Creighton denies her political career is over

Former junior minister says politics a ‘brutal’ profession after Fine Gael expulsion

Irish Times – 13 July 2013

 

Former minister of state for European affairs Lucinda Creighton has pledged to fight on in politics and remain in Fine Gael after forfeiting both her ministerial office and parliamentary party membership.

The Dublin South-East TD, who voted against the Government during the abortion legislation debate on Thursday night, described the current Dáil as a “sorry place” but insisted her passion for domestic politics has not diminished.

‘Brutal’ profession
“What I say to people who canvassed for Garret FitzGerald and who’ve been there through the decades – real, genuine, loyal Fine Gael people who are just so upset about this – I’ve been saying to them, ‘This isn’t about competition between me and Fine Gael because I am Fine Gael’.”

Ms Creighton described politics as a “brutal” profession in an interview with The Irish Times and said it was “bizarre” that she had been expelled from the parliamentary party for voting with her conscience.

 

 “You have to stand up and be counted in politics sometimes and I’ve no regrets that I did that. None whatsoever . . . It’s sad, it’s unfortunate but I’m sure I’ll be back. I don’t see it as the end by any means,” she said.

“I think the idea that you’re down and out because you take a position and you stand up for what you believe to be right, that somehow that’s the end of your political career. I think that’s total nonsense to be honest.”

Ruled outMs Creighton objected to the inclusion of a suicide clause in the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, which proceeds to the Seanad on Monday having been passed by the Dáil. She had appealed for a relaxation of the “archaic and out-of-date” whip system but this was firmly ruled out by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

She said ministers for European affairs in other EU states had texted her yesterday to say they could not understand why she had been effectively sacked, “because it just doesn’t happen in any other country – nobody is ever asked to vote against their conscience”.

Ms Creighton will travel to Washington next week to represent the European People’s Party (EPP), of which she is a vice-president, at a conference and hopes to be actively involved in the grouping in the years ahead.

While not interested in running for the European Parliament, “bringing that global and international perspective to the domestic stage” remained a goal, she said.

“I’m a TD and I love being a TD and the likelihood is I’ll be a candidate at the next election but I haven’t thought that far ahead and nor do I wish to.”

Her position on abortion, which has changed since her student days, was influenced by speaking to friends who had a “negative” experience of termination, she said.

Ms Creighton is married to Senator Paul Bradford, who will oppose the abortion legislation in the Upper House next week.

“Paul isn’t just my husband he’s my best friend but I can assure you that I don’t take any political instruction or direction from my husband. The people who have been spreading that around Leinster House need to wake up,” she said.
‘Personal question’Mr Bradford has made his position on the Seanad abolition referendum clear, describing it as a “cynical political exercise”. Asked how she would vote in the upcoming poll, Ms Creighton laughed: “That’s a very personal question and one that I won’t answer for fear of offending my husband.”

So is it a point of difference between them? “We don’t agree on everything. Like every couple we have our points of disagreement.”

Ms Creighton rejected speculation that she would be involved in a new party or might liaise with Libertas founder Declan Ganley, who has proposed a fresh political movement that respects the conscience of every legislator on issues such as abortion.

“He says he’s a European federalist. I would share that view but I think that we actually practise what we preach in a very different way so I don’t know that our approach would be compatible.”

The qualified barrister also dismissed speculation that she would pursue a career in law. “I really loved the Law Library but I’m just not sure that I want to go back rather than go forward.”

 

Comment:

 

It is very refreshing to see that there are, in fact, elected officials in Ireland that are guided by their conscience and not by political ambition. Lucinda Creighton, Peadar Toibin, and the other members of the Dail who chose not to be led like sheep by their spineless leadership who are determined to lead Ireland down the road from their traditional Catholic roots toward European socialism. As an American Catholic fraternal organization with close ties to our Irish heritage, we, Hibernians, should commend those members of the Dail who voted in favor of the culture of life rather than the senseless and wanton destruction of the most vulnerable among us, the unborn. I will take this opportunity to remind all of our Hibernian Brothers & Sisters that our AOH National Constitution which we have taken an oath to uphold requires us: to protect all life, born and unborn.

