Barry Cowen sacked

hotmail.com

The new Minister for Agriculture, Barry Cowen, is in a spot of bother this weekend after it emerged he received a drink driving ban in 2016. Added to that, Michael Martin only became aware of this through media reports today.

Is his position as minister now untenable?

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/taoiseach-micheal-martin-in-the-dark-over-new-agriculture-minister-barry-cowens-drink-driving-ban-39339590.html

osarusan

Would a TD not have some obligation to notify their party of this kind of thing?

Either way, unlikely that Micheal Martin really was unaware until now.

Surprised it was not news at the time anyway.

eviltwin

It was 4 years ago. People make mistakes and if he has learnt from it and changed his behaviour then it’s time to move on.

hotmail.com

Does anyone believe that this was his only time to ever drink drive?

SEPT 23 1989

Fairly big story was it reported in the press at the time?

If not why not?

costacorta

Lucky MM didn’t give him Transport I suppose as thee would be big questions to answer then ..

tom1ie

Are we supposed to care about him having a drink driving charge from 4 years ago? Why does that stop him from doing his job? How does that make his position untenable?

Padre_Pio

eviltwin wrote: »

It was 4 years ago. People make mistakes and if he has learnt from it and changed his behaviour then it’s time to move on.

Argue with his politics and performance.

Don't say he can't do his job because of some unrelated past event.

Should every drink driver lose their job, even years after the fact?

JohnFalstaff

Strange how this is only emerging now whereas details of Clare Daly's arrest for a similar crime, of which she was fully cleared, were leaked almost immediately.

One rule for the rest of them.

Koolguy

Can't see it matters now

Would be a stretch to believe MM didn't hear about it

Bobtheman

hotmail.com wrote: »

Does anyone believe that this was his only time to ever drink drive?

I think if you asked that question to the population at large you'd find a sizeable chunk have. I think the figures are increasing because the guards rarely do checkpoints.
What amazed me is that he was still on a leather permit at 48?
I think if he had a full license he would have been under the limit.

Curiousness99

I’m not condoning drink driving in any way but he did have a very low level of alcohol is only subject to a 3 month ban

It’s a strange one, made a mistake and move on or should there be zero tolerance. I’m sure anyone who lost someone due to the actions of a drink driver would probably be in the second camp

It certainly indicates poor judgement, but who hasn’t made a mistake they don’t regret

hotmail.com

Back in power and Fianna Fail already creating drama.

Mantis Toboggan

hotmail.com wrote: »

Does anyone believe that this was his only time to ever drink drive?

Common enough where he's from no doubt he's been at it for years. Lucky now he has a driver to chauffeur him around while he can sup away in the back.

eviltwin

Padre_Pio wrote: »

Argue with his politics and performance.

Don't say he can't do his job because of some unrelated past event.

Should every drink driver lose their job, even years after the fact?

I think you might has misread my post. I have no desire to see him lose his job and think he’s entitled to move on from this

is_that_so

hotmail.com wrote: »

Back in power and Fianna Fail already creating drama.

Well it's the Indo creating drama. Sure, he was an idiot for doing so but quite some time ago and no suggestion that he's a repeat offender.

hotmail.com

Will Barry Cowen get banned from Morning Ireland interviews going forward just as a precaution?

hotmail.com

Are TDs obliged to inform the public/their party of criminal matters they're involved in?

harr

Probably makes no difference at this stage .. I don’t remember reading about in any media at the time but I live locally enough to his constituency and it was well known and for MM to state he didn’t know anything about is laughable of course all FF members knew about this and I am sure it was well discussed in dail bar ..

Timberrrrrrrr

hotmail.com wrote: »

Are TDs obliged to inform the public/their party of criminal matters they're involved in?

Have you informed your employer of every misdeed since your teens?

McMurphy

Don't agree with him losing his position, he was obviously on the lower end of the scale hence why he only got banned for 3 months, plus four years ago, so what?

What I cannot understand though is how the press didn't report on it at the time. Jesus, sure you only have to read the local paper to see how they run with any auld shyte to fill the pages from a local yobbo caught peeing on the street, people with no NCT/not wearing seatbelts, speeding etc etc etc.

I'd have thought a serving td having his day in court and losing the license would have been unable to escape print.

Guess it depends on who you know.

Sunny Disposition

Of course it doesn’t reflect well on Cowen, but no way he should lose his position over it, hopefully cancel culture hasn’t gone so far in Irish politics.
No time for Cowen or his party btw.

hotmail.com

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Have you informed your employer of every misdeed since your teens?

That doesn't answer the question. TDs have to tell us about their property interests and whether or not they have shares.

I'm asking do they have to inform us about criminal matters?

