‘Go with the consensus or this will happen’ – Catherine Connolly hits out at ‘smearing’ and ‘negative campaigning’
Catherine Connolly has criticised the government’s approach to disability rights, and said the “final push” for her declaring her candidacy was the “disrespectful discourse” in the media around the presidency.
Ms Connolly said the government is “flagrantly in breach of the law” in relation to assessments of need as she discussed issues facing disabled people and carers.
“I have never not stood up, not just for disabled people, but for carers and for all the other people who find themselves marginalised.”
Speaking at an event in DCU alongside Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Independent senator Tom Clonan and a number of disability activists, the presidential candidate said her decision to run for the Áras was not “easy”, but was a response to messages she received from others.
“In addition to all those messages, the final push that got me to stand was the disrespectful discourse that was going on in the media, the elements of the media, the disparaging way they were looking on the role of the presidency. It was more like Lanigan’s Ball, who stepped in and who stepped out.
“For me, that was a turning point, because it was symbolic of what I see in this country, where anybody who steps up to put their head above the parapet – like Tom (Clonan), like yourselves in various organisations – the message is, ‘we will take you out, we will bring in the big guns, we will smear you, we will absolutely have negative campaigning.’
“So, I’m using myself as an example, I don’t take it personally. I’m big enough and old enough not to take it personally, but I do reflect on it and I say, ‘What is this message? What is happening here? What is the message for all of us, men and women?’ And the message is, ‘Go with the consensus, or else this is what will happen.'”
Ms Connolly said such an attitude is what allowed “100 years of institutionalisation” and what is happening in relation to the triple lock.
She said the role of the American veto in the decision to withdraw UN peacekeepers from Lebanon has “never really been discussed in the Dáil”.
“That has never really been discussed in the Dáil, because the triple lock had to go because of the ‘boogeyman’ the Russians. Let me repeat, I utterly condemn the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It breached international law.”
She said it is “obvious” in different Dáil speeches that condemnatory language is rightly used when discussing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but claimed it has not been used to the same extent when discussing Israel.
Ms Connolly said it has been put to her “falsely” in “many, many interviews” that she has not condemned the invasion of Ukraine.
“I have, absolutely, without hesitation, but I point out that to keep our credibility as a neutral, independent sovereign state, a Republic worthy of its name, then we must hold truth to power, no matter where.
“And so when America financed and resourced the genocide through the Israeli government and their defence forces, that has to be called out, and it has to be called out very often.“
She said she has been previously asked on occasion to “calm down a little bit” on the issue of Palestine.
“I will never calm down (in relation to) genocide.”
Maeve McTaggart