Independent Ireland has said “passion”, not “misogyny”, was to blame for the party’s TDs shouting at women Ministers during the Government confidence motion in the Dáil this week.
Party leader Michael Collins also blamed shortcomings in Dáil procedure for the jeering and heckling, which was sharply criticised by Government ministers and some Opposition parties.
“If a Minister gets up and tells a lie, I have no [means] to get up and say, ‘That is incorrect’ and correct it,” Cork South-West TD Collins said at the party’s convention in Galway on Saturday. “So the only thing we can do is shout back, unfortunately.”
The Social Democrats lodged a complaint with Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy about the behaviour of Independent Ireland representatives during Tuesday’s Dáil debate.
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien later told the Dáil the behaviour was “misogynistic, nasty and vicious”.
Collins denied women Ministers were targeted, insisting: “We were passionate with everyone.”
Speaking to reporters at the Galmont Hotel in Galway, TD Ken O’Flynn said: “I’m delighted that the Minister and the Soc Dems have realised what a woman actually is, because for a long time they were very confused about that issue.”
The Cork North-Central TD insisted there was “not one misogynist inside in our party”.
All four Independent Ireland TDs are men, but “we have some fantastic lady candidates and brilliant female minds”, O’Flynn said.
South Dublin County Councillor Linda de Courcy said: “As a woman, I can concur there are no misogynists in this party.”
Party member and Midlands-North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly said his false claim in the European Parliament last week – that Defence Forces’ tanks had been deployed on the streets of Irish cities to quell fuel protests – was “absolutely not” inflammatory.
The former RTÉ Midlands correspondent said: “I don’t accept any criticism”. He said he corrected the “mistake” within hours.
“My effect? I’d love to think I had the ability to bring people on to the streets from my seat in Brussels. That’s not the case. It was ridiculous. When this Government makes a mistake, another opening of the [national] children’s hospital is missed, another child goes without care, that’s what you call a mistake,” he said.
Limerick County TD Richard O’Donoghue said Independent Ireland’s popularity had spiked due to its solidarity with fuel protesters.
“Government Ministers, junior ministers, backbenchers, you name it, their phones were all off, but Independent Ireland turned up to negotiate,” he said.
“The media told the true story, and what did they get? They said they were going to have an investigation into the media for telling a true story,” he also said, referring to Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan’s call for Coimisiún na Mean to investigate coverage of the protests. Mr O’Donovan has since stepped back from his request.
Collins said membership of Independent Ireland had increased by up 40 per cent in the past fortnight, although he did not provide the number of new joiners.
He also suggested he had been contacted by more than 10 elected representatives from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil who were interested in joining the party.
Collins played down the role of the far right in the fuel protests. He said, “there will always be an odd thug here and there”, but they were “told to go home” by the majority of protesters.
Asked whether there would be more protests and blockades if fuel prices spiked again, Galway County Councillor Noel Thomas, the party’s Galway West byelection candidate, said: “I can’t answer that to be honest with you. People are emotive and hurt by what’s going on”.