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Michael McNamara at Leinster House yesterday Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

Rebel TD kicked off committee after just ONE day

Michael McNamara’s not having a great week.

MICHEAL MCNAMARA, THE Labour TD who was expelled from his parliamentary party yesterday, will be taken off the Health Committee despite only becoming a member of it on Wednesday.

The Clare deputy lost the Labour whip yesterday afternoon after voting against the government on the Dáil motion to approve the sale of the state’s 25.1 per cent stake in Aer Lingus.

As a result, Labour is to remove him from his positions on a number of Oireachtas committees, including Agriculture and Health. McNamara had only been added to the Health Committee on Wednesday as a replacement for Robert Dowds.

However, Labour chief whip Emmet Stagg confirmed this morning that McNamara loses all committee memberships regardless of his length of service.

The TD had been particularly keen to work on the committee having drafted legislation on fatal foetal abnormalities.

The committee is due to consider the issue of abortion in cases where children with fatal foetal conditions will not survive past birth in the coming months.

McNamara has previously said his bill is more restrictive than legislation proposed by Clare Daly that was recently voted down in the Dáil.

The bill includes a definition of fatal foetal abnormalities and would allow for two obstetricians to be involved in the abortion cases before a final decision is made.

McNamara also loses his current office in the Labour wing of Leinster House and now faces an uncertain future within the party.

He is keen to be selected as its general candidate in Clare with a selection convention due to take place in July. Labour sources have indicated an application to rejoin the parliamentary party would be considered in advance of the next election.

Read: Labour TD to lose Dáil office after voting against Aer Lingus sale

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55 Comments
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    Mute Steve Mac
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    May 29th 2015, 11:51 AM

    So a TD gets kicked off a committee for voting against a bad deal and that gets reported. But DOB can silence the entire mainstream media of a country and prevent them from reporting what a public representative said in the chamber. Shameful. Grow a pair Journal – if someone the size of Broadsheet can stand up to a bully why can’t you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT3KLVWc5tk&feature=youtu.be

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    Mute Ivan Murphy
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    May 29th 2015, 12:31 PM

    Well said

    #jesuisCatherine

    I expect Enda and the boys to be out marching for ‘free speech’ this afternoon!

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    Mute D H
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    May 29th 2015, 4:02 PM

    Il repost seeing as theyre taking down comments…..i hope every one rememembers at election time…a vote for fg is a vote for DoB

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    Mute Declan
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    May 29th 2015, 4:08 PM

    My comment about Denis O’Brien was taken down as well. What the matter Journal? Are you hoping Denis O’ Brien will buy you out? I’m deleting the Journal App. At least on other social media such as Facebook, people’s have freedom of speech.

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    May 29th 2015, 7:13 PM

    For the moment Declan, The government are working on it!

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    Mute littleone
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    May 29th 2015, 12:17 PM

    The silence from government parties on what transpired yesterday is shameful. They should have come out and supported all TDs rights for democracy and free speech in the dail. They fact they haven’t indicates they agree with what happened and that an individual has the right to silence what it said it the dail bty the media. I await with bated breath that they find this an attack on democracy, freedom of speech or their silence that they find it the opposite and an attack on dob. Where is enda now ? Has he forgotten je suis Charlie.

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    Mute Ivan Murphy
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    May 29th 2015, 1:35 PM

    #jesuisCatherine

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    Mute littleone
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    May 29th 2015, 1:41 PM

    #jesuiscatherine

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    Mute Michael Farrelly
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    May 29th 2015, 4:27 PM

    This is the end of the Guardian article. It speaks volumes about censorship and media control in this country and is very disturbing for democracy
    “So there it is. The owner of the bulk of Ireland’s media outlets is using an injunction to prevent reports on his affairs appearing in the rest of the media he doesn’t control.
    Clearly, there are questions to ask about the press freedom implications due to Ireland’s lack of media plurality and diversity.”