 

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

Knights of Columbus – 4^th Degree

In Boston 10,000 undocumented Irish wait anxiously for news on immigration bill

 

Niall O’Dowd – Irish Central - July 11, 2013

Boston: Father John McCarthy is the emigrant chaplain at St. Brendan’s parish in Dorchester, a Boston neighborhood.

He has been on loan for more years that he cares to remember from the diocese of Limerick.

As an emigrant and pastor he is passionate about the emigrants from Ireland he takes care of and estimates there are 10,000 Irish undocumented among his far flung flock.

These days he is a worried man, worried about whether immigration reform will pass this time at last.
“We have so many people just hanging on, desperate really” he says “ I know it is the same in other communities, but the Irish undocumented need this bill desperately.”

Looking after the undocumented is a huge part of his mission at the nearby Irish Pastoral Center.

Several times a week he visits Irish prisoners in Boston area jails. He is an old fashioned man of the cloth, a doer not a preacher and a huge admirer of Pope Francis and the humility and grace he has quickly come to represent.

He has faith in American goodness, that the extraordinary goodwill and kindness he sees every day towards the less fortunate will also prevail in the immigration battle.

“I don’t know what people will do if it does not pass.”, he said. “Our hopes are sky high, it would allow them to contribute so much to America and American life.”
Father John made St. Brendan’s parish hall where the parishioners are 25 percent Irish available to the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, an organization I co-founded with Ciaran Staunton.
Our task in Boston on Wednesday night was to inform the 100 or so Irish who attended the meeting about what was happening on immigration reform.
It is clear that the dream of reform is what keeps this Irish neighborhood alive, I met a woman who was undocumented for 22 years until her American son passed the age of 21 and made her legal.

How did it feel?: “I can't describe it,” she said. “I just hope others can achieve it too.”

I spoke to someone else who told me how undocumented Irish drivers pick routes that take them through neighborhoods they know Irish American cops police, so that if they are stopped for having no license they may be treated leniently.

It is this life of subterfuge and underground existence that the new reform bill would sweep away in an instant. The contribution to America of such people from wherever in the world would be all that greater.

In Boston, the most Irish city in America, the new generation of Irish, most undocumented, wait and whisper hope.

“Please God this time,” says Father John, a hugely popular figure. “It would be a crushing blow if it does not happen.”

Let’s hope it does.

 

Comment:

 

If there are, in actual fact, 10,000 undocumented Irish in Boston waiting for immigration reform legislation to pass in the U.S. Congress, it is very sad that the organizers of this “informational meeting” could only entice “100 or so” people to attend. Those numbers are reminiscent of a similar meeting that was organized by the same group in Quincy a few years ago. At the Quincy venue which I attended, I would estimate there were about 70 people and out of that number, there were approximately 20 to 25 who were undocumented Irish nationals The remaining number were established Irish Americans who were there to learn from then U.S. Congressman Bill Delahunt about the progress of immigration legislation that was being debated in Congress at that time. The dismal attendance at both of these well advertised meetings is a very clear testimonial to the less than effective organizational skills of both the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform and its “leadership”. It would appear that the only thing that has changed from then until now is the calendar.

 

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

Past AOH National Chairman of Immigration

2011 Golden Bridges Award Recipient  (for my decades of work on behalf of undocumented Irish nationals)

Ros-Lehtinen: House conservatives may kill any immigration bill

By Justin Sink – Staff Writer – The Hill

 

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said Friday that she knows the Senate immigration bill is "not going to move in the House" and expressed fears that conservative Republicans will block any House legislation from proceeding.

But Ros-Lehtinen nevertheless is hopeful that Republicans can pass some sort of border security bill that would allow a comprehensive immigration reform deal to be struck in conference committee.

"I do support it but I understand that bill is not going to move in the house," Ros-Lehtinen told CNN. "We're hoping that any bill will pass in the House so we can go into conference with the Senate, and then out of that conference will be a balanced bill."

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he will only proceed with immigration bills that have the backing of a majority of his Republican majority, dimming the prospects for the legislation that passed the Senate in a 68-32 vote on Thursday.

Ros-Lehtinen said she was most concerned that warring factions within the House would block any bill from proceeding, preventing a possible conference committee compromise.

"My fear is this -- that the more conservative members of our party will vote no because they worry about any bill getting into conference, even though they may agree with that border security bill, and many Democrats may vote no because they want to deal with the 11 million undocumented first," she said.

