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LAST UPDATE | 15 Jul 2020
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has told the Dáil that as soon as Leaders’ Questions was over yesterday, he contacted Barry Cowen and said his position in refusing to come before the Dáil to answer questions “was not acceptable or tenable”.
Yesterday evening the Taoiseach sacked Cowen as Agriculture Minister.
Cowen had come under fire in recent weeks after it emerged he was issued with a three-month driving ban in 2016 for being over the legal alcohol limit.
Martin made the announcement in the Dáil chamber last night, stating that he had read the Garda report and said that it “raised additional issues” about the incident that require “further explanation and clarification”.
He added that Cowen wasn’t prepared to answer further questions publicly about the incident, which lead to Martin sacking Cowen, the brother of former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
The Offaly TD reacted to his removal as minister on Twitter: “I am both surprised and disappointed with this decision.”
Martin told the Dáil this afternoon that he sought the Pulse file on Monday night from Cowen, and only saw it for the first time at 7.30am yesterday morning.
The Taoiseach said he didn’t know what was in the file until yesterday.
He told the Dáil that he was satisfied yesterday that Cowen should come in before the Dáil to address matters.
After Leaders’ Questions
Martin said he made it clear to Cowen he should answer questions, and after Leaders’ Questions he said that to him.
“I made it clear to Deputy Cowen yesterday morning that he should come into the House. He said he wasn’t going to, and I said I want you to reflect on that.”
The Taoiseach said he told Cowen yesterday afternoon that it was “not acceptable” that he was refusing to answer questions in the House.
Cowen still “refused to go that route”, the Taoiseach told the Dáil.
Martin said the fundamental difference between Cowen and his viewpoint is Cowen took a legalistic approach to defend his rights as a citizen, which he said Cowen is entitled to do.
However, Martin said he felt the matter could only be resolved through the “political route”, as Cowen is a TD and minister.
“He wanted to go the legal route, that to me wasn’t tenable,” said Martin.
The Taoiseach said that Cowen’s decision meant he was left with no other choice but to fire him.
Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald also raised an issue with Cowen disputing a Garda report.
“I’ve my own view on it, and I didn’t have that perspective a week ago… I’ve never said, in any shape or form – never have I sought – to undermine any Garda, or to undermine the accuracy or the credibility of any Garda statement,” said Martin.
However, he said Cowen disagrees with what is said in the file. Martin said any citizen has that right and has a right to seek it be changed.
Labour’s Alan Kelly said he was confused about what happened with Cowen.
“What has changed is your interpretation of this, politically when it was not causing a big issue for you Cowen could stay, but when it was he couldn’t,” he said, stating that this brings the judgement of the Taoiseach into question.
Kelly also queried whether the file is a Garda file or a Pulse file, stating that citizens don’t get access to Pulse files.
“You refer to it as a garda report or record, he refers to it as a Pulse file. Which is it?
“This is a subject Access Request Form. This is how you get information about yourself from An Garda Siochana. It usually takes between one and three months.
“How was this information provided to then-minister Cowen? Was it expedited for some reason?” asked Kelly.
Many people are asking how he got that file, how it was provided, because such a request for information usually takes about three months, said Kelly.
Martin said Cowen was taken aback and shocked that a journalist had got access to a Pulse file on the case, stating that Cowen did not have access to it.
Cowen called the gardaí last week to get access to his own information in the file, confirmed the Taoiseach.
Everyone should be concerned about the fact that others had access to the file when Cowen did not, said Martin.
The matter relating to Cowen and his drink-driving ban has become a “huge public controversy”, admitted the Taoiseach.
The sacking of Cowen followed on from revelations in the Irish Independent that in 2016 Cowen was banned from driving for three months after testing over the drink-drive alcohol limit while on a provisional licence.
At the weekend, the Sunday Times published a story claiming that the official Garda report of the incident at the Garda checkpoint indicated that Cowen had attempted to evade the Gardaí – a claim he strenuously denies.
Cowen has now asked for an internal investigation of the Garda report of the incident, Gardaí have begun an internal investigation, and the Garda Ombudsman is also to be involved in the review.
Martin is the Taoiseach in a three-party government, where the leaders of the two other parties – Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar and the Green Party’s Eamon Ryan – had called on Cowen to answer questions about the disputed facts at the Garda checkpoint in 2016.