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    May 29th 2015, 12:16 PM

    Shysters like O’Brien should not be allowed to use his wealth to try and gag inconvenient information coming into the public forum.In any other country this dodgy character would not be associated with the government like he is here. A real banana state (without the weather) Ireland has become.

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    Mute molly coddled
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    May 29th 2015, 12:47 PM

    Agreed Gus, methinks the inconvenient truth that DOB is so desperately guarding and hiding has far, far, far more implications that we can possibly comprehend. The stink off of this would make you faint, and no smelling salts would bring you round.
    Edna is very, very quiet don’t you think?

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    Mute Ivan Murphy
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    May 29th 2015, 1:36 PM

    I’d imagine that we are only seeing the top of the iceberg!

    #jesuisCatherine

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    Mute Davy Boy
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    May 29th 2015, 12:10 PM

    The DOB Story is unbelievable the power money can buy in this age media banks and governments cannot wait for the film to be made but will it be fact of fiction ?

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    Mute Coco McDee
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    May 29th 2015, 12:21 PM

    We know he owns the Indo and his pal Yates is never gonna mention it in Newstalk they just pretend nothings happening, but what about other media and Journal? They know that we have a right to hear under Daily riverlege so what are they afraid of ? Demicrac

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    Mute Alan Henderson
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    May 29th 2015, 11:53 AM

    Follow catherine murphy on Facebook.
    Jay leno lookalike is only looking for a ticket on the moneybus.

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    Mute molly coddled
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    May 29th 2015, 12:55 PM

    I follow Catherine Murphy on twitter.
    One of the best TDs this state has ever had, we should not allow her to be silenced.
    http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a0e3e2f17814c5b5feb9a1b04&id=c1b3f54fe7

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    Mute CitizenSmith©
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    May 29th 2015, 11:56 AM

    Can you imagine if he used his dail privilege to bring something into the public domain only for it to be reported on and then withdrawn and never spoken of again like my uncle Hubert

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    May 29th 2015, 1:08 PM

    Its up to the people to contact all world media and highlight this gagging order,we have to shame our government for this carry on.

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    Mute Proinsias Kieran Stagg
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    May 29th 2015, 1:01 PM

    Shame on You for colluding in the censorship of The Dail.

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    Mute Ivan Murphy
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    May 29th 2015, 1:06 PM
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    Mute Paul Mc
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    May 29th 2015, 11:47 AM

    Does he get paid any extra money for serving on these committees or did he consider it his patriotic duty?

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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    May 29th 2015, 11:49 AM

    Probably gets a pension now for those few days.

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    Mute steve white
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    Jul 6th 2015, 9:48 PM
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    Mute funkytown
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    May 29th 2015, 11:56 AM

    on the subject of o brien, mcnamara kinda looks like him.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    May 29th 2015, 12:18 PM

    Hear Hear!

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    Mute HRH The Brummie
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    May 29th 2015, 11:53 AM

    There will still be expenses to be claimed from he’s time on the committee. ….

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    Mute Paul Mc
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    May 29th 2015, 12:09 PM

    So you can claim expenses for moving from one part of the Dail and moving to another part.Is it milage you claim for, or is it an over night stay or maybe a ham sandwich.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    May 29th 2015, 12:19 PM

    A feed of drink at the Dáil bar no doubt.

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    Mute steve white
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    Jul 6th 2015, 9:49 PM

    they don’t get extra money as ordinary member of committee http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/tdssenators/salariesallowances/daileireann/#d.en.9351

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    Mute Brian Gormley
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    May 29th 2015, 11:48 AM

    Thou shalt not

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    May 29th 2015, 3:26 PM

    Diarmuid, there is a huge difference in loosing on an injunction, and reporting what was stated in the Dail. They are two different matters. One was on a programme RTE had made. The other is reporting what was said in the Dail. On which one did the injunction apply? Did the injunction extend to censoring the Dail, our parliament?

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    Mute patjoejoe123
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    May 29th 2015, 4:44 PM

    you can’t have disobedience like that. kick him out, good riddance

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