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FIANNA FÁIL HAS criticised Brian Crowley’s decision to join the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) in the European Parliament – a conservative, Eurosceptic grouping.
In a joint statement released this afternoon, Fianna Fáil chairman Brendan Smith and party whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl said they were disappointed with the move as the ECR’s policies “directly contradict” core Fianna Fáil principles.
“We are disappointed with Brian’s personal decision to join the ECR and by doing so align himself to policies and political parties that directly contradict core principles of the Fianna Fáil organisation.
“These include the group’s Eurosceptic stance and its position on membership of the Eurozone. Indeed, a number of the parties in this right wing grouping stand in direct opposition to Fianna Fáil’s Republican ethos and tradition.
This is unacceptable, particularly given the fact that Brian successfully ran for election under the ALDE banner. ALDE had also committed to and agreed to Brian’s request to keep on two administrative staff for the coming parliamentary session.
The ECR includes MEPs from the British Conservative Party, the Ulster Unionist Party in the North, and the right-wing Danish People’s Party.
The grouping was founded after the 2009 European elections when Conservative leader David Cameron withdrew his party from the European People’s Party (EPP) due to concerns about its federalist position.
Earlier today, Crowley, who is Fianna Fáil’s only MEP, described the ECR as “a non-federalist, pro-EU group who believes in giving a much stronger say to national governments rather than to EU Institutions”.
He said that joining the group “will allow me to provide a better service for my constituents”, adding the move is not for any personal gain.
Up until today, he had been a member of the pro-EU Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) grouping.
Crowley, an Ireland South MEP since 2004, won over 180,000 first preferences votes in last month’s election. He is seen as largely independent of Fianna Fáil.
The party is set to discuss Crowley’s defection at a parliamentary meeting in Leinster House tomorrow.
Criticism for the Cork-based MEP has not been limited to his own party.
Labour TD Dominic Hannigan said he was “taken aback” by Crowley’s decision.
I find it very curious that Fianna Fail in the European Parliament is now aligned with the British Tory Party and the Ulster Unionist Party along with a of hodge-podge of Eurosceptics, extreme right-wingers and populist nut-jobs.
Hannigan added that “whatever other faults they may have”, Fianna Fáil has “generally behaved in an honourable and responsible manner when it came to our relationship with Europe”.
He called on FF leader Micheál Martin to clarify the party’s stance on Europe.
Fine Gael’s Dara Murphy, a TD for Cork North Central, said that Crowley’s defection was a blow to Martin’s leadership.
It must be worrying for Micheál Martin that the party’s only European representative is pursuing an agenda at odds with the party.
“Crowley’s move also goes against Fianna Fáil’s pledge in its European Election Manifesto to be a member party of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe,” Murphy stated.
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Is the Climate Change Advisory Council independent? Who elected theses ‘experts’?
If we can’t tackle cronyism, favouritism and nepotism. It’s what fuelling distrust of our political system. Are those you gain from political strokes the best ‘experts’ to offer advice?
@leartius: Independent from what? Surely not rom ideology. Independent means not responsible to anyone. I do demand any authority to be answerable to democratic process.
@leartius: back to the drawing board I’d say…..
More taxes will fix it
People want to work from home. Let them. It cuts down so much on commuter hours.thats where they should start. Then fix rural public transport for people who can’t work from home.
How many more opinion pieces about climate change are you going to publish?? Mainstream media here in Ireland needs to cool the jets. Even the advertisements are at it now.
We know climate change is an issue, we get it, we are doing all we can but nothing can change until the big corporations, governments and powerful nations like USA and China do something.
All these opinion pieces are targeted for the same people over and over again, it will result in climate fatigue. The average Joe just won’t care anymore. Anytime I switch on Sky or RTE or open the journal we are bombarded with it.
It’s just turning into one big cliche.
How many times can someone talk about the issue without saying what’s already been said before?
@Darren Anthony Corr: to be honest the quality of journalism is quite poor. merely emotional sound bites without logic or even a vision of a plan that might actually work. quoting young people all the time who dont really understand the issues involved. msm is just full of populist nonsense these days.
We were lighting the fire pretty much every day from the end of September onwards last year. This year we’ve had to light a grand total of two fires so far, both at the end of October. I was walking around Tralee today in a t-shirt, in mid November. Just my own experience but I should have been frozen with the cold today and it was grand. Don’t really remember it being this mild so late in the year before but I don’t remember lots of things sometimes! Anyone remember anything like this recently?
Population reduction is the only way to counter the offensive ‘emmitions’ which are caused by being alive. Our politicians strive for population growth, economy growth, investment in infrastructure, building more crappy houses, larger markets, More demand for consumable stuff, all great for business, not great for environment. There should be incentives for people to elect for sterilisation, and measures put in place to shrink the population if they were serious about it. Instead it’s wind farms and electric cars.
@Eamonn O’Hanrahan: Nothing stopping your from getting sterilised of you wish.
good point. also Govt has no solutions just taxes. we have insufficient power generation f ev’s. we have insufficient surge capacity in our grid for ev’s. Ev’s wont work for tractors, hgv’s, trains or ships but hydrogen will / no plan. No plan for hydtogen fuel cell cars for those who cannot install a charging point or who criss cross the country needing fast fill up.
@Damian Moylan: “we have insufficient power generation f ev’s… but hydrogen will / no plan. No plan for hydtogen fuel cell cars”
I don’t understand how one pivots from insufficient power for EVs to – what about hydrogen, which requires about around about 3 times the electric.
It has the motorists. I mean it must be yeah? Let’s tax them even more, they are an easy target? 2m plus vehicles on the roads. Sure it makes sense? Let’s invent new levies and new taxes because that’ll solve the problem. It’s not agriculture or other sectors nope, couldn’t be.
develop hydrogen infrastructure.
https://youtu.be/4sn0ecqZgog
We’ll have to go back to turning off the immersion
Big break through in cop-on26 Ireland is been shut down The world is saved China and the US are giving us badges for our sacrifice
We does Ireland go from here?
Subsidise materials like insulation for retro fitting so people can DIY, cut down on beaurcracy.
Stop building on low levels near the sea and rivers.
Become more food secure, diversify farming, subsidise smaller farms and organic/chemical free
Planning exemptions for buildings made with natural materials/composting loos etc.
Make rainwater harvesting mandatory in all new builds
Fuel rationing for cars, even out the rural v urban obstacle.
Limit on outdoor lighting on private dwellings.
Limit on no. Properties unless landlord.
Tax on airline travel.
@Anarch Eco: do what Colm Molloy said
@Anarch Eco: taxing air travel isnt the answer to that industry and its emmitance. The rich will continue to travel as much as always and the poor still will want to get their one sunshine holiday a year, only it will cost them more and hurt their home finances. Ireland is an island with miserable summers and you can’t bank on a decent week in August. Taxing things like this only serve to widen the gap in the haves and haven’ts.
@Jeff Cole: oh theres wealth taxes in there too.
Plenty of years with good weather in may/June/july, august should be cancelled.
Studying up on the current planetary pole shift would be an excellent start
It’s to dam cowld anyway I wouldn’t mind a bit of global warming coming into a the freezing winter
have your say