Chronic back pain and painkillers led to decision

SPORTS Minister Martin Cullen said a combination of a chronic back condition and debilitating painkillers made it impossible for him to continue as a minister, or even as a TD.

He announced his resignation from politics and said it will take effect when Taoiseach Brian Cowen reshuffles his Cabinet – expected to be in two weeks.

Mr Cullen, aged 55, said the lingering affects of breaking his neck in a car crash had got much worse and the advice from his medical consultants was that he should stop working.

The Waterford deputy said he would have been disingenuous to continue as a TD just to block a seat and preserve the Government’s majority.

“[Not retiring] would have put me in a position of not being around at all, and not being able to be around, and not discharge my duties as a TD either nationally or in Waterford. And I am not the sort of person to do that.” He said yesterday had been “very traumatic” after his arrival in Leinster House shortly after 9am. He briefed the media at 7.30pm.

Mr Cullen said he first considered retiring in 2007 but thought he could work through the pain. Last year he went against medical advice to avoid putting pressure on the Government majority for key votes.

“Last year, to be quite frank about it, we had the Lisbon Treaty, we had NAMA and a difficult budget and I stayed through all of that even though the advice at the time was maybe to go then. It comes to a point where I had to make that decision. And the right decision clearly, on the advice that I have been given, is to retire,” he said.

He said the amount of painkillers he was taking meant he was only masking the problem rather than solving it and he could not continue to work.

Mr Cullen said he had first spoken to the Taoiseach in January, at the time of the crisis talks on the Northern Ireland Assembly. Late yesterday evening the pair met again by the fireside in the Taoiseach’s office and discussed Mr Cullen’s retirement.

“We had a great discussion as two colleagues would. It was very much that, it wasn’t just Taoiseach to minister. I thought there was a warmth in it and friendship.”

Mr Cullen does not expect any of his children to contest the seat he is about to vacate, which ends a four-generation political legacy in Waterford.

He fired one parting shot at the media with which he has had a difficult relationship, due mainly to false allegations which were printed about an extramarital affair with PR consultant Monica Leech. “You [the media] gave me the opportunity to experience emotions in my life that most people would never get to experience. From great highs to great despair and great lows.”