10 May 2009
By Amy Bracken
Dublin MEPS Eoin Ryan, Mary Lou McDonald and Prionsias De Rossa have been involved in a number of non-confrontational clashes in recent times.
Returning Dublin MEP candidate Eoin Ryan last week hit out at Sinn Féin Deputy Leader and Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald, whom he claimed was the “worst attender” (sic) of the European Parliament.
Yet Mr Ryan is not the only candidate to have criticised his colleagues. Mary Lou McDonald was quick to respond to Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa’s claim on Wednesday’s "Tonight with Vincent Browne" show that he denied voting last year against respecting the Irish decision on Lisbon.
The Sinn Fein press office on Thursday described Mr De Rossa’s claim as an “outright denial”.
Ms McDonald responded with the words: “my fellow Dublin MEP is telling a big fat porky. On the 20th of February last year Proinsias voted against an amendment to the de Mendez/de Vigo report submitted by Sinn Fein's EU parliamentary group that called on MEPs to ‘undertake to respect the outcome of the referendum in Ireland.’”
Ms McDonald also tried claimed that Mr De Rossa’s decision was “shameful” and that he attempted to justify his actions “on the basis that it was and I quote ‘a Sinn Fein stunt’ that the parliament could not enforce anyway.”
Ms McDonald’s tirade continued when she expressed how it was “incomprehensible” to her that Mr De Rossa “would deem it appropriate or right to lie like this on national television”.
However when asked to comment on this Mr De Rossa insisted that Ms McDonald had misinterpreted his motives and while acknowledging that she had a right to give her opinion he felt she should have done this “without stooping to crude abuse”.“I explained quite clearly at the time of the vote to which she refers that I was opposing the amendment because I considered it an attempt to get the EP to intervene in a sovereign decision of the Irish people at a time when they were still considering what to do in relation to the Lisbon Treaty”, said Mr De Rossa, who also expressed his surprise that Sinn Fein, who have for a long time carried the outlook the European Union should not interfere in Irish affairs, should have tabled the motion at the time.
Mr De Rossa also mentioned that following the Lisbon Treaty the European Parliament adopted a resolution which reiterated the respect the Parliament had for the Irish decision and the results of the ratification procedures of the other Member States. “I voted for that resolution. SF voted against it”, said Mr De Rossa.
As a closing comment, Mr De Rossa made reference to the fact that on Wednesday of this week, it was sought to have a law passed to extend maternity leave for women in Europe, which was defeated by Conservative MEPS, a vote which was attended by neither Mary Lou McDonald nor Bairbre De Brún (also Sinn Fein). “We lost that vote. Neither Ms McDonald nor Ms de Brún bothered to turn up for the vote. Ms McDonald considered it more important to be in Dublin for a live interview with Pat Kenny rather than be present for this very important vote. That I suggest is a gross dereliction of responsibility on the part of Sinn Fein to the women of Ireland.”
