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MICHEÁL MARTIN HAS hit back at the Environment Minister Phil Hogan in an escalating row over accusations that the terms of reference for the Boundary Commission were skewed to protect Fine Gael and Labour seats in May’s local elections.
The Fianna Fáil leader made the claim in interviews with the media and during his speech at the party’s Ard Fheis last night, saying that the manner in which the boundaries for local councils were changed “probably represents the biggest gerrymander in the last 35 years”.
Hogan hit back in a statement last night and told KCLR earlier, that Martin was “playing the man and not the ball”. He said that the comments where made “in order to distract from his own inadequacies”.
“It’s effectively accusing the membership of the commission of political corruption which is a very low blow for those honourable people who have done a good job for local government in drawing up new boundaries for the first time in many, many years,” Hogan told the local radio station.
Responding today, Martin insisted that he was referring to the terms of reference and not the members of the commission.
He said that increasing the size of the local electoral areas from 6 to 10 seats in some areas was “designed to ensure safety for some of his [Hogan's] own councillors and Labour councillors”.
“He altered county boundaries in a very unnatural way,” Martin said, rejecting the suggestion that he was accusing the commission of ‘political corruption’
Martin insisted that he never used that phrase, repeating that it was “a good, old-fashioned gerry mander”.
He added: “I think Phil Hogan has some nerve really… I don’t take any lectures from him.”
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Definitely nothing to do with climate change though, this is totally normal. Yep.
@Ribeard Ó Fiachna: Temperatures have often hit Spain levels in parts of the UK in the middle of summer. Less so in Ireland. Hence the breezy spring conditions today.
Everything climate related is “climate change” these days. Interesting fact, the temperature of the earth never stays the same and at different times in the earth’s history it has been much higher than it is at present.
@Irish Opinion: there’s always the expert denier on these stories ready with some ignorant nonsense about how the earth was hotter in the past.
Completely ignorant of the rates of change, or any science really.
We have experts who have been educated to a high level who then go on to study these things in dept who come to conclusions and theories.
And do experiments and long studies. These people all say the same thing – that we are in a climate emergency.
Then we have people for whom this truth is inconvenient, who just simply deny this and look for others who think the same.
They somehow feel their wayward opinion is valuable.
@Fozz: I love people who get their knickers in a twist over a simple fact. It doesnt fit in with their agenda.
@Irish Opinion: what agenda is that? The truth? Much better than the deniers who would rather believe there is nothing happening because reading a scientific study is hard when you can just watch a YouTube video telling you to not be a sheep or some other nonsense.
Sensationalist headline.. with a 30% chance of happening .. 70% chance it won’t lads
29 degrees forecast next tuesday for cork yuuuccckk
@Larry Roe: Ahh yes, crisp and dry time.
@Larry Roe: top tip, just embrace the sweat and damp clothes, it’s going to happen, everyone will feel the same, dress accordingly. Embrace the heat.
have your say