Mayo TD Dara Calleary was today announced as the new Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Jack Chambers will take over Calleary’s role as Chief Whip.
A Cabinet meeting is to be held this evening on whether Ireland should move to Phase Four of Ireland’s roadmap to easing Covid-19 restrictions (due to take place on Monday, 20 July).
Speaking on Morning Ireland and on Newstalk this morning about the Cowen controversy, Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath, Minister on Public Expenditure and Reform, said that the issue had “developed into a political crisis that showed no sign of abating, of going away”.
He said Martin’s decision was taken “without prejudice” but that the situation was “incompatible with the normal functioning of government”.
Every media interview we did on any issue, this was the story that everyone wanted to talk about.
With reporting by Gráinne Ní Aodha
You’d have to have sympathy for Theresa May in the whole scenario. She’s been left to sort out the whole mess while the main instigators have gone into hiding.
@Damo.f: i respect her, for sure, but have zero sympathy.
In addition to being an extremely honorable and well paid job (plus pension), she volunteered for this job in full knowledge of her own views, and the array of views about Brexit.
She will also not have to live with the potential consequences of her actions and mistakes, like the average person.
@Damo.f: sure she’s playing a game. She’s denying NI and Scotland European membership – its those you should have sympathy for.
UK: We are leaving the 29th of March OK??
EU: Ok.
UK: OK??
EU: Ok.
UK: OK??
EU: Ok.
UK: OK??
EU: Ok.
UK: OK??
EU: Ok.
UK: OK??
……………….
@Ooby Dooby: ‘Acknowledge my importance dammit’
….and the Horror Show continues :-(
Fair play to Coveney “This parliament will meet if it has to,”
@Aidan Dorney: Direct rule would brake the Good Friday Agreement, serious own goal in the making
@George O Neill: In the absence of a functioning government in Stormont, who should rule?
We love a drama in this country, there’s nothing crucial about tonight’s vote, it’ll be voted down and then there’ll be an extension, following that a possible general election and a possible referendum and ultimately the U.K. will vote themselves back into Europe with their tails between their legs. Germany 1 – United Kingdom 0. The brexiteers missed their golden opportunity last night to leave the EU and give the two fingers to the bloc.
@Eugene Doyle: unless the EU refuse to give them an extension, which I know is unlikely
@Eugene Doyle: I like your comment Eugene.
@Eugene Doyle: Just imagine all the “EU is a dictatorship” trolls if that happened!
Please,
Please,
Please,
Leave without a deal – then start dealing from a position of strength rather than the groveling tactics adopted so far.
@Beircheart Breathnach:
A position of strength ????
That’s deluded
@Beircheart Breathnach: They have zero leverage, no skilled negotiators and the US and Japan are already lining up to screw them. The ex colony and soon to be world superpower India will do them no favours. Apart from the likes of this, they’ll be grand
Honest question. Does this vote matter if the EU says no we already negotiated a deal, feck off.
@Ned Flanders: Good question.
It’s really just a precursor to the extension vote.
Unless they vote in favour of no-deal…. then it’s all over on the 29th.
The report that “Sinn Fein are having their say” gave me a good laugh. They have no place saying anything about this if they are not willing to participate in working on a solution i.e taking up their place in Westminster and getting their asses back into to Stormont.
@Seán Kinsella: yeah like their seven votes would have done so much to counter the loss by 150 votes.
@Seán Kinsella: I don’t vote Sinn Fein but I cannot for the life of me understand how people can consistently post comments like yours. When running for election they specifically tell the electorate they will not take up their seats. It’s part of their mandate. If they took up the seats they would be breaking an election promise. Don’t we have enough parties doing this?
@Niallers: could say the same for DUP
Be no shock if no deal is off the table after today. Brexiteers will pee themselves
Would it be too much of a stretch at this point to get a representive(s) from
The EU i.e Michel Barnier
The UK Parliament i.e Theresa May
The DUP i.e Arleen Foster
The Irish Government i.e Simon Coveney and Leo Varadkar
and get into a f*cking room and sort this clusterf*ck once and for all. Stop the trips over to Brussels every 2 weeks and get to a decision between them.
