Kerry TD 'very close' to leaving Government over water charges

A Fine Gael TD says he is very close to leaing Government over the issue of water charges.

A Fine Gael TD says he is very close to leaving Government over the issue of water charges.

Backbench TD Brendan Griffin told Radio Kerry he was being forced under the party whip without proper debate.

Griffin, first elected for Kerry South in the 2011 general election, told the station's Kerry Today programme that he was "very close" to the "red line" where he would leave the party.

"I've to consider 'where is the red line?' Where is the point where you can say 'no more'?"

"I know that the people are saying this is getting very close [to that point].

"I'm using my position as best as possible to change things. When the time comes, if the time comes, that I feel there's absolutely no more influence that I can change for the better... then you'd be a fool to stay where you are.

When presenter Jerry O'Sullivan asked directly how close he felt he was to that decision, Griffin responded: "I'm very close to that."

Meanwhile, Labour Senators today

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— Dave Molloy