Job For The Boy

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Clare Daly of Independents4Change at the European elections count centre at the RDS in Dublin last month.

Say it ain’t so.

Clare Daly hires son of Mick Wallace as her assistant in EU office (Independent.ie)

Sam Boal/Rollingnews

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53 thoughts on “Job For The Boy

  1. Qwerty123

    What is with politics? If you are in it long enough does common sense just disappear?

    1. postmanpat

      She fielded anti-vax questions in the Dail too . She lost all common sense a long time ago.

    2. newsjustin

      I think they’re well aware that this looks dodgy. But have calculated that they can ride it out. Worth it.

  2. Jonboy

    Seems odd on the face of it but wasn’t he already working as a political researcher? Did he apply for the job and was he evaluated by anyone other than Ms Daly? Can we have some facts before we grab the pitchforks?

    1. Spud

      Was working as a political researcher for….. His Dad.

      If he’s well qualified, I don’t see the problem, but Clare (and Mick) should have known the media and public would lap this story up.

      1. millie st murderlark

        I dunno. There’s an element of cute hoorism to this that I don’t like.

        But then, Clare doesn’t seem the type. I’m sure the lad is qualifed and all that but something about it isn’t sitting right with me.

        Not sure it’s enough for me to go full mob mentality but certainly, I’d say I’m a bit disappointed with Clare Daly. I really thought she was better than this kind of sneaky dealing.

  3. Lilly

    It’s a bit disappointing. OTOH if I were employing someone, I’d prefer someone I know and like, over taking my chances on an unknown, who could turn out to be insufferable. It’s human nature; we want to be around people we like and avoid bottomholes at all costs.

  4. kellMA

    She posted on her FB page about the journalists making a mountain out of a molehill (i follow her) and she got an awful backlash. Mostly people saying “have you no cop on”; ” did you not forsee how this would look” etc. I am a big fan of Clare but I have to say, I think she made a very poor decision here and whilst it may be that this lad is well able for the job, he should not have gotten the job because politics is a lot about standards and optics of same and she totally misfired here.

    1. kellMA

      There really is. IMO Clare is a bright, determined powerhouse of a representative and that makes it all the more dissappointing. I honestly would have expected more cop on from her. I tend to believe that there is no “cute hoorism” going on here just some serious ball dropping…

      1. postmanpat

        I never liked all the gushing over this one. “Powerhouse”? what exactly does that even mean? , What are her accomplishments other than ask obvious question plus ask question she was told to ask by her constituency? including anti-vaxers, (and she did and all, the dope) . She & Wallace came in by accident in a wave of reactionary protest voting just because people were short a few luxuries for a few years following the global economic crash. How long before Wallace Jr throws his hat in the ring? In a few years time after working under auntie Clare? You know he will. Then his own kids and nieces and nephews, Mick Wallace the Third and what have you . Its a nice little corrupt political future dynasty family were are seeing the origin of. Politicians man, they are all the same. They see themselves as the aristocracy. The salt of the earth smelly creased wardrobe never fooled me.

        1. B9Com From No

          +166

          All these people ever really served to highlight is how appalling the other 164 are, or that these are seen as an opposing view of some sort

      2. Jeffrey

        WAS imo. Now MEP you can be sure nothing will come out of whatever properly constructed stuff she will put forward. Look at Ming, I liek him and all but he is making ZERO impact at an European level, ZERO. At least at home she and he was a proper voice of opposition, now gone.

    1. B9Com From No

      Thanks man on fire for these links
      Can’t wait for cian to come on and explain how it works

      1. Cian

        M’eh. Take your pick:
        a) this is bad practice, and all FF, FG, SF, Lab, independents, etc. that do it are bad. Claire is bad too.
        b) this is not bad practice, It is acceptable that Claire does this. It’s also okay for all FF, FG, SF, Lab, independents, to do it.

        So long as it’s consistent.

        1. GiggidyGoo

          He is a graduate with first class honours by all accounts.
          Now look at the boy Harris. Dropout (from journalism). Good enough for Ma Fitz, and now a health minister ( a useless one,which is consistent with dropout).

          1. curmudgeon

            That’s a terrier comparison. Harris got voted in democratically, this is nepotism

  5. Paulus

    I thought Clare had the nous not to make a blunder like this:
    Sometimes a politician’s objectivity deserts them when they need it most?

    1. newsjustin

      It’s 5 years until they need to get elected again. They calculate they can ride out the hassle and it’s well worth it for all that lovely money. Same old same old.

  6. :-Joe

    Ohh.. ahh.. hmmm.. fingers waving… tut.. tut..

    How is this a problem if it is legal?? Do you really think Clare Daly would hire someone inept, unqualified or inexperienced just because it’s Wallace’s son and not expect a response?

    Even if it was pure nepotism via loophole and not a joke , do you think this is even a drop in the ocean compared to the shenannigans going on daily by your representatives of the 60%-ish voters elected to power in the dail.

    You, the people’s of the BS comments really disappoint me as a collective sometimes, rarely but unfortunately sometimes….

    :-J

    1. Paulus

      Sorry to disappoint you Joe (sad face); but when you paint yourself to be as virtuous as Clare does you really have to be above reproach. Otherwise your credibility is tainted.