"We just need to get to conference and try to negotiate compromise."

The Miami Republican admitted that it would be a "very difficult" tightrope to walk, but said conservative Republicans felt the need to ensure border security protections after an immigration bill signed during Ronald Reagan's presidency failed to stop illegal immigration to the United States.

"We've got to make sure the American people trust and believe and we can prove to them that there will be border security," Ros-Lehtinen said.

Comment:

 It would appear as though Sen. Schumer and his “Gang of 8” had better be prepared to dig in their heels and get ready to do battle with the House if they want their version of an immigration reform bill to come out of conference looking anything like it does now. There is no doubt that there will be many amendments offered and many concessions made before a bill that is acceptable to both the Senate and the House makes its way to the President’s desk to be signed into law. There are only two things that we can be sure of at this point: 1.) There will be some type of resolution to the plight of the undocumented currently living here in the U.S. This is a problem that some of us who work with them have tried to keep as our top priority from the very beginning. We have felt very strongly that legislation to address future flows of immigrants could and should come after the plight of the undocumented is permanently resolved. 2.) The United States of America as a sovereign nation has every right, as well as an obligation to her citizens, to insure that no measure is spared in this age of international terrorism to secure her borders against unwanted and unwelcome intruders. In my view as well as that of many other immigration reform advocates, everything else is on the table and subject to negotiation and compromise.

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

US multinationals have over 1,400 job vacancies in Ireland

Comments

Ailish O'Hora – Irish Independent - 04 July 2013

US multinationals operating here have over 1,400 job vacancies, the results of a new survey show.

 The jobs, details of which were released at the American Chamber of Commerce’s annual Independence Day Lunch, are available in 100 companies in roles like engineering, sales and customer support and R&D.

A survey of 100 multinationals showed that 75pc are currently advertising vacant positions while 69pc are filling vacancies within three months.

Peter Keegan, President of the American Chamber said; “The results of our annual survey are encouraging and point to continued confidence in the multinational sector which has maintained and grown net employment during the current recession.

“The quality of Irish graduates is widely recognised and the availability of a skilled workforce is critical to the continued attraction of Ireland as a location for US companies.”

According to the American Chamber of Commerce, 115,000 people are directly employed in over 700 US firms in Ireland accounting for over 70pc of all IDA supported employment.

 

Comment:

 

This survey, if accurate, raises the question: why is there such a drastic need for the huge numbers of young Irish to emigrate other than many of them view emigration as an “adventure”. Unfortunately, most of those who leave, do so on short term visitors visas and finish up overstaying their visas and lapse into illegal status which carries very severe consequences. Why would they not fill some of these vacancies at home and, if they still have a burning desire to emigrate, they could “bide their time” until immigration regulations in the country of their choice become more flexible and welcoming to prospective new legal permanent residents. According to this survey, it would appear that the old story about no work available in Ireland seems to no longer be the case. 

 

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians

Sinn Féin TD faces party discipline if he votes against abortion Bill

 

Tóibín accepts he may lose party whip but says he cannot support legislation that permits abortion

 

Irish Times - 14 June 2013

 

Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín last night said he will vote against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill when it comes before the Dáil.

Mr Tóibín, a TD for Meath West, told The Irish Times he is prepared to defy his party whip because of his deeply held views against abortion.

If he votes against the Bill which will come before the Dáil on Thursday, he will certainly be expelled from the Sinn Féin parliamentary party.
‘Serious breach’A party spokesman confirmed last night that if Mr Tóibín voted against the party, it would be “a serious breach of party rules” and he would be “be subject to party discipline”.

 

In a statement issued to this newspaper, Mr Tóibín said it gave him immense difficulty to part from the party on the issue and reiterated his loyalty to Sinn Féin in all other respects.

He continued by saying he would vote against the Bill, because it would introduce for the first time in law a therapy for suicidal ideation that included the ending of another human life.

“It would also mean for the first time that a therapy for suicidal ideation in Ireland would have no basis in science.

“On the contrary the evidence states that abortion often does damage the health of the mother, can lead to suicide and of course is completely destructive of the life of the child.”

‘Cusp of viability’
“I am also seriously concerned that this legislation allows for abortion up until birth and that this legislation allows for a healthy unborn child on the cusp of viability to be brought to term with the likely probability that the child would be disabled by the State and possibly be institutionalised for life.

