Murphy ‘a hypocrite’ for criticising video leak

Independent TD Paul Murphy has been accused of hypocrisy for criticising the release of a video in which he states he was elected to break the law, while praising whistleblowers in the past.

The Anti-Austerity Alliance TD said his comments related to a campaign of civil disobedience against the imposition of water charges, which he has urged people not to pay.

Former MEP Mr Murphy has hit out after a video recording of him saying he was elected to break the law appeared on the website of a national newspaper.

Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty has accused Mr Murphy of hypocrisy for his condemnation of the video being leaked, given his support for whistleblowers.

“People seem to support whistleblowers when the information they provide supports their own views, but are less keen when it does not,” said Ms Doherty.

Mr Murphy insists he has been the victim of dirty tricks campaign by groups supporting the imposition of water charges. Referring to the video of him saying “I’m elected to break the law”, Mr Murphy said: “It may be a sharp way of posing it, but it is self-evidently true and doesn’t need an undercover video to establish it. The clue is in the phrase ‘civil disobedience’ which I said and is clearly audible.

“I was elected on a platform of a boycott of water charges...

“The charges and the imposition of meters are the law — they are unjust laws, which I was elected to break as part of a campaign of mass civil disobedience”

Mr Murphy also asked if Ms Doherty was aware of the video when she appeared on Prime Time more than a day before the tape went public.

“During my appearance on Prime Time, you will see Regina Doherty uses the exact phrase ‘Paul thinks he was elected to break the law’ as one of the first things that she says,” said Mr Murphy. “Is that purely a coincidence, or had she seen the video and been prompted to ask the question?

“If it is a coincidence, it is quite a striking one, given that the video was released [on the website] less than 36 hours later.”

Ms Doherty said she had not seen the tape at the time of the Prime Time appearance, but had “heard something” about his comments.