Curiousness99

It’s probably a positive sign that he was charged in the first place, in the not too distant past he would of been sent on his way or a few calls afterwards would have smoothed things over

Koolguy

McMurphy wrote: »

Don't agree with him losing his position, he was obviously on the lower end of the scale hence why he only got banned for 3 months, plus four years ago, so what?

What I cannot understand though is how the press didn't report on it at the time. Jesus, sure you only have to read the local paper to see how they run with any auld shyte to fill the pages from a local yobbo caught peeing on the street, people with no NCT/not wearing seatbelts, speeding etc etc etc.

I'd have thought a serving td having his day in court and losing the license would have been unable to escape print.

Guess it depends on who you know.

They probably filed it under "wait til he's a minister then print it"

I have little time for FF or Barry Cowen for that matter but this is a guttersnipe by an alleged broadsheet. The man made a mistake, served his punishment. Several years ago. Leave him be. This is the sort of pettiness one can expect from a toilet rag, the Indo belongs in the nearest bin.

One eyed Jack

Koolguy wrote: »

They probably filed it under "wait til he's a minister then print it"

This is it exactly. At the time there would have been unlikely to be anything made of it and the media were reporting on something else of greater importance. It just shows how desperate they are for news that they’re dragging up a tidbit they should have published four years ago if they were actually all that concerned about his drink driving.

Jizique

McMurphy wrote: »

Don't agree with him losing his position, he was obviously on the lower end of the scale hence why he only got banned for 3 months, plus four years ago, so what?

What I cannot understand though is how the press didn't report on it at the time. Jesus, sure you only have to read the local paper to see how they run with any auld shyte to fill the pages from a local yobbo caught peeing on the street, people with no NCT/not wearing seatbelts, speeding etc etc etc.

I'd have thought a serving td having his day in court and losing the license would have been unable to escape print.

Guess it depends on who you know.

It didn’t have to go to court

J.O. Farmer

hotmail.com wrote: »

That doesn't answer the question. TDs have to tell us about their property interests and whether or not they have shares.

I'm asking do they have to inform us about criminal matters?

Hardly counts as a criminal matter though.

6o9fv7jpreb180

I think the bigger crime is an offaly man getting tickets for the all-ireland football final!!

McMurphy

Jizique wrote: »

It didn’t have to go to court

My bad, I assumed the driving ban had to be court issued.

My point still stands though, and as previously pointed out, Clare Daly did nothing wrong, let alone be charged with anything, yet her name was all over the press before she even got home from Garda custody.

As I said, it depends on who you know I guess.

Zebra3

So FF attack SF over lack of social distancing, but Cowen breaking the law and putting people's lives at risk isn't an issue?

Remind me

JohnFalstaff wrote: »

Strange how this is only emerging now whereas details of Clare Daly's arrest for a similar crime, of which she was fully cleared, were leaked almost immediately.

One rule for the rest of them.

I would suggest they were waiting for this day that he is a Mínister, its a none story when he's in opposition

Remind me

Zebra3 wrote: »

So FF attack SF over lack of social distancing, but Cowen breaking the law and putting people's lives at risk isn't an issue?

Of course it's an issue but he was arrested, charged and dealt with at the time.

SF said its grand because it was a friends funeral.

munsterlegend

Zebra3 wrote: »

So FF attack SF over lack of social distancing, but Cowen breaking the law and putting people's lives at risk isn't an issue?

When you put it like that..however Cowan isn’t head of an executive or govt. if this was Martin he would have to step aside I would have thought. Also the issue of attending a funeral who many would consider a very controversial figure.

is_that_so

Zebra3 wrote: »

So FF attack SF over lack of social distancing, but Cowen breaking the law and putting people's lives at risk isn't an issue?

Cowan story - 2016 and he was punished accordingly, SF story this week apparently flouting health guidelines in the middle of a pandemic.

jimmynokia

https://www.thejournal.ie/barry-cowen-taoiseach-gardai-drink-driving-5141386-Jul2020/


4 years ago as many said the media should just jog on the journal has turned into a right rag of late too

McMurphy

munsterlegend wrote: »

When you put it like that..however Cowan isn’t head of an executive or govt. if this was Martin he would have to step aside I would have thought. Also the issue of attending a funeral who many would consider a very controversial figure.

FF and FG argued over who was a controversial figure for the last century, so much so that traditionally when one swapped power with the other, they took one portrait down from the wall of the Taoiseachs office and replaced it with the other. Less than a week ago, Michaél stood on the news telling us that he would hang both on the wall as a symbol of the change in Irish politics.

Controversial figures in Irish politics is no new thing.

McMurphy

McMurphy wrote: »

Don't agree with him losing his position, he was obviously on the lower end of the scale hence why he only got banned for 3 months, plus four years ago, so what?

What I cannot understand though is how the press didn't report on it at the time. Jesus, sure you only have to read the local paper to see how they run with any auld shyte to fill the pages from a local yobbo caught peeing on the street, people with no NCT/not wearing seatbelts, speeding etc etc etc.

