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Peter Mathews in 2011 Eleanor Keegan/RollingNews.ie

Being tough on bankers ... and Fine Gael: How Peter Mathews will be remembered

Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan is among those to have paid tribute to Mathews, saying Ireland is “a poorer place” without him.

THE DEATH OF former TD Peter Mathews (65) was announced earlier today, leading to many tributes and people remembering his contribution to politics.

The financial consultant and political commentator was elected to the Dáil as a Fine Gael TD in the Dublin South constituency in 2011, but left the party in 2013 after voting against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.

Mathews was elected in the five-seat Dublin South constituency in the 2011 general election. However, he failed to be re-elected as an independent TD in the three-seat Dublin Rathdown constituency last year. He ran in the February 2016 election despite announcing he had oesophageal cancer the same month.

The circumstances under which he left Fine Gael have somewhat overshadowed his contribution to politics, but for many he is better known as a vocal commentator during the aftermath of the economic crash and bank guarantee.

He clashed with Fine Gael on a number of occasions, ruffling some feathers in 2011 when he said he had more experience than Finance Minister Michael Noonan.

In March 2012, the Fine Gael and Labour members of the Oireachtas’ all-party finance committee were beaten by 11 votes to nine on a motion put forward by Mathews seeking a hearing with the then Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan about the controversial Anglo Irish Bank promissory notes deal.

Mathews, still a member of Fine Gael at the time, tabled the proposal but voted against it in line with the party whip. It was an embarrassing defeat for the government.

In January 2013, meanwhile, Mathews was “spoken to” by then government chief whip Paul Kehoe over his attendance at a Ballyhea anti-bank bailout protest meeting.

An unlikely ally

MEP and former TD Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan paid tribute to Mathews today, saying his death “shocked and saddened” him.

“We came from very different backgrounds and very different political perspectives but we both arrived at the Dáil on the same day, first-time TDs after the February 2011 election, with similar ambition on one major issue – challenge the bank debt that had been forced on the Irish people.

For me it was personal, given that I had a young family on whose shoulders the bulk of this debt was loaded. For Peter though I think it was even more so, not just because he had kids and even grandkids of his own who would likewise now be forced to pay for the lack of backbone of our own government in not challenging this odious debt, but because he was himself an accountant and a banker and thus saw this as a huge stain on his profession.

Flanagan said he thought Mathews was “a natural for promotion to the Cabinet”, given his financial expertise, but this wasn’t to be.

He was critical of Enda Kenny’s decision to consign Mathews to the back benches, saying Fine Gael knows “how to deal with upstarts with knowledge and intelligence – silence them”. Flanagan said he believed this “rejection” by the Taoiseach “left a deep scar” on Mathews’ belief system.

“Ireland is today a poorer place without Peter,” he added.

Kenny said he was “deeply saddened” by Mathews’ death, adding he “served his constituents with commitment and energy” – both when in Fine Gael and as an independent.

Bank officials 

In a grilling of bank officials by the Oireachtas Finance Committee in September 2013, Mathews didn’t hold back. He said the banking sector “abandoned its prudential principles” and “created a credit asset bubble”.

Hugh O'Connell / YouTube

“How dare a banking sector think that they’re entitled to collect all the loans that are secured on that asset which they have helped to pump up, consistently, for six years. That’s wrong,” he stated.

Mathews said the then Socialist TD Joe Higgins was right when he said it was wrong for “€70 billion of private losses” to be absorbed by the public.

twee Twitter Twitter

The decision to not put Mathews on the Oireachtas banking inquiry committee, given his financial knowledge, was criticised by opposition TDs.

Finian McGrath, now an Independent Alliance junior minister, described the move as “a major mistake”.

Mathews’ proposed motion to compel bank executives from the period 2001 to 2008 to appear before the committee was also voted down.

Kicked out 

pm-10-2 Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

In his final months as a TD, Mathews was ejected from the Dáil chamber on a number of occasions.

He frequently clashed with the then Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett after raising unrelated issues during the order of business, such as Bank of Ireland’s restrictions on over-the-counter lodgements and the IBRC loans controversy.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

Mathews will also be remembered for his pro-life views, which ultimately saw him leave Fine Gael in 2011.

In his letter resigning from the party, he wrote: “Unfortunately I have been placed in a position by the leadership of the party that has led me to this decision.”

At the time he told RTÉ News he signed a document pledging to support Fine Gael policy when he joined the party but said: “I pointed out at the time that I would not be signing a blind political loyalty to some areas that might be more important and more core …  life and death matters.”

Read: Former Fine Gael and Independent TD Peter Mathews has died aged 65

Read: For perhaps the last time, Peter Mathews was sent packing from the Dáil today

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26 Comments
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    Mute Seymour business
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:36 PM

    Always seemed to me to be genuinely committed to getting to the truth. Rare enough in big party politics.

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    Mute Randal McNally
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    Feb 28th 2017, 11:50 PM

    Rare ? You mean “Never Seen” !

