Irish defence minister quits

This video from Ireland is called Animatazz – [Fianna Fail party Prime Minister] Brian Cowen Budget Cuts.

Ireland’s Defence Minister Willie O’Dea has resigned after falsely accusing Sinn Fein politician Maurice Quinlivan of running a brothel and then denying in court that he had made the slanderous comment: here.

From the Sinn Fein site:

Dysfunctional Government should follow Willie O’Dea out of office – Ó Caoláin

February 18, 2010

Commenting on the resignation of Deputy Willie O’Dea as Minister for Defence, Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhhghín Ó Caoláin said:

“The resignation of Deputy Willie O’Dea as Minister for Defence is entirely appropriate. But like the Minister’s apology in the High Court on 21st December it had to be dragged kicking and screaming from the Fianna Fáil/Green Government.

“Minister O’Dea had become totally unsuitable for Ministerial office given his gross defamation of an election candidate, his false denial of that defamation in a spurious affidavit to the High Court and his unapologetic performance in the Dáil on Wednesday.

“Fianna Fáil and Green TDs yesterday voted their full confidence in Minister O’Dea. Today the Green Party reflected on their public humiliation and had to demand the Minister’s head if they were to stay in Government. In response the Taoiseach had to seek Minister O’Dea’s resignation.

“This dysfunctional and totally discredited Government should follow Willie O’Dea out of office. Fianna Fáil, having devastated the Irish economy with their disastrous policies and mismanagement over the past 12 years are now, with the Greens, trying to force ordinary people to pay the price.

“In the past six months they have lost a Ceann Comhairle and now a Minister for Defence but these two lay-offs pale into insignificance when compared to the figure of over 436,000 people who are unemployed as a result of Fianna Fáil/Green misrule. This Government should go.”

Ireland’s governing coalition lost its second minister in a week on Tuesday after a politician admitted that he illegally interfered in a criminal assault case involving one of his voters: here.

Prime Minister Brian Cowen launched an emotional defence of his political reputation yesterday after being accused of economic treason over the multibillion-euro bailout of rogue lender Anglo Irish Bank: here.

Both parties in the Irish government are facing electoral disaster when they finally go to the polls. A general election is due by 2012 at the latest, but the coalition government of Fianna Fail and the Greens is unlikely to last that long. Recent opinion polls have suggested that Fianna Fail, the largest political party for the entire history of the Irish republic, will be reduced to third place in the Dáil Éireann, the Irish parliament, while the Greens will face near obliteration: here.