@Ben Jamen: it is sorted except UK dup don’t like the result
@Ben Jamen: they, with the exception of Arlene, are not the problem. the problem is the large Brexiteer wing of the Tory party who are still stuck back in the heyday of empire
What is becoming blindingly clear every day is that the vast majority of MP’s and cabinet ministers have no idea how the current border works…you have the Government saying they’ll be no checks and a Secretary to the Treasurey saying that checks already exist??!! What checks? Where are they carried out? Its It’s unbelievable…..the British really are the definition of “cutting your nose off to spite your face”!!
Has anyone noticed the Irony of yesterdays vote, if the 75 Brexiteers had voted for the Deal they would have gotten Brexit passed without the Need of DUP votes. Looks like their vote has ruled any possibility of them getting a Brexit now, or a very Soft Brexit.
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/431B/production/_105997171_optimised-mv2_breakdown_chart-nc.png
**Correction** ‘ruled any possibility’ should have said ‘ruled out any possibility’ and the vote would have been 317 to 316, would have just passed by 1 vote if they had stuck with party vote.
@Fred Cahill: No it simply rejected a very bad deal, tonight’s vote is meaning less, Eu and UK law still states that they part company on 29th, with or without a deal.
@Larry Sneeg: The vote for No Deal Exit is going to fail tonight, the extension is going to pass tomorrow meaning UK is not leaving on the 29th. With the extension the only possibilities are a Soft Brexit by working with Labour, 2nd Referendum, or a General Election.
@Fred Cahill: if tomorrow’s vote passes then they have to ask the EU for an extension so there’s no guarantee. The EU will bluster about the point of this right up to midnight of the 28th but will more that likely give a short term extension in the hope that the Torys are turfed out, Labour get in and there’s more chance for a second referendum. I know Corbyn is ambivalent about the EU but I reckon he will cave to pressure to hold a second vote.
@Fred Cahill: the EU have to grant an extension, and with the EC elections coming up, the EC won’t want Farage back,
@Larry Sneeg: I can tell you the Majority of MEP’s do not give a hoot about Farage and whether his back or not. That fool is going to be ignored. They will grant a delay and UK will not be leaving on the 29th unless Theresa Mays Plan passes via a third vote. It could have all been taken care of last night if the Conservatives stuck together.
@David Guiney: They will grant a delay as there is too much to loose.
This is like watching a country play Russian roulette and knowing its gonna get very messy, very soon.
omg what a surprise another crucial Brexit vote … I cant wait … guffaw chortle.. sneer ..
No Brexit deal averted by FOUR votes!
A split tory party, parliament and country! It’s hard to see who is actually good enough the fix the place, drag them through Brexit and into success.
@Paul Furey: no that was an amendment to the main vote, which passed by about 50.
The amendment was that there would never be a no deal. The original was just taking no deal off the table until the deadline of Article 50.
So essentially they voted that they can never accept no deal.
But it doesn’t matter if they don’t do a deal with the EU none of that matters and they crash out.
What is “direct rule in Northern Ireland”?
@Peter: ruled from London
One brexit in the hand is worth 2 in the bush I always maintain
That vote was too close for comfort. But I for one am glad that a no deal brexit is off the table. That would be a disaster. Looks like we are heading for an extension to article 5o which was prematurely triggered in the first place in my opinion. I know people here in Ireland are sick of hearing about brexit but the impact it will have on Ireland if the right deal is not found is massive. And the worse thing is we have very little control of it, other than the same control that any of the other eu member states have which is ridiculous. Let’s hope we are not collateral damage in this mess.
This has to be one of the most dangerous comments I’ve heard from a UK politician during the whole Brexit debacle.
DUP voted against ruling out No Deal Brexit..
This complete shit show makes me so glad I moved back from the UK!
I’ll tell you how ready we are. I’m sure everyone agrees that second hand imports of cars are a huge part of the Irish car business. Rang NCT centre who register imports and are paid the VRT. They do not know if VAT will be payable as UK will no longer be in EU. There said ring revenue. Rang three different numbers and as well as no one knowing, I was passed onto other sections who did not know either. Told to ring NCT twice. NCT then said they do not know why revenue are saying to ring them. Ring your local tax office. Did. Told to contact t NVT
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