Comments by Sligo Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry caused the suspension of the Dail again today for five minutes.
It’s the second time the Fianna Fail TD has caused controversy in the Dail Chamber in the last month.
However, before suspending the Dail Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said Fine Gael was blowing the comments out of proportion.
Deputy MacSharry was accused by Senior Fine Gael Ministers of being anti-semitic with Minister for Health Simon Harris asking him to withdraw the comments which he claims are a slur on the Jewish community.
MacSharry had compared the new Ireland 2040 plan to something a senior Nazi officer ‘Goebbels’ would have published.
Here’s what he said:
But such a comparison to the Third Reich and indeed other dictatorships have already been put forward including by Labour’s Alan Kelly who made the comments just yesterday.
Ceann Comhairle Sean O’Fearghaile said that the point made by MacSharry was a political jibe only:
But as the arguments continued he was forced to suspend the house for five minutes.
The house had to be suspended earlier this month when the Healy Rae brothers accused MacSharry of likening them to Kofi Annan and taking over talking time in the Dail.
Deputy MacSharry later defended the comments saying he was not calling the Kilgarvan brothers names.
