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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has defended Justice Minister Helen McEntee’s record on law and order and said her number one priority has been on cracking down on domestic and gender-based violence while minister.
His comments were made today in the Dáil in response to a question from Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín.
During leaders’ questions Tóibín accused McEntee of “focusing on the culture wars and forgetting about the bread and butter issues that are actually affecting so many people in the country”.
McEntee has come under increased pressure since the summer as issues within the gardaí and crime in Dublin, and across the country, made headlines.
On top of this, she faced significant opposition to her proposed Hate Speech Bill, which was ultimately delayed. Despite speculation, McEntee has maintained that the delay has not been because of the pushback.
Tóibín raised the issue of garda shortages today in the Dáil and also asked the Taoiseach to introduce custodial sentences to any person who injures a member of the gardaí.
“There has to be a minimum sentence for those who actually attack or physically harm a garda. And we need to make sure the garda know that the terms conditions and pay that garda have will increase to make the job attractive so that young men and women will take up posts.
“Until those two things are done, we will continue to see this crisis continued throughout communities in this country,” he said.
In response, the Taoiseach said he is aware of the issues facing gardaí and the risk of violence and said this is why McEntee has focused on introducing body cams for members of the force.
He also hit back strongly against Tóibín’s comments on the culture wars and said:
“I’m not sure what you really mean by the cultural wars, but if anyone’s distracted by them Deputy, it’s probably you – not Minister McEntee.”
He continued: “I know Minister McEntee from the time she was working in this building as a PA to her father. I know Minister McEntee, I know what her number one priority has been as minister and it is cracking down on domestic and gender-based violence.”
The Taoiseach said murder and manslaughter statistics for this year show women being killed “by the men they know”, not gang land related crimes.
“That she has made that a priority shows how serious she is about the serious crime of gender and domestic based violence,” the Taoiseach said.
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Her record isn’t that great Leo but don’t let that stop you
@mainmsam: what record do you refer to???
@Liam23: that Dublin is safe, when you have a Garda escort, but for the rest of us not so much
@Liam23: are ya serious??
I look forward to the next election
@Dara M: There is no viable alternative. We need a full blown revolution in this country.
@: Define ‘revolution’.
@Garreth Byrne: ‘…a full blown’ revolution, mind you ha?
@Garreth Byrne: You look old enough to understand the word, no offence intended.
She has the aura of someone who has been compromised.
Comes across as a soulless automaton.
A very sinister establishment figure
@Tommy Haze:
Anyone elected by the people do not deserve your comments.
@David Murray:
Fascinating.
@David Murray: Elected by the people but owned by who?
Leaky, enough with the optics and box ticking.
Just get McEntee out and put the ‘right person’ in the job. She’s been spoofing and winging it from day one. I’ve said it before, she wouldn’t have got her snout near the trough if it wasn’t for her Da.
Nothing positive will change with the Gardai as long as FFFG are in power.
Who shut down all the Garda stations?
Who has pushed vast numbers of Gardai to resign?
Who has increased Gardai number by just 24% over the last 30 years?
The fish rots from the head down.
@Chris O’Brien: who has being involved with the most Garda deaths in the history of the state?? Nothing will change even with a change of government
@Chris O’Brien: are SF positioning themselves as a party that’s all for AGS now? That would be some pivot!
@Journal Commenter: I’ll believe it when they hand over the 2 OTRs involved in killing Jerry McCabe. (Mitchel McLaughlin on live TV denied the PIRA had anything to do with it, and later on the party sought early releases for the convicted killers.)
Someone like LEO elected on the 8th count would be the ideal defender of Miss parish pump elected, brought in out of pure sentimentality and cute hoorism
Peadar Tóibín is correct here.
McEntee is an incompetent imbecile, unfit to hold the position she occupies. Further, she has in fact focussed her energies in her ministerial role on her reviled hate speech legislation, apparently against the will of the Irish public, as a priority whilst the breakdown of law and order continues apace in our towns and cities.
Varadkar knows this. Gaslighters gonna gaslight.
@Dancey McDonagh: why get personal and use ignorant words to bring yourself down. McEntee is no good as Minister of Justice , but neither was Frances Fitzgerald who Leo defended but her cosy relationship with the then Garda commission was her downfall. Alan shatter was run out of the position and he shut down Garda stations. Charlie Flanagan took his role in the justice portfolio as an observer. These are all Fine Gael politicians who have held the Justice role since 2011 and it’s just one big dogs dinner but if you want to state the obvious do not degrade your self by using insulting language.
@Liam Foy: How is the language I used insulting? There is no foul or obscene language here, just an entirely accurate summation of the situation as I see it.
The article is about Varadkar’s defence of this incompetent justice minister; what is the relevance of the other past justice ministers to this discussion?
@Dancey McDonagh: Liam Foy is a $imp but unfortunately the comments section is full of them and not a pair of ẞalls between them.
AI personified
Can’t wait to see the back of leaky and St Helen
No need for personal attacks.
She does not have what it takes to be Minister of Justice , that is apparent to all.
She is ineffectual and , I sense, not into hard work and commitment .
Leaving her at Justice may well sink her , and perhaps should , but the more important issue is the critical issues on her watch are not being addressed, never mind resolves , by one iota .
She needs to go .
Government overreach has consequences.
Basically – I know Helen years..we went to leccy piccy together even loike. Totes bants brigade She’s great. Her dad was great too so I’ll support her.
“Tóibín accused McEntee of “focusing on the culture wars” – Some brass neck on that lad to make that claim.
Aontú have built their entire party on what they define as “culture wars”.
@Tricia G: Catholic fundamentalism with Provo roots: what’s not to like?
@Brendan O’Brien: it’s hard to see any of the recently formed parties here as being concerned with anything other than culture wars. Probably because they require no research, no thought, simply pushing emotionally charged polarising ‘ideas’. Aontu are like something from the middle of the last century, trying to revive a culture that hopefully we have seen the back of. A bunch of secular clerics
@Alan: if they bring back comely maidens dancing at the crossroads, they’ll have my vote.
That ole lad is smoking something
Leo will defend everything FG and now with his new found pollical buddies. Regarding Helen McEntee she belongs more to fashion catwalk rather than the Minister for Justice portfolio.
To be fair she is not up to the job and is finished in her current role. Corrupt Ireland will get her another role but she is finished in Justice. This has the potential to really harm the public so the sooner the better she steps aside the better. Harris’s strategy is already after rendered the Metropolitan Police useless and disgruntled and now our Rocket Scientists are allowing him introduce it in Ireland.
They’re more concerned about making the country appear more “progressive” socially for outside observers, it seems. They want the headline in the New York Times (more like page 30 of the international edition) to say Ireland passes anti hate law, how progressive. The demand for this sort of stuff from the public here is minimal, and for most, it’s an eye roll. Just do the nuts and bolts and let society evolve how it will
McEntee was once Minister without Portfolio.
Now she is Portfolio without Minister ……….
The last thing we need is a woke minister,we have enough of them already
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