      1. :-Joe

        How dare you imply that I am virtuous…

        If guilty of anything at all, Clare Daly should be on trial for speaking truth to power and holding the establishment accountable.

        Anyone with any sense of that would know better than to jump to naive conclusions of illegal or innapropriate behaviour against her.

        If it’s legal but in the daft minds of the collective public it falls under nepotism and yet it helps her to do her job I’d happily be guilty of a perceptive double standard and give her a pass.

        The politicians who are doing the best work( THEIR ACTUAL APPOINTED JOB) are scarce enough as it is.

        The rest of our pseudo-democratically elected(along with the your unelectable der leodar) invertribrates still have a long way to go… along with the 60%-ish of total voters who are foolish enough to keep backing them…

        Time will tell, I’m only worried about the mob mentality…

        :-J

    2. Jonjo

      Just because there is other poo going on doesn’t mean we’ve to ignore this. The only political research experience he has is working for Daddy on tax payer’s money.

    3. postmanpat

      Nepotism its legal? Then no harm so. Listen everyone! there’s nothing illegal about this so everything is okay. PHEW!!! That a relief. Thanks Joe!

      1. :-Joe

        Mick and Clare have not had a baby and that baby is not Wallace jnr and is not their son.

        How is it nepotism ?

        :-J

        1. :-Joe

          All they are doing is playing by the rules and exploiting a technicality.

          Like others have said if it’s so bad change the rules.

          :-J

          1. :-Joe

            It’s possible Clare Daly who is hiring him, wants him over other members of the party or close association etc. as he is actually good at his job.

            Therefore it’s not technically nepotism and it’s not even exploiting a technical loop-hole at all.

            :-J

    4. bertie blenkinsop

      “Do you really think Clare Daly would hire someone……inexperienced just because it’s Wallace’s son”

      Sadly, yes.
      And that’s what makes it especially disappointing IMO.

      1. :-Joe

        Ye but that’s it right there….

        I don’t and if there was a good reason to hire anybody else who was better or deserved it more I’m confident and sure enough she would have,

        People are only assuming he got the job because he’s Wallace’s son and clearly they’ve missed the possibility that the nepotism loophole jibe was a joke.

        Eye-roll while shaking of the head and blowing slow ‘ F ‘ sound through bottom lip etc.

        :-J

        1. postmanpat

          What’s your relation to either of them ? You’re taking this very personally Joe ;-J or whatever you real name is . The signing off with :-J isn’t cute . It makes you look like a plonker. Who are you really? You’re all over this message board making straw man arguments to beat the band. Do you work for Wallace or Clare?. The man is Wallace’s son. For that reason alone he should never have been hired. Someone 90% no…. 50% as qualified would have been more than adequate. Advisor/assistant? Give me a break. Its a “yes” man entourage, easy money. nothing more. someone who pulls up info on an Ipad on the fly and fetches her chapstick from the bag. They are counting on this blowing over and maybe it will. Maybe it wont, Swing gate didn’t , the times are a changing Joe boy . The fact that team Mick/Clare calculated this only shows the contempt she had and always had for the public. Having a Trump like go at Journalists asking reasonable questions ?. the type of questions she might have asked once upon a time? Tell your boss Claire that next time you see her. … :-J

          1. :-Joe

            Wow, I really don’t know how to reply to that in less than an hour….

            Purple monkey dishwasher?… Will that do?…

            :-J

  7. Boj

    Ah, another “Voting: Was it for this post”. Very disappointed in Daly & Wallace over this.
    Just change the damned rules so that this cannot happen. There’s loads of rules to be changed in this utterly rigged game. Politicians voting on their own pay/pensions/holidays etc….get the eff out of it.
    It’s all rigged I tell ya…rigged!! (I’ll shake my fist later, on a train at the moment…)

  8. eoin

    Has Fionn seriously gone from a €20,000 a year policy job working with Mick to a “€8,519 a month” job at the European Parliament. Doesn’t look great for Clare, was she watching “Strangers on a Train” when a lightbulb went off.

      1. eoin

        It was in the Indo so it must be true

        “However, his party colleague Ms Daly has listed Fionn A Wallace as one of her three parliamentary assistants – roles which can command up to €8,519 a month.”

  9. Trouble

    Hiring a family member or a friend isn’t the same as appointing a crony to a paid position on a quango I don’t really see a problem

    1. Rob_G

      In what way are they different?

      If the family member or friend were being hired for a private business, all well and good, I would agree with you. But this is not the case here; they are being appointed to a (well-paid) job that is paid for from the public purse.

      1. italia'90

        Yeah, it’s not like he’s being appointed to Minister level without any qualifications right?
        But then again, it’s not what you know, but who you’re related to in FFG.

        I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how productive #TeamDalyWallace are in the EP.

        1. Rob_G

          “Yeah, it’s not like he’s being appointed to Minister level without any qualifications right?”
          – I’m not really sure what this is referring to; the only qualification of being a minister is to get elected – that’s democracy, baby.

          “But then again, it’s not what you know, but who you’re related to in FFG.”
          -and I4C too as well, apparently.

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