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AVERIL POWER WAS told to leave her office on the Fianna Fáil wing of Leinster House just hours after resigning from the party.
The party’s chief whip wrote to the senator asking her to make way for newly-elected TD Bobby Aylward “as soon as possible”.
The now-independent senator has since been accommodated in a new office in the LH2000 complex of the Oireacthas.
Power has also joined the independent group in the Seanad for the purposes of speaking rights in the chamber.
Power’s abrupt resignation from Fianna Fáil on Monday afternoon was followed by swift action as the party’s chief whip Seán Ó Fearghail wrote to her just hours later asking her to vacate her office.
Speaking on Newstalk’s Moncrieff programme yesterday, Power explained: “I made my announcement at twelve o’clock.
By four or five, I got an email telling me to get out of my office because Bobby Aylward was coming in today and wanted my office.
“It was the last thing I wanted to deal with. They told me he was coming in today and he wanted it. The last thing I wanted to be dealing with yesterday was that.”
Ó Fearghail told TheJournal.ie that Power had been asked to leave in line with normal procedure and because the party needed to accommodate Aylward.
The new Carlow-Kilkenny deputy was formally introduced in the Dáil yesterday.
“The government would say we should accommodate him in an office that was becoming available,” Ó Fearghail explained.
So we wrote to her several hours after her announcement. I said: ‘We’re sorry to hear you’re leaving but we need possession of the office as soon as possible’.
Power said yesterday afternoon that independent senator Jillian Van Turnhout had been looking to secure her a new office in Leinster House.
Van Turnhout told TheJournal.ie last night that Power had since been given an office in LH2000, next to where fellow independent senator Fiach Mac Conghail is based.
Power said yesterday: “I’ve seen an incredible amount of kindness and decency from other parties that I have worked with on different things over the last few years.”
Wah wah wah I left the party and now they say I can’t use their office. Meanies!
Who are the owner’s of these offices?
I presume it’s the state!
I’m sure there is fantastic use made of them….
Exactly Emily. What did she expect, to leave fine fail and still expect to use their offices? All sounds a bit childish to me. If I’m working for someone and I resign, I expect to have vacated my office immediately.
Bloody hell. I wish this story would go away. No one gives a rats arse about FF of Averil Power
^or
unfortunately Beano, we will be listening to this story well into the foreseeable future.
her hubby is political editor of the ‘Independent’.
Its not going away anytime soon.
Surely Aylward would normally have take Phil Hogan’s old office, not the office of a senator? This is FF throwing their toys out of the pram, methinks.
I was wondering why this was such a story. That explains a lot Zoe, thanks.
The offices are grouped by party.
Well you thinks very stupidly. .. Hogans was an fg office
So exactly where were they going to put Bobby, anyone ask?
It’s a simple question.
Everyone was going to have to scoot over one office.
Bit like a mad hatter’s tea party. “Clean cups, clean cups, everybody move down one seat”.
Why yes Richard …you make free phone calls to lovers and friends and even the odd enemy
Cry me a river. She did quit.
Maybe she shouldn’t have been quite so rude about her colleagues in public!
Seriously, what else was she expecting?
You would swear she was being exiled in Siberia with the way the media is carrying on. She’s still a senator! The only things that will change are her phone extension and party.
Her ego is even bigger than kennys
Will this silly egotistical person ever get lost. The good people of Dublin Bay North will with a bit of luck send her packing at #GE2016
This woman was used by slick mik leader of the cute hoor party, mick and his buddies voted yes and no, nod n wink like ya know, nothing has changed in the party of corruption and nothing will because they’re rotten beyond redemption
This woman knows exactly what she is doing.. She is trying to get elected as an.independent, she used her complaint for maximum publicity and the referendum as an excuse
Still waiting on a story about TTIP journal and maybe one on the passing of the new ‘terrorism’ bill. Any jounalistic integrity left in this country at all? Something which is profoundly going to affect us and our children and the journal would rather do a story on some nobody getting a new office. Pathetic
You can follow & engage with them on twitter – save you waiting for a journalists “interpretation”
@EU_TTIP_team
What did Averil expect! to hold on to her office and the Senate seat
And what else did Averil expect? Did she expect that FF would say to her, ‘now you take as long as you need to look for another office or you can stay with us here’ get real Averil and don’t be such a notice box.
I don’t like FF but…
Micheál Martin pulls all the strings to make her a Senator.
Power’s recent media exposure gives her an inflated ego and she starts throwing her weight around like a spoiled child, demanding this and that, and ultimately biting the hand that fed her.
Very foolish indeed.
She will realise now how difficult it is to establish yourself (i.e. actually get real votes from us. Yes, us!) in politics without relying on getting spoonfed with a plum Seanad job by your party leader.
