Advertisement

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.

Senator: I was called a Nazi and threatened with rape for supporting Palestine

Fianna Fáil’s Averil Power also spoke to TheJournal.ie about Micheál Martin’s leadership.

FIANNA FÁIL SENATOR Averil Power said she received a rape threat as a result of her support for a Seanad motion recognising the state of Palestine last year.

Power spoke to TheJournal.ie yesterday about how she had been called a Nazi and anti-Semite for her support of the Palestinian people. She insisted the issue has nothing to do with religion for her, describing it as a “land grab” pure and simple.

Watch Power discuss the threat she received and how she dealt with it:

Video TheJournal.ie / YouTube

The leadership question

Elsewhere in the course of her wide-ranging interview with TheJournal.ie yesterday, Power talked about the leadership of Micheál Martin.

Power admitted Leinster House can be a bit of  a ”a men’s locker room” at times, and said ensuring more women are on the ballot paper will require “leadership”.

So, what does she make of Fianna Fáil’s current leader?

Video TheJournal.ie / YouTube

Camera: Nicky Ryan/TheJournal.ie

Fianna Fáil is hoping to have up to 27 female candidates in the next general election. All parties are required to have at least 30% women on the ballot paper or else face losing half of their exchequer funding.

The party currently has no female TDs and Power has put her name forward for selection in the new constituency Dublin Bay North. She will face stiff competition from former junior minister Sean Haughey (son of Charlie) and Councillor Deirdre Heney.

Power said that quotas are “a last resort” but necessary to increase the level of female representation in the Dáil above the current 16% – the highest level it has ever been.

Originally published: 10.30am

More: ‘If my daughter was raped there’s no question I’d force her to carry a child’ 

Read: Another failed Fianna Fáil candidate had a big go at Micheál Martin tonight

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
85 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute nicola lawless
    Favourite nicola lawless
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 8:30 AM

    ‘You’ll be at their graveside with your hand out’ ne’er a truer word spoken, but what joe forgot to mention is that the system is also pushing some of them into their graves. Sad, desolate times.

    86
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Floodzie
    Favourite Floodzie
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 8:21 AM

    Bank shares are up this week. Just about says it all…

    50
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute rotund jocularity
    Favourite rotund jocularity
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 8:16 AM

    Pure pantomime.

    47
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Pat O'Brien
    Favourite Pat O'Brien
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 9:07 AM

    Peter Mathews “rant” was great. He’s one of the few who are sticking it to these bastards. And fu#k the chairman for his snide remark, it simply shows his ignorance. Mathews simplified much of this crisis in that statement and people should hear that.

    44
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Martin Desmond1
    Favourite Martin Desmond1
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 8:43 AM

    I’d like to grill a few bankers, face down in a fire pit!
    Not those nice staff who do their best at work every day like you or I but these high 5 slapping gangsta rudeboys in disguise as bob dobolinas! Hardest part would be waiting for the coals to turn fully white before dunking them d!cks.

    42
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Declan
    Favourite Declan
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 9:22 AM

    This “we sent letters out” child like answer to meeting targets should be rubbished by noonan next week and they should be back in next month to answer again about what real work they have done. No ?

    The real truth here is they won’t write debts down because they are waiting for the market to rebound a bit. No chief exec wants to accept that debt on his shift. It will affect his job, his bonus, and as important the shares they privately own which are up since the collapse.

    Sadly the fact that these banks are state owned would appear to mean sweet f**k all….,

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kerry Blake
    Favourite Kerry Blake
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 10:21 AM

    So after the “grilling” what happens? Do the committee make any recommendations on maybe those in the banking sector not performing loosing their jobs or is that the end of the pantomime until next time they are called? Otherwise it is a waste of time and money.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Golden Bryan
    Favourite Golden Bryan
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 9:09 AM

    What? No Little Stevie Donnelly? The master of populist rhetoric must be losing his touch. The Fan Club will be very disappointed.

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Quincy
    Favourite Quincy
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 9:25 AM

    I don’t agree with that comment about Steven Donnelly. He’s not my local Td but anytime I hear him speak he comes accross as a decent hardworking Td with good morals and values. If half of the people in government were like him we might not be in this mess.

    42
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Golden Bryan
    Favourite Golden Bryan
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 11:27 AM

    Yup, Little Stevie is on the radio now using his favourite words “horrendous” and “horrific” and saying things like “There’s something wrong with the country …….”, then he pauses like he’s waiting for applause.

    But he has no solutions. He’s just a waffler.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Emlyn Grant
    Favourite Emlyn Grant
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 11:40 AM

    Surely the soloution is everyone that bought a house between 2003-2008 gets there mortgage reduced by 20% Thus making people’s mortgages affordable again and for those who are paying there mortgage they will have money to put into the local and national economy.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tom Hourigan
    Favourite Tom Hourigan
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 9:02 PM

    Boucher and Co will continue to treat law makers with disdain and arrogance as long as law makers continue to permit these bankers to receive salaries that are multiples of the salary of the highest ranked law maker in the state. These bankers must, understandably, feel superior and invincible and it must be undignifying for them to have to be accountable to a committee, where the aggregate salaries of any 7 or 8 members would only approximate to that of the highest paid banker. Cut their salaries to sensible levels and observe how cooperative they will suddenly become. Not a problem if they don’t want to work for less, others can be hired.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eric De Red
    Favourite Eric De Red
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 11:23 AM

    Political hypocrisy! This state, yet again, faces an existential crisis and the politicians expect bankers (no less) to get them off the hook and to make the decisions that they themselves will not. Bankers will do their job, which in this case is to get as much of the money they imprudently lent out back. To expect otherwise is extremely naive. Politicians are once again ducking the hard decisions. Why? Because to fix this problem we need money and that is already being shipped back to Frankfurt by the tonne. If politicians want the mortgage issue fixed then they need to fix it, not hope for others to fix it for them.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SilentFugitive
    Favourite SilentFugitive
    Report
    Sep 8th 2013, 12:29 PM

    This was a show for the proles. The TDs knew it, the bankers knew it and the proles knew it.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Johnny Mannion
    Favourite Johnny Mannion
    Report
    Sep 10th 2013, 8:20 PM

    Grilling,hardly

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds