Madam, – In the light of the recently released report from the EU auditors stating that it was unnecessary to close down the Mallow Sugar Factory with the direct loss of 240 jobs plus indirect local jobs, and consequently our whole sugar industry, perhaps the Labour Party would now acknowledge that it made a mistake in facilitating Tánaiste Mary Coughlan’s trip to the US?
It’s surprising to see Deputy Sean Sherlock shouting in the Dáil about these jobs being lost disgracefully by the then Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan, when he had a short while ago such confidence in her abilities that he and his party were only too willing to help her get a pairing to allow her travel.
Maybe Fine Gael got it right in not facilitating her as they saw that she had such a poor record as Minister for Enterprise that she had to be moved from that position by her friend the Taoiseach; perhaps they thought that the national interest would be better served by keeping her at home?
Or could it be, perish the thought, that Labour were playing political games in trying to wrong- foot Fine Gael, instead of acting in the nation interest as they claimed? – Yours, etc,