TD: Cowen right to cancel ‘posh nosh’ dinner

FIANNA Fáil’s decision to cancel its Christmas dinner was welcomed by a former chair of the annual bash and party TD who said the event could have been seen as politicians having a “posh nosh” meal during the present economic emergency.

The Cairde Fáil dinner was set to be held in south Dublin’s Burlington Hotel this coming Saturday but was postponed by Taoiseach Brian Cowen on the weekend.

Fianna Fáil yesterday said the traditional Taoiseach dinner for grassroots members, backbenchers and ministers was cancelled due to evolving budgetary discussions.

A spokeswoman said: “There’s so much going on that the Taoiseach took the view that it wasn’t the right time to have it.

“A decision will be made in the new year as to when it will be.”

Party sources say the cancellation was down to problems over the availability of Brian Cowen and ministers for the dinner because of discussions about the four-year budgetary plan and talks with the IMF and EU over Ireland’s rescue plan. Dinner tickets were reported to be priced for as much as €950 per table this week. Fianna Fáil did not comment on ticket prices and said the event had nearly sold out despite reports only a limited number of seats were sold.

At the height of the boom, the dinner would have attracted at least 1,600 party supporters with guests paying on average €80 a head.

North Meath TD Thomas Byrne, chair of the Christmas dinner in 2008, welcomed the move to cancel the part-fundraising event.

He said: “I presume they cancelled it because it would just look terrible in the current climate.

“It isn’t the right message and I’m glad that they’ve done that.

“Because sometimes we haven’t got the optics right. In this case I think the Taoiseach and the leadership has absolutely made the right judgment.”

Mr Byrne claimed Fine Gael’s presidential annual dinner in October had also looked bad for the party.

“We would get much more of a beating over it than they would,” added Mr Byrne.