Senator attacks Sinnott’s policies and record

LABOUR Senator and European election candidate Brendan Ryan last night fired an unprecedented broadside against rival independent candidate Kathy Sinnott.

Challenging the prominent disability campaigner to outline her political policies for Europe, Senator Ryan said it was not clear what Ms Sinnott stood for.

“When Kathy Sinnott says she wants to support the family and criticizes MEPs for voting against the family we are entitled to know what she means ... Does she think we should roll back all or some of the social liberalisation of recent years?

“Where did she stand on the recent referenda? Where does she stand on the current referendum?” he asked.

Ms Sinnott responded by saying she had never criticised any MEP. “I campaign against abuse and the people who stand over that but I really don’t get personal. I can’t think of any politician that I have any animosity to. I have made a point of not attacking any people running in this campaign,” she said.

“Give him my love and tell him I wish him well,” she continued.

However Senator Ryan said there was little point in kind words in a world of political reality where only the political groupings in the European Parliament could actually achieve anything.

“They know what I stand for. It is the same as I have always stood for. A frustration and anger spurred on by the victimisation of those who are most vulnerable in our society sent me into politics and has kept me there.

“Homeless people rotting in their beds ignored by an allegedly Christian and pro-life society drove me to where I am and drove me to the conviction that feeling bad and saying kind words changed nothing,” he said.

Mr Ryan also asked if Kathy Sinnott’s stated opposition to the proposed EU Constitution included a rejection its assertion of rights for people with disabilities and criticised Ms Sinnott’s anti-war activities.

“Kathy Sinnott’s activities in the anti-war campaign in the last number of years may well have been considerable but I must say I didn’t notice them,” he said

Urging voters to make a difference and not a protest, Senator Ryan predicted that Fianna Fáil would win just one seat in the South constituency in June’s European election.

“There is a Fianna Fáil seat to be won in the European elections. We know where they say they stand on all the issues. Let us all make our positions clear.

“Then we can have a debate between the contenders for that seat,” he said.