“It is an impossible ask for me to vote for legislation that will lead to another person’s death. TDs are responsible for their actions . . . I believe that if a TD votes for abortion that TD is in part responsible for abortions that happen under that legislation. I do not believe that it is possible to claim to be pro life and legislate for abortion,” he said.

This is the first time in recent times Sinn Féin has had to deal with a party member defying its official stance.

 

Comment:

 

Sinn Fein TD Peadar Toibin is to be commended for following the dictates of his conscience rather than the misguided position taken by his political party. It is an extremely unusual occasion, indeed, when an elected official would risk facing severe disciplinary action from his colleagues and jeopardize his political future in order to defend his strongly held moral beliefs. This case also proves beyond any reasonable doubt that regardless of what they may say when questioned on the issue, Sinn Fein is a political party that supports abortion. TD Peadar Toibin has the courage to stand by his beliefs and he certainly deserves the respect and admiration of the Catholic Church in Ireland and all who believe, as he does, in the sanctity of life.

 

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

Knights of Columbus – 4^th Degree

Our Flag is Passing By

 Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky:
Hats off!
Our flag is passing by!

Blue and crimson and white it shines,
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.
Hats off!
The colors before us fly;
But more than the flag is passing by.

Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great,
Fought to make and to save the State;
Weary marches and sinking ships;
Cheers of victory on dying lips;

Days of plenty and years of peace,
March of a strong land's swift increase:
Equal justice, right and law,
Stately honor and reverent awe;

Sign of a nation, great and strong,
To ward her people from foreign wrong;
Pride and glory and honor, all
Live in the colors to stand or fall.

Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
And loyal hearts are beating high:

Hats off!
Our American flag is passing by!

 One nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

Irish Abortion Bill

Enda Kenny has defended his decision not to allow a free vote on the abortion Bill

 Michael Brennan Deputy Political Editor– 12 June 2013

 

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has declared that he is "a Taoiseach who happens to be Catholic but not a Catholic Taoiseach" after criticism by the Church of his abortion Bill.

It came after the Catholic Bishops had come out to strongly oppose the Government's abortion legislation.

But without mentioning the bishops directly, Mr Kenny said it was his 'duty' to bring the legislation through.

"I am proud to stand here as a public representative, as a Taoiseach who happens to be a Catholic but not a Catholic Taoiseach. A Taoiseach for all of the people, that's my job. I am proud to lead the Government in governing for all our people, all our people, all our people, irrespective of the sector of society that they come from," he said.

Mr Kenny got a round of applause from Government backbenchers in the Dail - with Sinn Fein TDs who support the abortion bill also joining in.

He also revealed the intensity of the opposition to the abortion Bill by referring to the material sent to his office.

"I'm now being branded by personnel around the country as a murderer, that I'm going to have on my soul the death of 20 million babies. I'm getting medals, scapulars, letters written in blood, telephone calls - and it's not confined to me," he said.

He and the cabinet are meeting today to finalise the Bill, which is due to be published later this week.

Mr Kenny said there was a requirement of the Government to govern.

"I've already made it clear there will not be a free vote for members of the Government parties," he said.

Mr Kenny said the abortion legislation would provide legal clarity for pregnant women whose lives were in danger and was about 'saving lives".

He was responding to a call at Leader's Questions queries from Independent TD Mattie McGrath to allow Government backbenchers to have a free vote.

Mr McGrath said that this was a legally flawed, medically unsound and constitutionally unnecessary Bill.

"It's not too late to take account of these concerns. It's not too late to allow members of your own party a free vote," he said.

 

Comment:

 

It would appear as though Mr. Kenny is trying to emulate the late President John F. Kennedy with his use of the thinly veiled, plagiarized statement in the article above. U.S. Sen. Bentson’s reply to that original statement would be quite appropriate here, “Mr. Kenny, you are no John Kennedy”. It is also interesting to note that Sinn Fein supports the proposed Abortion Bill for anybody who was not clear on their position regarding the abortion issue. It is very sad, indeed, to see our once proud, staunchly Catholic, ancestral homeland rapidly changing into a primarily secular nation that has apparently lost their moral compass with regard to the sanctity of human life.

 

Jack Meehan, Past National President

Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

Knights Of Columbus – 4^th Degree