I'd have thought a serving td having his day in court and losing the license would have been unable to escape print.

Guess it depends on who you know.

I’m pretty sure that it was in the media at the time, because it was known here in the wilds of Tipperary! It didn’t go to court, as the reading was so low.

“ The Fianna Fáil TD was on his way home from the All-Ireland football final. He had two drinks before the game and something to eat after it.

Mr Cowen was breath-tested on the spot, where alcohol was detected. He was again tested at a Garda station.

He was found to be over the limit.

Mr Cowen was punished with a fixed charge penalty notice, a €200 fine and he was disqualified from driving for three months.

The case did not go to court as the amount of alcohol in his system did not reach the level required for a prosecution.”
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/revealed-cabinet-ministers-drink-driving-ban-39338911.html

The Phantom Jipper

Something about this is not sitting quite right with me. He's a public representative, he should be held to a higher standard than the average Joe working a 9-5. He put himself on the road in a condition where he was more likely to kill people and the electorate never had an opportunity at the time to have their say, because it was seemingly brushed under the rug. Personally, someone who has just been done for drink driving isn't fit to be a councillor or a TD.

seligehgit

hotmail.com wrote: »

Are TDs obliged to inform the public/their party of criminal matters they're involved in?

I think it makes good sense to inform their party/party leader most especially it relation to an issue such as drink driving which is largely an anathema to the general public.

It's continues to be such a political hot potato.

The issue I have is Barry Cowen failed to inform headquarters at the time of the incident.Post his disqualification 4 years down the road it is otherwise a non issue.

The Phantom Jipper

The Phantom Jipper wrote: »

Something about this is not sitting quite right with me. He's a public representative, he should be held to a higher standard than the average Joe working a 9-5. He put himself on the road in a condition where he was more likely to kill people and the electorate never had an opportunity at the time to have their say, because it was seemingly brushed under the rug. Personally, someone who has just been done for drink driving isn't fit to be a councillor or a TD.

If he was that unfit to drive, his reading would have been higher and he’d have had to gone to court. As it was, the reading was too low for a court case.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

Gooey Looey

Same old sh1te with these crowd!

Remind me

The Phantom Jipper wrote: »

Something about this is not sitting quite right with me. He's a public representative, he should be held to a higher standard than the average Joe working a 9-5. He put himself on the road in a condition where he was more likely to kill people and the electorate never had an opportunity at the time to have their say, because it was seemingly brushed under the rug. Personally, someone who has just been done for drink driving isn't fit to be a councillor or a TD.

It was 4 years ago and dealt with at the time. It wasn't brushed under the rug.

Of the media are sitting on it since then it shows how s**ty the media have gone.

While I am completely against anyone who drink drives I think Barry Cowen and FF in general have given plenty of reasons for the public to have had their say.

colm_mcm

Gooey Looey wrote: »

Same old sh1te with these crowd!

The media?

vicwatson

eviltwin wrote: »

I think you might has misread my post. I have no desire to see him lose his job and think he’s entitled to move on from this

There's that word "entitled" again.

Gooey Looey

colm_mcm wrote: »

The media?

FF. I'd expect anyone in public office to fully disclose, stocks, shares, investments, property AND convictions

manonboard

The Phantom Jipper wrote: »

Something about this is not sitting quite right with me. He's a public representative, he should be held to a higher standard than the average Joe working a 9-5. He put himself on the road in a condition where he was more likely to kill people and the electorate never had an opportunity at the time to have their say, because it was seemingly brushed under the rug. Personally, someone who has just been done for drink driving isn't fit to be a councillor or a TD.

It was in the paper at the time. Nobody cared because it doesn't matter.

He was done 4 years ago? How long should someone who did drink driving at the lower end of the scale be barred from serving their country? What if they are good at their job? Does society gain or lose?

What if they are a normal human being who makes mistakes and also are punished equally like the rest of us? Is that not a wonderful example of our society? Being treated equally even when you have power is a good thing, not a bad thing.

McMurphy

Had to laugh at this tweet.

https://twitter.com/nwl88444048/status/1279171431549423616?s=19

The Phantom Jipper

[Deleted User] wrote: »

If he was that unfit to drive, his reading would have been higher and he’d have had to gone to court. As it was, the reading was too low for a court case.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

If you go on the road after drinking, you're increasing the likelihood of killing someone. Suggesting that I'm moralising by having an issue with this is a little bizarre. A lot of drink driving apologists out in force today it seems.

Hurrache

eviltwin wrote: »

It was 4 years ago. People make mistakes and if he has learnt from it and changed his behaviour then it’s time to move on.

Getting into a car after a few pints after Croke Park is not a mistake, it's intentional.

And it's not like he wasn't aware of the potential political fallout involving alcohol after his brothers infamous Morning Ireland interview.