Straight-talking John Deasy takes Enda Kenny to task again

The articulate Waterford Fine Gael TD has long clashed with his boss, and Nama’s Northern Ireland loan portfolio is just the latest flashpoint, writes Daniel McConnell.

WATERFORD TD John Deasy is no fan of his boss, Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Kenny is no fan of Deasy, either. The animus between them dates back to 2004, when Kenny dispatched Deasy into the wilderness because of his refusal to bow to the country’s new smoking laws in the Dáil bar. An outspoken and often inconvenient critic of the Taoiseach, Deasy earned himself the mantle of Fine Gael rebel.

Two weeks ago, Deasy castigated Kenny for capitulating to Fianna Fáil demands for a Commission of Inquiry into the sale of Nama’s Northern Ireland loan book, known as Project Eagle. He accused Kenny of throwing “good public servants” in Nama “under a bus” in the controversy over the sale of the agency’s Northern Ireland loans portfolio, Project Eagle. Mr Deasy also accused Mr Kenny of making decisions as to keep the Government together, instead of for the good of the country.