodbye

NOT one Fianna Fáil TD or senator spoke up for Beverly Flynn last night as she was unceremoniously dumped out of the parliamentary party.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern received unanimous backing from his colleagues after he forcefully proposed that the party whip be removed from the Mayo TD after she lost her Supreme Court appeal last week. She herself later described his speech as "harsh" and direct.

The decision was taken without a vote at a meeting attended by around 100 Oireachtas members, who by not making any intervention left Ms Flynn completely isolated, in a meeting lasting just over an hour.

Mr Ahern cogently outlined the case for kicking the TD out of the parliamentary party for the third time when he said the party could not ignore the decision of the Supreme Court and the High Court.

And in a clear reference to Deputy Michael Collins, who resigned the party whip after being exposed as a tax defaulter but remains a member of the FF party, Mr Ahern said certain individuals going through certain processes would also eventually be dealt with.

Mr Collins is the subject of two inquiries into his conduct.

Following the meeting, Ms Flynn said the outcome was a huge disappointment.

Describing Mr Ahern's contribution as "harsh", she said she spoke for up to 45 minutes and merely outlined her position.

"But the Taoiseach gave a fairly harsh speech, in the sense that he basically outlined the facts, put it down to the High Court or the Supreme Court decision, and said the party had to take cognisance of the decision, and the motion was agreed," she said.

Ms Flynn's swift removal from the parliamentary party comes less than a week after the Supreme Court upheld the High Court finding that she had advised National Irish Bank customers on tax evasion.

Yet Ms Flynn said she still intends to vigorously fight her outright expulsion from the party at a meeting of the FF Árd Comhairle on Friday night.

"It is an unwarranted step and a step too far," she said.

Aside from the opportunity for her to address Friday's meeting, there is wide expectation that supporters of Ms Flynn will attempt to seek a secret ballot.

Last night, FF issued a brief statement confirming the result.

"The FF Parliamentary Party this evening unanimously adopted the following motion: 'that the FF Parliamentary Party, in light of the outcome of the Supreme Court case, considers that it is in the best interest of the Party and the work of the Government that the FF whip be withdrawn from Deputy Beverly Flynn'."

Also yesterday, the Minister for the Environment Martin Cullen faced renewed calls for his resignation over the scuppering of the €52 million electronic voting scheme.

Mr Ahern confirmed that the Government is to give Judge Brian Curtin another fortnight to prepare his response to the demand for an explanation about the matters raised against him in his collapsed court case.

The Government's failure to abolish hospital waiting lists within two years, as promised in the general election, provoked heated exchanges last night as opposition parties described it as the greatest deception.