Sir, – Let me see if I understand this correctly.
Fine Gael’s Deirdre Clune wins a seat in the European Parliament and according to what is considered normal in the la- la land of Irish politics, her seat “must” be filled by someone from Fine Gael, and for whatever reason Fine Gael has decided that person will be John McNulty. The vacancy he is filling is on the cultural panel, and to qualify Mr McNulty must be a part of the cultural panel quangohood so he can be “elected” by his peers, and to allow him to join the quangohood it just so happens by a happy stroke of luck there’s a vacancy on the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma).
What are the chances?
Then Minister for the Arts Heather Humphreys has the brass neck to say that none of it had anything to do with her.
The new Minister immediately reverts to the typical blanket defence of her department (so much for change) and justifies her actions by claiming she had no involvement in picking the Fine Gael candidate for the Seanad, which may be true. But she is the Minister who signed off on the appointment of a Fine Gael Seanad candidate to a vacancy at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, which in turns allows that Fine Gael candidate to be “elected” to the Seanad.
It is beyond contemptible to try to argue that it was a coincidence that the department chose to offer the appointment to Mr McNulty, who didn’t even apply for it, and that there was no interference from Fine Gael in the appointment process.
If there was ever any doubt about whether Fine Gael is the new Fianna Fáil, Ms Humphreys has removed all doubt. – Yours, etc,
DESMOND FitzGERALD,
Canary Wharf,
London.
Sir, – A selectively elected and somewhat personally appointed body, the Seanad, objects to the selective appointment of an individual to the board of Imma. Now that’s “art”. – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Monalea Park,
Firhouse,
Dublin 24.