'Clearly hadn't read the manifesto': Micheál Martin hits back at Fine Gael barb
Smock Election Martin, With Damien Moving General Picture: Forward Tánaiste The Fail’s Jack Fianna Chambers Eagers Theatre, Together, At Manifesto: Micheál Of Alley Dublin Launch
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has accused Justice Minister Helen McEntee of not reading Fianna Fáil’s manifesto, after she described it as “back-of-the-matchbox” style politics.
In a statement on Monday, Ms McEntee said that Fianna Fáil’s manifesto contained “little substance” and that it could “scupper the economic progress that we have made in recent years”.
“I would have thought at this point that Fianna Fáil would have learned from the mistakes of the past, which plunged our economy and country into turmoil,” Ms McEntee said.
Speaking in Drogheda, Mr Martin roundly rejected Ms McEntee’s assertions, saying that figures provided within the document were from the Department of Finance.
“I was surprised, very critical,” Mr Martin said of Ms McEntee’s comments.
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“Clearly hadn’t read the manifesto… Very wide of the mark and I was surprised by the tone of it but it was just inaccurate.
"I would just say to people in Fine Gael headquarters, they need to calm down somewhat.”
The Tánaiste said that he wants to continue the campaign with “considered remarks” while accusing other political parties of taking “superficial, knee-jerk responses” to the Fianna Fáil manifesto.
Questioned if this meant that Taoiseach Simon Harris was being superficial, Mr Martin responded: “This is not about personalities, this is about the substance of criticism.
“I’m saying that the Fine Gael response is superficial, because it clearly hasn’t read the document.”
Mr Martin referenced a story in the Sunday Times, which said that Fine Gael headquarters have been preparing dossiers on Fianna Fáil’s social media.
“I mean, relax, calm it and let’s go back to the substance,” he added.
The Tánaiste added that his party wants to take on the Justice portfolio in the next government, saying that senior party figures have done a lot of homework on the subject.
The party is also proposing a new Department of Home Affairs, which would work on migration issues “more cohesively” as well as dealing with national security and intelligence.
Meanwhile, Mr Martin has insisted that re-establishing borough and town councils must be on the agenda for a future government, saying that it “has to happen”.
Mr Martin said that he wanted to see it introduced in 2020, but other parties did not go for it in government negotiations.
“I’m going to go for it this time and say, look, it’s part of our programme. It has to happen because across the country you meet people who say ‘what an awful pity that we lost our city borough council or we lost our urban council’,” Mr Martin said.
“Those people were community people, giving vision to their locality, understanding what their area needs.
“It also was very basic exercise in local democracy and it was an awful pity [for them to be abolished]. Brendan Howlin at the time, who was involved, subsequently acknowledged that it was a mistake to do it.
“I believe Drogheda in particular is a case in point.”