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Minister for Agriculture attends 81-person golf event in breach of health guidelines

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Comments

  • #2822
    Gerry Hatrick
    Closed Accounts Posts: 552 ✭✭✭Gerry Hatrick


    gifted wrote: »
    They'll still be there this time next week.....rte will deal with it tomorrow but then it will start to die off out of the news......a few phone calls will be made to producers to take it easy or else...

    RTE have been left behind by social media. They don't control the narrative anymore.


  • #2823
    stockshares
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,760 ✭✭✭stockshares


    DeanAustin wrote: »
    Leo was asked today if he was invited. He was very careful to say “I could have been but I haven’t been around so my staff would probably have declined on my behalf if there was an invitation.”

    He was quizzed on whether his staff are then culpable if they got the invite and didn’t flag it with him. He was quite emphatic that it isn’t their job to ensure that the event is Covid compliant.

    He made a decent argument to be fair.

    He's a good speaker and if you listen to him long enough youl think he's right and agree with him.

    You have to remember he's very calculating and doesn't say something for nothing.


  • #2824
    Hawthorn Tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 544 ✭✭✭Hawthorn Tree


    https://twitter.com/davidcochrane/status/1297635735986745349

    :D:D:D

    I have no doubt MM knew all about the event. He was probably invited.


  • #2825
    DeanAustin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,885 ✭✭✭DeanAustin


    stockshares wrote: »
    He's a good speaker and if you listen to him long enough youl think he's right and agree with him.

    You have to remember he's very calculating and doesn't say something for nothing.

    I’ve no allegiance to FG but I do quite like Leo. It was fairly obvious today that he knew something about Hogan’s movements with the amount of times he said they had to be publicly accounted for.

    However, on the invite question, that conversation was initiated by RTE and he struck me as a man just covering his arse coz he really wasn’t sure if he’d been invited. His point stands up though.


  • #2826
    expectationlost
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,627 ✭✭✭✭expectationlost


    Hawthorn Tree wrote: »
    https://twitter.com/davidcochrane/status/1297635735986745349

    :D:D:D

    I have no doubt MM knew all about the event. He was probably invited.
    Leo said he may well have been invited 2 but it would have been refused by his staff...


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  • #2827
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 13,839 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Hawthorn Tree wrote: »
    https://twitter.com/davidcochrane/status/1297635735986745349

    :D:D:D

    I have no doubt MM knew all about the event. He was probably invited.

    I don’t think he should be accountable for anyone else’s actions though.

    There probably were email invitations to more people than attended. They didn’t go so did nothing wrong imo.


  • #2828
    billybonkers
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,293 ✭✭✭billybonkers


    Would like to see the member list of the entire golf society to know who in government knew about this event


  • #2829
    expectationlost
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,627 ✭✭✭✭expectationlost


    where was the gold actually played in Galway?


  • #2830
    DeanAustin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,885 ✭✭✭DeanAustin


    expectationlost wrote: »
    where was the gold actually played in Galway?

    Connemara I believe.


  • #2831
    Phoebas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,371 ✭✭✭Phoebas


    billybonkers wrote: »
    Would like to see the member list of the entire golf society to know who in government knew about this event
    I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.


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  • #2832
    maestroamado
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,425 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    For me the key question here is list of members as members of society are automatically informed and can participate if they wish.
    I think all of the invites are for the wannabees and important people like Sean O'Rourke and Morocco guy.
    I was talking to friend a while ago who lives UK and said on BBC and SKY.
    I cannot see an out for Leo and MM, Ryan and Mary Lou really irellevant because of silence until now...


  • #2833
    Hawthorn Tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 544 ✭✭✭Hawthorn Tree


    DeanAustin wrote: »
    Connemara I believe.

    Yes Connemara Golf Club aka Ballyconneely. Tough links course.


  • #2834
    elperello
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 17,412 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    stockshares wrote: »
    He's a good speaker and if you listen to him long enough youl think he's right and agree with him.

    You have to remember he's very calculating and doesn't say something for nothing.

    Good qualities in a politician.:)

    I have no dog in this fight but you'd hardly expect his office staff to enquire about the Covid guidelines compliance of an event their boss is not attending.


  • #2835
    Hawthorn Tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 544 ✭✭✭Hawthorn Tree


    Phoebas wrote: »
    I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

    Ah now.

    Its 50 including serving staff.

    Its also a max of 6 per table. They had tables with 10.

    And a few of the people had been in non Green list countries less than 2 weeks before.


  • #2836
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 13,839 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    maestroamado wrote: »
    For me the key question here is list of members as members of society are automatically informed and can participate if they wish.
    I think all of the invites are for the wannabees and important people like Sean O'Rourke and Morocco guy.
    I was talking to friend a while ago who lives UK and said on BBC and SKY.
    I cannot see an out for Leo and MM, Ryan and Mary Lou really irellevant because of silence until now...

    It was on sky news about 15 mins ago. Just a few seconds about it.


  • #2837
    McMurphy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,365 ✭✭✭✭McMurphy


    Phoebas wrote: »
    I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

    Whatever about the rest, that certainly puts Calleary and Seamus Woulfe in the spotlight so.


  • #2838
    Hawthorn Tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 544 ✭✭✭Hawthorn Tree


    Covid loves to party. Remix!

    This was the day before the dinner!



  • #2839
    billybonkers
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,293 ✭✭✭billybonkers


    billybonkers wrote: »
    Would like to see the member list of the entire golf society to know who in government knew about this event

    We need to know who knew about the event!


  • #2840
    maestroamado
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,425 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    Phoebas wrote: »
    I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.