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    Mute MuckyMoo
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:35 PM

    RIP. One of the good guys in politics

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    Mute Euro is Dead
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:48 PM

    Cometh the hour, Cometh the man. He will be sorely missed. Ar Dheis De go Raibh a Anam

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    Mute Willie Bill Bryan
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:51 PM

    One of the good ones RIP Peter

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    Mute John McGuirk
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:44 PM

    This is a beaufifully written obituary. I’m always first to criticise the Journal when it gets it wrong, but this is a great piece of Journalism. Well done Orla Ryan.

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    Mute Tony Daly
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:37 PM

    He was well intentioned, principled, noble, decent and fair minded.

    He saw through thevdysfunctionality and malgovernance of the Banks, as well as the deleterious effect of the banking abuses on society.

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    Mute Charlie Wrex
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:01 PM

    Always struck me as a man of principle, good humour, and great insight. One of the good guys.

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    Mute Sean @114
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:27 PM

    His tussles with Vincent Brown were legendary. RIP.

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    Mute Emmet O'Keeffe
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:21 PM

    Always managed to get right under Vincent Browne’s skin.

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    Mute Patrick j Brady
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:27 PM

    RIP….a man of principles. . Called it as it was…. sadly not many td’s like him…

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:25 PM

    A good apple in a barrel of bad ones rip

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    Mute Paul Lane
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:13 PM

    A genuinly good guy, albeit I disagreed with a lot he had to say, but he was always very brave on Vincent Browne and sadly missed. What a loss

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    Mute Sparxz1
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:58 PM

    No place in Lenster house for Men of High Calibre and noble principle !
    The Face of Kenny & so-called Dr O’Reilly laughing at dying man(he had already being diagnosed).
    I wonder how many are thinking today, that Lenister house cannot be reformed, & will have to be abolished to some how save the Irish Nation.

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Feb 28th 2017, 9:43 PM

    Nice tribute Orla.

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    Mute Phil O'Donnell
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:31 PM

    Sincere condolences to your family and friends. Would not have agreed with you on all policies but was a huge admirer. In my opinion a person of hige integrity and in politics for all the right reasons. R.I.P..

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Feb 28th 2017, 8:44 PM

    “Kenny said he was “deeply saddened” by Mathews’ death” hypocrite…..

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    Mute Mick Rick Jones
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    Mar 13th 2017, 7:42 PM

    @Kerry Blake: your comment is spot on, and can be extended to others in Fine Gael and Labour leadership , who drove Matthews and other decent people of conscience, out of the Dail.

    Their hypocrisy extends along the Fine Gael front bench, to Labour as well. No room for conscience on abortion there.

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    Mute the truth
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:51 PM

    struck me as a genuine fella who wanted to make a difference then realised he hadn’t a hope of being allowed do anything .

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    Mute Noel Holland
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    Feb 28th 2017, 10:42 PM

    RIP peter mathews. That u tube video is worth a watch….

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    Mute Randal McNally
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    Feb 28th 2017, 11:48 PM

    Yes. He asked the hard questions and got few answers from our “Closed Ranked” political and unaccountable civil service parasites ! RIP

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    Mute Aindriú Purfield
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    Mar 1st 2017, 3:57 AM

    Noonan knows nothing about Economics or Finance.

    He’s just a perfect lackey for the ECB and the eurogroup and that is why he was put where he was.

    History has already absolved honest and intelligent politicians like Matthews and shown up Noonan and Kenny for the slimy subhuman worms that they are.

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Mar 1st 2017, 8:11 AM

    Our electoral system yields up some TDs of quality, who stand out from the party foot soldiers as professional, & strong in character, & who genuinely seem intent on contributing to building a better society. Mr. Mathews was one that few, but the stultified & whipped party system failed to recognise & give scope for that powerful intellectual commitment to the community. That his challenges to the “system” we’re smothered by his own party is yet another bad reflection on their recent form.

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    Mute Eoghan Pettit
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    Mar 1st 2017, 12:05 PM

    He was thoughtful, reasonable, well spoken and his own man. Very sad for his family. RIP

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    Mute KerryBlueMike
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    Mar 1st 2017, 10:21 PM

    Rip Peter, you did well sir.

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    Mute Mick Rick Jones
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    Mar 13th 2017, 7:37 PM

    Peter Matthews bravely, with a few others, opposed the Kenny/Labour abortion bill in 2013..

    Like Lucinda Creighton, B Timmons,T Flanagan — all Fine Gael TDs, driven from Fine Gael and the Dail, shamefully refused a free, conscientious vote — Peter Matthews, for his honest principles and stand aginst abortion, was also driven out of Fine Gael, for upholding their election promise not to legalise abortion.

    I hope none of the Fine Gael/Labour pro abortion hierarchy, who refused him and others that free vote of conscience on abortion, show their shameful faces at his funeral, or insult his decent memory now, with their customary crocodile tears of condolence.

    In 2013, we saw how they treated him and others.

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