Lowry exposed again - Contempt for integrity

Michael Lowry has long had difficulty in aligning himself with what most people accept as reality.

Over a long career, one which has imposed a high price on the integrity of our political system, he has been embroiled in one shabby controversy after another.

One tribunal established by the Oireachtas concluded that he dodged tax, another that he played a decisive role in Denis O’Brien’s consortium Esat winning a mobile phone licence. After he was exposed as a tax cheat he made a retrospective settlement.

Yesterday he used hindsight and the inconvenience that his grubby behaviour had been exposed — again — to correct an inaccurate declaration he had given to authorities. After this newspaper revealed he had an interest in lands in England that he had not filed on the Dáil’s list of deputies’ interests he dismissed the report arguing that he was not obliged to because the holding was “worthless”. He, however, did so yesterday.

Once again Mr Lowry has vindicated Fine Gael’s decision to expel him nearly 20 years ago and made it more than unlikely that he can be accepted into any serious political party. He has brought our parliament into disrepute and shown those who voted for him that they have supported a man with little or no grasp of the concept of personal integrity.