Danger of thinking that one issue a whole political success makes. Gay rights are now a non issue. She should have stayed and changed ff from within. Hanafin etc will be happy today.
Was Hanafin not Powers mentor? I bet Hanafin is disgusted that they wasted so much time on Power. Lots of other female councilors that could have been given a go. Mary Fitz won’t be happy either that could have been her seat
Very well said and she only got that media exposure as her husband is editor of the Irish Independent.
She quit her job, I am surprised they didn’t ask her to clear her desk that day.
One interesting point, she might have liked to put herself forward as helping secure a Yes vote , but her constituency had the lowest Yes vote in all of Dublin.
She couldn’t even get herself elected as a councillor, she was pulled up though the ranks only because she was a woman and she also was an advisor for Mary Hanafin and earning 100,000 euro. She is just a sulk.
Avril Power floated in on a golden parachute to the Senate she is unelected by the people why is so much airtime given to her plight
Day 3 of Averils daily pity party .
I see Fionnan is doing her proud in the indo again today.
“Last thing I wanted to deal with”. She would obviously prefer to busy herself Subverting the democratic process for the Dublin bay north seat. Incidently the Indo’s coverage of this has been disgracefully one sided in support of the editor’s wife and her personal agenda
She quits her very publicly without notice and then bitches about being asked to quit her office without notice…
She can toddle off and campaign for gay rights in Gaza
No abortion is the next “issue” just hope we can have a referendum on corporal punishment the same day. Have the liberals chasing their tails.
If they were in such a hurry where were they going to put him had she not quit?
Classy bunch.
Broom cupboard. New brooms and all that..
When Averil was turned out she was accommodated by Turn(h)out. She should not be whining. She knew that she would have to vacate a room assigned to FF. Same thing happens when TDs leave other Parties. The FF chief whip acted properly and courteously in the circumstances. Ms. Power’s rush to the “sacred”Plinth without having the manners or decency to properly inform her Party of her decision to leave was reprehensible to say the least.
Out with the new, in with the old.
Wow , I have never seen such a choreographed social media attack on a politician. FF remind me of a cult – you can never leave . Of course she should have been booted out of her office , but she was right about what she said.Martin is a weak leader . FF don’t know what they stand for .. FF are not fit for office.
You are talking about The Shinners Jimmy aren’t you , Power left because she get her own way , end of
She didn’t get her own way , I meant to say
Why are some of the ‘Yes’ side still so bitter?
Surely they got the result they wanted in the referendum. Why can we all not just accept it, and move on.
It seems that even victory is not enough for people like Averil Power.
This has nothing to do with the referendum Zoe, that’s just an excuse shes using.
As far as I know she found out she wouldn’t be the only FF candidate in her constituency next election and I’m assuming shes jumping ship to improve her chances of election next time round.
Frank Underwood won’t stand for this unacceptable treatment of his wife.
Talk about I want my ball back and I want it right now
Egotistical narcissist and she was so close to a life on the gravey chain lol
The main office for these guys .. and gals is the Fail Bar
This yoke wasn’t even elected by the people she’s a senator hand balled into the position by FF why is she being given so much coverage??? She’s a nobody who threw her toys out of the pram, stop entertaining this lot of pampered #$&*#
Is she a drag queen ?
Dont know about drag queen but definitely scary resemblance to Myra hindley
This girl is not able for the cut & thrust of politics
RTE love this woman a sort of Irish Joan of Arc
Very shortsighted power grab by f fail one last round for the old boys Alyward manseragh etc abandon new Fianna Fáil appeal to the older rural Fianna Fáil supporter and who cares after that
Sure Charlie gave us free travel
You talk about rural fianna fail yet were Charlie and Bertie not Dubs which urban Dublin lapped up?
Dublin made FF for most of the last 70 years.
So mafioso, you turn against us and you’re dead to us straight away. FF…they’re all heart.
What else would you expect to happen.
Even if she had been a member of an honest organization she would have had to leave the office promptly.
I agree that after her resignation she should vacate her office and the timing of asking her to do so could have been better handled and I note they didn’t give her a definitive time to vacate by but my question is – If she hadn’t resigned where was Aylward going to be given an office? My point is, they would have obviously given him an office just not Averil’s
Zzzzzzzzz
Basically a civil servant quit for not getting due thanks and recognition.
Welcome to the Public Service.
Pettiness on all sides it appears. These are the people who want to be in government?
Human nature does not change.
This is the world over.
That’s the thing about liberal lefty idealist looneys like her even when they get there way ie. marriage ref. Vote, there always looking for another opportunity to throw there toys out of the pram.
FF trolls galore
Anyone else think she is trying to channel her inner ‘Claire Underwood’ in the photograph above?
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