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TÁNAISTE SIMON COVENEY has said the comments made by Senator Catherine Noone about the Taoiseach were “offensive, ignorant and wrong”.
Speaking to reporters today, he apologised on behalf of the party, stating:
“They caused offensive to many people. She has apologised for those comments and I know she hopes that the families offended by them will accept that apology,” he said.
He added:
“This should not have happened. As deputy party leader I want to apologise for the fact that it happened. The apology is very sincere and comments like that type are not acceptable.
“I hope we can put that issue to bed.”
Noone has apologised for remarks she made about the Taoiseach, after it was reported she said Leo Varadkar was “autistic”, “on the spectrum” and that he “doesn’t know what to do with himself” in social situations.
The Times, Ireland Edition, first reported the senator’s comments, which she made while canvassing in her Dublin Bay North constituency.
“He’s autistic like, he’s on the spectrum, there’s no doubt about it. He’s uncomfortable socially and he doesn’t always get the inbetween bits,” she said.
If I do say so, I am much more natural than he would be. I’ve been in rooms with him and he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He’s naturally shy. But he’s actually a very good politician.
Noone was also quoted as saying he is a “very good politician”, but is “a bit wooden”.
When contacted by The Times about her remarks, she initially denied using the word “autistic” but she was informed there was a recording. She then said she did not mean the word literally.
“I didn’t mean it in the sense of the actual illness or anything. I just mean he can be a bit wooden and lacking in empathy,” she said. “I shouldn’t have even said it in that way.”
Noone later released a statement apologising and withdrawing her comments:
“I unequivocally apologise and withdraw all of my remarks, as reported by TheTimes.ie, which were completely unacceptable,” she said.
My choice of language was inexcusable and wrong. I am truly sorry. I will not be making any further comment.
The Times also reports that Noone gave it examples of potentially offensive words that could be used out of context, such as “special” and “n***er”. However she clarified that she would never use the N word.
Coveney told the media today that Noone is writing to support organisations and the families concerned in an attempt to ”reinforce” her apology.
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Eh…drop out and resign from public office. Bad behaviour can’t be rewarded.
@Brian Moloney: it’s up to the electorate to make sure she gets that message on election day
@Brian Moloney: She is a solicitor and should know better
@Connoroconner: That’s not accountability though. That’s just an election. People vote for all sorts of reasons.
She’s a senator.
She should be hauled before an ethics committee for the Seanad and disciplined.
@Joxer23: but she does.
“I didn’t say that”,,, we have a recording of the interview,, “oh what I meant to say was” typical lying politician….
@devils avacado: Amazing stuff, horrible party, they think they are above everything..Imagine the lies she would be spewing if there was no recording, this says it all about FG attitudes
@MickN: they should have left it for longer before telling her about the recording
Only apologised after she was challenged. How is that an apology? She obviously has no understanding of autism or associated issues.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: I got the impression that both she and Varadkar are friends, both in politics and socially, what she’d said wasn’t meant as an insult but rather a remark one close friend may make about another. For all I know he may be socially awkward and display many traits of autism yet be brilliant in other areas, remember he is a doctor. There are many others who’ve called him much worse and actually meant it as a compliment.
I’m no fan of Varadkar but I think this incident is being blown into something it isn’t, she made an off the cuff remark about someone she knows better than the rest of us. A poor choice of words, granted, but we all make slip ups like this when we believe we’re speaking privately. I wonder why she was recorded, who released it to the media and with what aim?
@Arch Angel: These close friends must have odd private conversations judging by the language she uses.
@Arch Angel: using the word “autism” as a slur isn’t acceptable. Nor is calling it an “illness” in your apology and initially denying the whole thing before you knew there was a recording. Ignorance and lies aren’t a good look for anyone especially a public figure.
@Arch Angel: I don’t think you get my point. I couldn’t care less what relationship they have. He may be socially awkward or even display many traits of autism. And however they address each other in private is their own business. But it wasn’t private, it was on the campaign trail so its public. This issue is an insult to many people and their families in this country. If autism was an issue for you or your family would you want Catherine Noone representing your interests?
@Arch Angel: it’s not that she insulted him in my opinion, but moreover how she insults autistic people by highlighting varadkars negative qualities and explaining them off as autism. And in apologizing she incorrectly referred to autism as an illness. Which it is not.
@Arch Angel: it’s not that she insulted HIM in my opinion, but moreover how she insults autistic people by highlighting his negative qualities and explaining them off as autism. And in apologising, she incorrectly referred to autism as an illness. Which it is not.
@Fr. Fintan Stack & Aoife Sheey-Clarke: Without going into details, autism is an issue for me and my family, as it is for many. As I said, I don’t think she was insulting him or meant it as an insult, as Aoife indicated, she certainly had a poor understanding of the term she used to describe Varadkar, and went on to compliment him.
She described him as “a very good politician” and when contacted about using the specific word “autistic” she denied it. While everyone else sees this as a sign of guilt I see it as a natural human reaction, ‘I didn’t, did I?’ When told there was a recording she said she didn’t mean it literally, she had described Varadkar’s personality, being socially awkward, wooden, not always getting inbetween bits. But it was that one word, “autistic”. The media jumped on it, she had to apologise for using it, just when it’d died down somehow it’s back on the front pages again.
I get the impression that it wouldn’t matter what word she’d picked to describe him (I was going to use a few examples but thought better of it) the media would still have jumped on it. It wasn’t the word ‘autistic’, it wasn’t Varadkar either, she has some enemies in FG, a lot of blueshirt backstabbing going on…?
