White only Oireachtas member to back Flynn

PROMINENT senator Mary White was the only Oireachtas member who supported Beverly Flynn as she was expelled from the party by an overwhelming majority last night.

Three days after being ejected from the parliamentary party, 86 members of the National Executive voted by a resounding vote of 81 to five to expel Ms Flynn at the end of a meeting that lasted for two-and-half hours. The vote was by a show of hands.

Ms Flynn arrived for the 6.30 meeting at Leinster House flanked by a large crowd of supporters from Mayo and her father, former EU Commissioner Padraig Flynn.

However, when she attempted to bring a small group of supporters with her to the FF meeting room on the fifth floor of the building, they were stopped by a party official.

Amid some rancour and jostling, her supporters shouted “kangaroo court” and predicted that ousting her from the party would open a can of worms. The show of defiance and animosity set the tone for meeting, which reportedly involved emotional contributions and heated exchanges.

The motion to expel Ms Flynn was proposed by Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen and seconded Minister for Communications Dermot Ahern.

Ms Flynn was obliged to leave the meeting while both ministers spoke and was only allowed into the meeting to speak against the motion. She spoke for about 40 minutes, in what one National Executive member described as a very strong speech. She concentrated for the most part on her work with the National Irish Bank and her failed libel case against RTÉ. She stressed that the case she had lost was a civil and not a criminal one.

She was then obliged to leave the meeting. All five members who voted for, including two Mayo councillors, spoke in support of Ms Flynn.

Ms Flynn, who wore a white suit, spoke to reporters outside Leinster House after leaving the meeting, where she complained about the procedures that the meeting had followed. She criticised the decision not to allow her hear what Mr Cowen and Mr Ahern had to say and the fact that the party hierarchy had rejected a secret ballot.

Describing herself as “daughter of Fianna Fáil”, she did not demur when asked did she consider it to be a kangaroo court hearing. “I think it’s very very unusual in any court in the land when you have to answer a motion you cannot hear what the proposer and seconder,” she said.