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THE FORMER MAYOR of Naas, who was forced to resign after comments he made about black Africans, has been welcomed back into the Fine Gael party.
Darren Scully, who said that he would not represent black Africans because he had been “met with aggressiveness, I have been met with bad manners, I have also been played the race card”.
Scully subsequently apologised “unreservedly” for his remarks and resigned as mayor of the Kildare town, claiming his remarks were “open to interpretation” that he did not intend.
He was then stripped of the Fine Gael whip, later telling TheJournal.ie that “certain sections of society” wouldn’t be happy until he was “deported somewhere”.
Labour TD Aodhán Ó’Ríordáin reported the comments to gardaí.
Now, some 20 months after the controversy, Fine Gael has welcomed him back into the fold. Scully will contest next year’s local elections under the Fine Gael banner, aiming to repeat his result in 2009, when he topped the poll.
Speaking to KFM today, the party’s General Secretary Tom Curran said that the time had come to forgive Scully and move on.
Curran said that there was a “general acceptance” within the party that it was time to move on.
“What he did was wrong. He has paid the price. Everyone deserves the chance to redeem themselves.
I am sure of a number of things. I am sure that Darren is not a racist, I am sure that what he said was wrong and I am sure that he has learned from a major mistake he made in his political life.
“Now is the time for us to move on.”
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Sure isn’t everyone a bit racist now and again? Especially the blacks!
It might have something to do with the years of oppression heaped onto them by ‘Whitey’ which causes them to get their goat up. No one is born racist though, it is breed into them.
Wow, that’s offensive! “Honkey” is the politically correct term, not w*****. Show some respect. My ancestors’ slaves died for that word!
could comments here get any more generalised, ignorant, arrogant. Go read a bit of history & read how economics is used to turn lowered-income whites against blacks & vice versa.
I’m already well versed in history.And i agree that does happen but you hardly think that’s the basis i made my comment on,it’s through simple personal experience.And if you look at my comment i did not make any racist comment.I made a comment on how black people conduct themselves in general it does not specifically apply to every black person ever.
My earlier comment was removed.So much for free speech.
Where’s MarlonMajor?
Must be studying for yet another degree.
@john gleeson
if its anything like your earlier comments then its a mark of good taste rather than the suppression of what you call free (to make any racist comment) speech
Declan Marlon has gone back to his first adopted land America where he first applied for S…………………..W…………………..
Error. ……..S……..W………should have read Some Work :-/
Typical of Irish politics.. Let the heat dye down and your “back in the club” Not surprised he was allowed back into FG. Sure wasn’t their leader caught telling a joke about a “N” at a function a few years back? That was also brushed under the carpet
I suppose the Journal will be at the Dail today covering the Anti Racist Network Protest at 1 o Clock.
You love a good Minority Opression story , couldn’t care about most other things , but a poor me story never fails to get your attention.
How many times have we heard of the drunken paddy rant about Irish people and it seems to never offend, yet say something about a person from Africa and the gloves come off…
I sure hope “Save Ireland” have the Irish people’s interests at heart first and foremost during their protest today… somehow I doubt I will see any placards calling for the end of “drunken Paddy” slurs.
Save Ireland is not protesting today , I would have loved to have held a counter demonstration ,
but dont worry , an Anti Colonization Protest is on my agenda
Of course they are up in arms now about as O’Riordain says the “racism at the heart or irish society”. Never mind democracy, thought criminals are not allowed to participate.
I no this must be a left wing liberal bleeding heart type of organisation,i feel sorry for people coming from warzones and from real lives of hardship but most immigrants are welfare tourists lets be honest.Time to put up the borders again in my opinion.
*know
@David Garland
I hope it wasn’t a migrant worker that brushed it under the carpet,
Utter xenophobic rubbish.
He said nothing wrong in my mind. I hate racism in all forms but I hate people using the ethic minority and the racism card.
“I will not represent black Africans.” How is that NOT racist? He’s judging an entire section of the community on the basis of previous isolated incidents with a tiny percentage of people who just so happen to come from that section of the community. That’s the very definition of racism.
Putting but after I hate racism in any sentence is justifying racism.
If he doesn’t want to represent them , why is he in Fine Gael , they are an extremist europhile open borders party that wants to live in a borderless Federal Europe .
So what he is doing now is saying that ” if he get’s played the race card again or gets spoken to aggressively by Nigerian economic migrants, he won’t speak in public about it, will button his lip and will look forward to his next pay cheque”. Right? And i was so getting to appreciate his candour and honesty.
He done nothing wrong in the first place!
Mountain out of a mole hill!
Freedom of speech and expression is and should be sacrosanct but FG should not have allowed him back him under their banner. If Cllr Scully wants to stay in politics, so be it, let the voters of Kildare decide but FG needed to draw a clear line in the sand here.
No sanction on him will only encourage other ambitious politicians to play the race card for electoral purposes. And we need that like we need a hole in the head.
While I understand that you are paid to think that in your Quango role. He still has a right to free speech and being honest about problems is something that we need more of.
Precisely, Killian! Well said.
