From top: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (left) and Denis Naughten; Pat Breen, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection
Taoiseach says he asked Denis Naughten to reflect on his position after hearing he had four private dinners with the head of the broadband bid pic.twitter.com/QZp4rxDZLH
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 11, 2018
Leo Varadkar : Denis Naughten told me about the additional meetings this morning
Denis Naughten : I told Leo Varadkar about the additional meetings when we spoke last night
😬😬😬
— Stephen Murphy (@Stephen_Murphy5) October 11, 2018
This evening.
Further to the resignation of the Minister for Communications. Denis Naughten…
Mr Varadkar said he was informed late last night by Mr Naughten of a private dinner he had attended at Mr McCourt’s home in 2017.
This dinner was organised by Minister for State Pat Breen, who was also at the dinner.
This morning, Mr Naughten told Mr Varadkar that he had had at least three further private dinners with Mr McCourt. No officials were present and no minutes of the meetings were taken.
Mr Varadkar also informed the Dáil that he had met Mr McCourt last March in the US at a public event but th ebroadband plan was not discussed.
Taoiseach reveals further dinners with Naughten and broadband bidder (RTÊ)
Earlier: Picking Up The Tab
Din Dins.
Now, can we have the minutes of Varadkars meetings with ‘interested parties’
Dens, Dens
Shouldn’t Minister of State Pat Breen consider his position too?
Yes
Leo threw him under the bus too. Another ‘Independent’ next time out..
But we do, now, need minutes of Varadkars meeting with Dinny in Davos back in February.
yes – but not too much
can’t be upsetting the voting arithmetic with budget vote looming
have to put the country first and all that
ah good times, shorty after Leo attended the annual booze fueled bacchanal know as the Ireland Funds,also now embroiled in controversy, stay home next March Leo :)
Pic Leo and Dave.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180315005663/en/David-McCourt-Awarded-SFI-St.-Patrick’s-Day
Will he have to give back the brown bag now, you know the one he took for the leftovers ;)
I’m desperately trying to think of an Arrested Development joke.
this is Breen’s US trip-Ken Foxe
may cost him (you guys) a lot more than this……….
“To make sure he could do both, Enterprise Ireland paid €4,398 for him to travel from Minneapolis to Malaga last September. The cost was driven up by an overnight business class flight from the US to Paris, where Mr Breen caught his connecting flight to Spain. The outgoing trip from Dublin to Minneapolis via Chicago had only cost €887, bringing the total cost to €5,285. The ticket was part of over €30,000 spent on the three-day mission, records from Enterprise Ireland reveal.”
https://extra.ie/2017/10/15/news/irish-news/ministers-flights-family-bash-cost-taxpayer-e4k
Johnny, I believe that was an earlier trip taken in late 2016.
Indeed Bodger-Ken may have an update later.
Oh look at you with your caps lock first letter of name.
There is only so far you can push it John.
Bodger-some info on a ’17 Breen trip here to Oklahoma!
‘DFAT Saint Patricks Day trip Oklahoma” ?
https://dbei.gov.ie/en/Publications/Publication-files/Expenses-for-Minister-Breen-March-2017.pdf
will try track down his ’17 trips in US.
(WTF was he doing in Oklahoma)
Was at SXSW for IE trade show then mysteriously flew to Oklahoma but not related to IE)
https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/News/PressReleases/2017-Press-Releases/Enterprise-Ireland-brings-11-client-companies-to-exhibit-at-largest-event-of-its-kind-in-in-Texas-USA.html
Dont bother, your gigs up remember?
Awaiting Cians take on this. Did Naughten do wrong?
Yes if he did wrong lol
Jeez, you’re obsessed with me.
I haven’t been following this – but yes – it looks like Naughten did wrong.
Lol
Brenda Power is going to be so mad at him for promoting obesity.
They are all wearing expensive suits and living very high lives, aren’t they, are you?
Leo wears travel suits from Jeff Banks. They are great. You could sleep in them (in a car) for a full week and they still look the same.
Off you go: https://www.jeffbanksstores.co.uk/suits
I have 3 but thanks anyways.
Speaking of broad – what was all that stuff about obesity again? Anyone get a video of ministerial car at Blanch Krispy Kremes?
Varadker is defending all of this by trying the high horse of ‘when one is in a ministerial role you meet CEOs, chairmen etc. This is all normal above board and done all the time.’
He’s wrong. That is not a normal or legitimate way to do business. It’s called cronyism. Its called unfair advantage. It’s called corruption.
Denis Naughten met McCourt privately. He bought him dinner. He allowed McCourts children access to the Private Members restaurant of Dáil Éireann for a party?!?.
Did he meet the other parties that tendered for national broadband in the same manner? With the same preferential treatment?
Varadkers position is as untenable as Naughtens if he sees this as a fair and reasonable way to do business.
Naughten now saying that he DID tell Varadkar about ALL the meetings.
Maybe he should have taken a leaf out of Maurice McCabe’s book and carried a tape recorder. (not that it’s that important but I know which of them I believe)
Watch the snakes eat each other.
His statement to the Dail is now available-Breen calming he only met McCourt in Irl-so no US angle-phew:)
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2018-10-11/25/
snakes eating each other is a Viking symbol of external life…..
Do you have a snake cake recipe?
Probably unappetizing but still..
Three degrees of [REDACTED] who frankly has not got one state contract without some shenanigans be it from Esat Digifone to Siteserve and the water metres. But don’t worry, this hoo haw won’t stop Actavo getting the contract. There may be a bit a distraction tactics (such as this resignation) by the Government but they’ll get it and I’ll buy a hat and eat it if Naughten is not on some related board of directors in 5 years time.