We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
MICHAEL NOONAN AND Brendan Howlin have been criticised by Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin for failing to remain in the Dáil chamber after they delivered their Budget 2015 speeches to listen to replies from opposition spokespersons.
The Finance Minister and the Public Expenditure and Reform Minister were both absent from the chamber yesterday evening as Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin delivered their response to the Budget.
The pair undertook a series of media interviews including with TheJournal.ie and this afternoon in the Dáil, Martin criticised the two ministers.
He claimed that they had found time to tweet about their ties and record videos for the government’s in-house news service, MerrionStreet.ie, but not listen to the opposition.
Dept. PER IRL / TwitterWe'll be 'all tied up' with #Budget15 today in @IRLDeptPER! Stick with us for tweets during the day. pic.twitter.com/g2wQxiGwxZ
— Dept of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery & Reform (@IRLDeptPER) October 14, 2014
“Yesterday Ministers Noonan and Howlin found the time to put out scripted political videos and tweet their selection of ties, but they became the first ever ministers to deliver a budget and not have the basic courtesy to listen to the replies of opposition speakers,” he said.
Martin’s criticism was part of a wide-ranging speech in which he slammed yesterday’s announcement which he said was a “cynical, short-term and political budget”.
He criticised the way in which the measures announced had leaked into the public domain in the days leading up to the Budget saying the the “dominance of media management” in the presentation of the Budget “has gone beyond the ridiculous”.
“Through most of this year the ‘relief is on the way’ headlines have appeared on an almost weekly basis – adding ‘exclusive’ to the list of words devalued by this government,” he said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
M Martin please go away
He is sort if right but I also agree with you. Didn’t his party leader told us to hang ourselves
To be realistic, I seriously doubt noonan or howlin actually tweeted pictures or even wrote the script to their video. Mr Martin should concentrate on bigger issues.
Yes your right Micky Finn
We as a nation have been dragged beat and beaten through Hell again and again and now hopefully we’re getting back on our feet slowly.
And after getting screwed left right and centre by that FF party leader who stood at a podium and said-
Whoever thought Ireland was on the brink of an Ecominic Collapse to go Hang yourself.
My blood boils everytime I see him out in public smirking, living off his fat pension that were paying for!!!
F!!K him.
He’s right. It was disgusting to see the two men who delivered the budget yesterday not even stick around to listen to the speeches being made about their work.
As it was said, they were the first two to not even offer this common decency afforded to previous opposition parties.
He’s right about the fact that FG showed no consideration to the opposition reaction to the budget, just as they dont give a sh**e about the peoples reaction.
The only ties FF should be wearing are nooses.
Michael Martin is right
Said no one ever!
Except for the Martins!
The sheer shame of it
He has to maintain the illusion that FF are some sort opposition to FG/LAB etc. We all know now that the 3 parties are the all the same except in name.
…
As a tax payer I think it was a disgrace the way the most of the opposition T.Ds left the chamber. Enda was the only one sitting in the front bench and all he did was read some document while all the opposition speakers had their say. It was total ignorance and arrogance by the opposition. I think it is high time they were put out of office. Michael McGraths contribution in reply to the budget was excellent. Give me and my family and friends Michael Martin and Fianna Fáil any time. It is no wonder that the sales of newspapers are gone down and that people are switching away from RTE with their anti Fianna Fáil bias.
Gerrymiah if rte r anti f failed there my new fav channel
Im looking forward to the ff/fg coalition next government, I think we’ll finally get some decent right and low tax policies, but Martin needs to go, he is rubbish
What about an update on Communications Clinic ? And the Terry/Tom/Anton households? Will they get more or less govt advisory money? See “kildare street website for these expenses”
Does anyone care what Martin or Fianna Fáil think anymore?
People always seem to think TDs are somehow “working” if they’re sitting in on their backsides in the Dail with their arms folded across their fat bellies listening to somebody yapping, and “not working” if they’re anywhere else.
Am i blocked from Commenting?
Yes
Unfortunately not
richard fennessey you are one that has been listening to rte and reading anti FF comments in the media. They were the party that ran this country ,with only short breaks, for the past 80 years. We didn’t do too bad under FF. We had a global crisis in 2007 . FF were not in power in Italy, Greece, USA or in any other country who also suffered under this global upheaval. Give me FF and life under FF anytime in preference to this lot that are in power at the moment. They have this desire to change everything and they have made a total mess of the country and all the things that we as a nation held dear eg pubs, old people, rural Ireland ect ect.
Gerrymiah u r hilarious
Them boys are some craic
FF are becoming so irrelevant that they are forced to comment on Ministers ties rather than the Budget. MM is desperate for attention.
have your say