The only thing he did wrong was rejoin FG.
I’m from Kildare too. Scully and his ilk certainly don’t speak for me. Have never voted FG/FF and I never will.
Of course Peter the only reason I think that what he said was wrong was because I am paid to think that way. Sure don’t we are privately agree that Black Africans aren’t worth representing!
As for your point to the right to free speech I think my openings words “Freedom of speech and expression is and should be sacrosanct” sort of covers that, no?
Fair play Jane! I like your style.
Race Card? Didn’t you use to be a Sinn Fein member Killian? An organisation linked to people that called for a “greening or the West” in NI. Brass neck.
The only people playing the race card is the Integration Centre ,
All of your funding is based around racial issues ,
It is in your interests to maintain controversy about race otherwise you would all be out of business.
Your probally a pinko so jane
Free speech does not include the right to incite hatred of a minority.
No public representative has the right to pick and choose who he will represent in his constituency.
This whole episode speaks volumes to the fluidity of Fine Gaels values and standards.
I would hardly describe it as “no sanction”. Think of what this guys family would have had to endure because he is being branded a racist. He had a few bad experiences trying to represent people of a particular ethnic origin and made a statement which was probably in the heat of the moment after being abused. We’ve all had bad days at the office, his cost him his job and a lot more hardship. What would you prefer his “sanction” be ? or maybe we could just leave him alone and stop persecuting the chap over something he shouldn’t have said a few years ago ……
@Sean Collins
and your a supporter of a bunch of criminals
your point is?
Is your name jane
If by “pinko” you mean liberal and left-wing, then you’re darn right Séan.
@Sean Collins
Jazus and theres me thinking that this was a public forum….some nice examples of how your party members behave, on this thread….racists as well as corrupt…but nothing surprises me about the bunch of muppets you support!
Good. He was only kicked out because of the politically correct, outrage mob.
At least he had a sanction against him, although I don’t think he should have been let back in that easily What about this rogues gallery:
Kevin Sheehan- FF: Arguing for an Irish only housing list. A policy straight from the BNP. What did Michéal Martin do about this? “It’s not official FF policy”. http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fails-response-to-cllr-sheahans-irish-first-comment-is-unacceptable-856721-Apr2013/
Joe Crowley- FF: Accusing Chinese people of ‘fishing’ for ducks. That one could be straight out of Fr Ted: http://www.thejournal.ie/joe-crowley-limerick-chinese-ducks-1019023-Aug2013/
Jimmy Harte – Lab: Telling a Polish woman to go back to Poland: http://www.thejournal.ie/labour-senator-apologises-over-twitter-insults-following-magda-controversy-344341-Feb2012/
That’s a new one. A rat jumping aboard a sinking ship.
Another contradictory Fg statement which doesn’t make sense!
“I am sure of a number of things. I am sure that Darren is not a racist, I am sure that what he said was wrong and I am sure that he has learned from a major mistake he made in his political life.” – Tom Curran.
Just to be sure, if he’s not a racist but he was wrong to say such things then what is he?
I am sure on one thing, Scully has probably learned to keep his racist and bigoted views to himself and Curran supports racism.
Good luck to Gilmore discussing same-sex marriage with this type of person being retained in the FG fold. Scully would sit well with Phil Hogan with his views on the travelling community.
He is an honest decent man and we could do with more like him in politics before we have no irish left in ireland
Oh I see what you did there! Hilarious joke :)
At least he had a sanction against him, although I don’t think he should have been let back in that easily What about this rogues gallery:
Kevin Sheehan- FF: Arguing for an Irish only housing list. A policy straight from the BNP. What did Michéal Martin do about this? “It’s not official FF policy”.
Joe Crowley- FF: Accusing Chinese people of ‘fishing’ for ducks. That one could be straight out of Fr Ted.
Jimmy Harte – Lab: Telling a Polish woman to go back to Poland.
Sorry for the double post. I didn’t think it uploaded the first time!
Don’t mind you posting twice, you were making sense :)
Do not forget Pascal Mooney, FF.
“I won’t choose taxis driven by a foreign driver, says Fianna Fáil Senator”
This country was set up for irish people. Of course housing should be for irish citizens only unless the constitution is racist.
I forgot about Pascal, Noel. Here’s a link for anybody interested: http://www.thejournal.ie/senator-taxi-drivers-paschal-mooney-766574-Jan2013/
Time is a great healer. Leave it a couple of years and no matter what you have done, all will be forgiven.
Bless.
Don’t worry folks. In a few years there will be so many white Irish women having big black babies that any notion of a homogeneous Irish culture will be completely wiped out and Ireland will be better because of it.
Ireland will be better when there is no Irish people… Right.
Nobody even understands the true meaning of the word racist, it’s use is common all around the world in every society, but it isn’t referred to as racism, just Life.
Well who else would vote for FG in the local elections next year?
I wish I was from Kildare so that I could not vote for him.
Ah, but there will be Irish people. Whether or not you consider them Irish doesn’t matter one bit.
Jeez. Racism is soooooooo working class! :-)
Hmmmm
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