    The problem it was the very people who changed the rules that broke same.
    They should have changed the date of the rule change??


  • #2841
    stockshares
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,760 ✭✭✭stockshares


    DeanAustin wrote: »
    I’ve no allegiance to FG but I do quite like Leo. It was fairly obvious today that he knew something about Hogan’s movements with the amount of times he said they had to be publicly accounted for.

    However, on the invite question, that conversation was initiated by RTE and he struck me as a man just covering his arse coz he really wasn’t sure if he’d been invited. His point stands up though.

    He was bull****ting on the invite. He would have either checked himself or had his staff check. Why he didn't say yes or no I don't understand. If it comes out he was invited later he will be in trouble.

    Its likely he was invited and didn't want to say so because that would prove his staff knew even if he didn't.


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  • #2842
    Phoebas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,371 ✭✭✭Phoebas


    Hawthorn Tree wrote: »
    Ah now.

    Its 50 including serving staff.

    Its also a max of 6 per table. They had tables with 10.

    And a few of the people had been in non Green list countries less than 2 weeks before.

    I think it was 100 prior to the changes, so that would have easily allowed for the 82 attendees and staff.

    I don't know who came up with the seating arrangements, if it was the attendees themselves buying a table for 6 / 8 / 10 or the hotel, and I certainly wouldn't expect anyone but the individuals themselves to know where people were travelling from.


  • #2843
    Phoebas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,371 ✭✭✭Phoebas


    maestroamado wrote: »
    The problem it was the very people who changed the rules that broke same.
    They should have changed the date of the rule change??

    The people who made the rules and then broke them are culpable. So are the event organisers and the hotel.

    The rest of the attendees much less so.


  • #2844
    Loafing Oaf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,052 ✭✭✭✭Loafing Oaf


    Phoebas wrote: »
    I think it was 100 prior to the changes,

    Nope, 50
    As reported by RTE, the limit to the number of participants allowed at indoor events under Phase Three of the Government's Roadmap must include venue staff.

    As announced by Leo Varadkar at Government buildings yesterday, commencing on June 29, indoor gatherings of up to 50 people are permitted,

    https://www.buzz.ie/news/50-person-limit-at-indoor-events-to-include-venue-staff-374761


  • #2845
    stockshares
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,760 ✭✭✭stockshares


    Phoebas wrote: »
    I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

    I heard one of the politicians or journalists in Saturday morning say this event should have been cancelled in March along with the many others that were when Covid took hold. It might have been Dukes when he was in Rte but Im not certain.
    elperello wrote: »
    Good qualities in a politician.:)

    I have no dog in this fight but you'd hardly expect his office staff to enquire about the Covid guidelines compliance of an event their boss is not attending.

    At the time they might not have but surely they checked once this story broke whether Leo received an invite.


  • #2846
    elperello
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 17,412 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    stockshares wrote: »
    I heard one of the politicians or journalists in Saturday morning say this event should have been cancelled in March along with the many others that were when Covid took hold. It might have been Dukes when he was in Rte but Im not certain.



    At the time they might not have but surely they checked once this story broke whether Leo received an invite.

    You would think so wouldn't you, and then tell the boss.

    Either way if an invitation was received and declined by the staff on LV's behalf why would they check any details of the organisation of the event?


  • #2847
    Phoebas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,371 ✭✭✭Phoebas


    Loafing Oaf wrote: »
    Nope, 50



    https://www.buzz.ie/news/50-person-limit-at-indoor-events-to-include-venue-staff-374761

    I think that should be a problem for both the organisers and the hotel if they organised a bigger event from the outset.

    I was under the impression that they ran fowl of new restrictions so I could understand that they might try to engineer a solution at short notice, but it looks like they tried to circumvent the restrictions from the outset.


  • #2848
    stockshares
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,760 ✭✭✭stockshares


    elperello wrote: »
    You would think so wouldn't you, and then tell the boss.

    Either way if an invitation was received and declined by the staff on LV's behalf why would they check any details of the organisation of the event?

    The fact that it was an Oireachtas do might have raised an alarm bell. For instance "Why are members of our Oireachtas organising events during this pandemic?"

    Then again maybe the invitation(if issued) was issued early this year so it would simply have been declined.

    If so this would have been easy to clear up.


  • #2849
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 13,839 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Phoebas wrote: »
    I think that should be a problem for both the organisers and the hotel if they organised a bigger event from the outset.

    I was under the impression that they ran fowl of new restrictions so I could understand that they might try to engineer a solution at short notice, but it looks like they tried to circumvent the restrictions from the outset.

    This wasn’t just a dinner it was a couple of days of golfing.

    So you tee off in your group of 4. Another group of 4 tees off (I need some help from the golfers here) 10/15 mins later. The group starting second would probably chat to the group before them and then the group after them. It’s a competition so you’ll know how many you’re competing against.

    They all had a fairly good idea who would be going to dinner long before they left the course. They’re all responsible for adding to the dinner numbers. Did none of them do a quick headcount?


  • #2850
    elperello
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 17,412 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    stockshares wrote: »
    The fact that it was an Oireachtas do might have raised an alarm bell. For instance "Why are members of our Oireachtas organising events during this pandemic?"

    LV's point in the interview was that it is not the job of staff in his constituency office or civil servants in his Dail office to check up on events he is not attending.

    It's not a bad point.

    That's about all I can say about it unless some further information comes to light.


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  • #2851
    maestroamado
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,425 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    I would have thought all golf society communication be done on personal email/phone as that is the only way i seen as completely separate from work though the society work related, way of breaking barriers etc. It may be different in politics as i be surprised if society golf outings anything to do with staff...


This discussion has been closed.
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