@Arch Angel: Best of friends? Suppose it’s better than Kenny’s imagery friends. Had it been any other party the blueshirts would be screaming from the rooftops for the offender to be held to account. Can see her and Maria Bailey becoming best friends .
@gm_cmanning: I agree with you. Autism isn’t an illness. Plenty of very smart, brilliant, creative, wonderful people are on the spectrum. It’s an insult to them to suggest Leo has an ASD
@Donal Desmond: You’re right. Imagine if someone had called for children with special needs to be microchipped with GPS trackers, they’d be vilified, right? At least you’d think so, would you?
Implosion for blueshirts ….
Wow look at that. A politician way out of touch with social issues. What next clouds over Ireland
It gets worse every time I read it.
@Reasonable Responsible: you should see the excuses she is writing to autism groups “she was tired of campaigning” talk about digging a hole for herself when people are tired of fighting for there kids for basic services and supports with faceless representatives from the HSE and department of education and the worry/stress that goes with it all
She shouldn’t be anywhere near the Dail or Seanad and amazingly she could get elected on the back of Richard Bruton now that Fine Gael are asking voters to give her number 1 vote instead of Richard Bruton to give her a better chance of being elected.
God help us we’re bad enough without that happening.
@Tom’s: She’ll have to win an election first. I doubt she has to win anything to be handed the Seanad job.
It’s now becoming a thing to do public penance like the candidate Verona Murphy had to visit a reception centre for asylum seekers in Waterford following her comment’ s and now Catherine Noone is to write in support of families to ‘reinforce’ her apology. Maybe it would be easier if we just went back to the public stocks, shamed and move on
@Honeybee: at least 200 lines or the leather
@Red wine and chocolate cake: you would have to bring up the leather,I had the misfortune to come across a christian brother who was a black belt in “the leather”
She writing to support organisations to try and save her votes,no other reason. FG politicians are showing their true colours in this campaign.
Why is Coveney apologising for her?
@pethelhug: Because her apology was paltry at best and came across as very in sincere …..
so FG needed someone more credible needs to apologise to the children ; adults and families affected by Autism across this country… FG are doing poorly in the polls and Simon Coveney is one the few A players they on their frontbench with humility & gravitas to pull it off……
@pethelhug: because she backed him in the leadership battle against Varadkar.
Its like Bailey even though she should have been flung out the door when news broke the party tried to brush it over and here we are again.. Pure arrogance in FG, they answer to no one but themselves. Sooner they are gone the better..
@MickN: They’re only defending her because it’s too late to dump her, being so close to the election.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: Although in hindsight you’re right, they did defend Bailey all the way.
And true
@Ronan Horan: please explain how her comments were true? All those traits are negative stereotypes of people with autism. Also autism isn’t an illness and calling someone autistic is not the same as calling them the n word
Don’t believe there was malice in her comments just successive levels of ignorance compounded by her denials til she was told there was a recording. As someone with autism I know said “if this is the best we’ve got to offer we’re screwed”.
@gm_cmanning: country has been screwed for a long long time, it’s just about trying wake EVERYONE up to see it…..
Par for the course with FFG
I’m less bothered by words than I am of the actions of a FG government…..this has all the feeling off a dead cat being thrown on the table
She should be dropped from the Finn Gael ticket as Sinn Fein dropped their candidate . It was a vile and disgusting comment
@Mary Mc Carthy: who did SF drop?
@Mary Mc Carthy: it’s too late to drop a candidate….wasn’t aware that Sinn Fein dropped their rep…
I think she ment numpty..
@Liam Meade: You need to apologise to all the numpties out there for that one!
Supporting those who support individuals living with autism, whether the autistic individuals themselves, their carers, or families, should not be penance. It should be automatic for anyone claiming to represent a community. This is a pointless exercise in damage control at this stage. She needs to go. The question now is she booted by the public, taking the party down with her, or do they do the respectful thing for once and tell her to go.
She needs to go!
This reads like a very well-written comedy sketch.
What a clusterfu*k by miss noone. She dug a big hole and kept on digging.
Simon should apologise for his own failings!
She should do the decent thing and de-select herself from the campaign. Why is the tanaiste apologising on her behalf to the autism community?
She wanted to do a national broadcast to explain herself, but the FG hierarchy said no. Was she going to sit in front of a camera and show tears and quivering lip while trying to extricate herself from her own mess.
She should just resign.
@Ken Curran: let her try explain
They berated sinn fein for not doing anything about Cllr Holohan and then they sit on their hands as per usual when one of their own says something out of turn. Hypocrites
It’s the arrogance in all of them. It the ignorance that is overwhelming
None of them give a f**k, until their caught in the headlights and back track it praying they don’t loose their pension.
Ms Noone is wrong about Dr Varadkar. Autistics are fully capable of holding down high level jobs in many fields, but I do not think politics is one of them. Apart from difficulty expressing empathy, they are rule followers, have a strong sense of justice and are very bad at lying.
I think her initial comment was correct. Autism spectrum.
She knows it.
It’s disappointing she changed her story, trying to get out of it.
It will be the other shower of parasites next time.
Just wondering is she the first politician to get caught out maybe she forgot maybe getting forgetful
Racist bigot
@Jason: racist???
She is a total face of current government thinking their better than everyone else. I have a child with autism and shed buy and sell that silly silver spoon b….ch. she should be hung drawn and quarter like someone not so long ago. Past her sell by date and costing this country money
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