“Beyond Offensive” [Updated]

at

EARLIER:

Sinn Féin Dublin City Councillor Paddy Holohan on his No Shame podcast; Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald speaking to journalists in Bray this afternoon

This afternoon.

In Bray, Co Wicklow.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has responded to comments made by Sinn Féin councillor Paddy Holohan on his No Shame podcast.

Mr Holohan made comments about Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s Indian heritage on the podcast and subsequently apologised yesterday saying his comments had been misinterpreted.

This morning Joe.ie reported that on the same podcast, he suggested underage girls were having sex with men and then blackmailing them for sums of money up to €10,000.

Ms McDonald told journalists in Bray:

“A matter came to my attention just over the last 40 minutes or so that we had to deal with which I imagine you will have questions on.

“And that is comments made by Councillor Paddy Holohan on his podcast. I have moved immediately to the party’s disciplinary procedures, all of that matter is now in hand.

“And disciplinary action will be taken.

“Obviously, the comments themselves are offensive, they’re beyond offensive. I actually find them upsetting.

“I’m very, very shocked at the comments made and the party’s disciplinary procedure is now activated as we speak.

“And it involves, we have procedures within the party to deal with circumstances where there has been a gross breach of the code of ethics.

“That is what I regard this to be.

“But obviously I have to allow that procedure now to continue. And we will make a further statement in the course of today.”

Asked by Hugh O’Connell, of the Irish Independent, if Cllr Holohan has been suspended, Ms McDonald said:

“The procedure has to be gone through. I don’t have the authority, nor should I, to just arbitrarily suspend or expel anyone. So I have moved immediately to ask the party to trigger that procedure and that is now in train.

“It’s only come to my attention literally in the last 40 minutes, so I am as shocked to see this commentary as anybody else.”

Paddy Holohan is now facing disciplinary action from Sinn Féin over his claims that “scum” underage girls were having sex with men and blackmailing them (Ellen Coyne, Joe.ie)

Via Hugh O’Connell

Pic: Shane Beatty

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37 thoughts on ““Beyond Offensive” [Updated]

  1. Fluffybiscuits

    Would joe.ie readers be the people Holohan spoke of? (Just kidding of coursr…joe.ie is for people who cannot read..oh look tacky photo!)

    Im just being b!tchy for the sake of it

  2. class wario

    awful, head in hands, open goal stuff. at least SF moved to act relatively quickly

    FG probably have somebody listening to every minute of every podcast he’s ever done by now.

    1. A Person

      Ah yeah, its nowt to do with SF and their usual bias. Let’s just breeze on by and ignore this. He didn’t mean it. Same as the bombers in NI that killed innocence people. shhhh. they didn’t mean it.

  3. Fearganainm

    Call me old-fashioned but surely even the most rudimentary candidate selection/vetting process should have screened out a balloon like that. A couple of minutes of his (punch drunk?) rambling would have qualified him for the ‘Never in a million years’ folder.

    1. Brother Barnabas

      30 seconds into his recent interview by tommy tiernan and it was apparent that he was thick as fupp

      so yeah should have been apparent

      1. missred

        On this particular podcast episode ranting about underage girls, he was talking to Terry McMahon. Make that what you will.

        1. Brother Barnabas

          I havent listened to it but, from what I’ve read, terry mcmahon challenged him on those comments – and disassociate himself from them

          just to be fair like

        2. Caroline. No.

          The pair went on to discuss the ethics of always believing victims of sexual violence. Mr Holohan suggested that men suffered from double standards, and said a woman could joke about chopping a man’s dick off, but a man can’t joke about his “bitch” getting into bed, and her annoying him so much that he “strangled her and boxed the head off her”.

          1. dhod

            holy jaysis, that’s awful stuff. I heard him on second captains being interviewed by Richie sadlier. I thought he was a bit of a thick but never thought he was at this level

          2. Caroline. No.

            He was on pat Kenny a few weeks back and sounded very likeable – i thought he was an independent though

  4. Lilly

    Wasn’t he the ejit who said the country should be run by a ‘family man’. It’s maybe unfair on my part but I tend to think, scratch the surface with the Shinners and they’re barbarians.

  5. Amy

    He should’ve been fired from Sinn Fein the moment he attacked Varadkar re. his Indian heritage. I despise Varadkar, but SF should have no place for that type of nonsense.

    1. Rob_G

      I have zero time for SF (as devotées will have noted) – but in fairness they were quick to distance themselves from his comments already yesterday.

    1. Daisy Chainsaw

      FG forgave Noel Grealish, Charlie Flanagan and even Verona Murphy until she failed to get elected. At least SF have dumped Holohan now.

      Kneecapping and killing Gardai – Ok.
      Batin’ women up and accusing girls of blackmail – Not Ok.

      OK?

      1. Spaghetti Hoop

        The bigger question here is are we so lacking in qualified candidates stepping into political life that we have parties (SF not being alone in this) scraping the barrel for people like this? Or are the people championing them?

        1. V

          The first problem is that the Parties themselves aren’t vetting their Candidates properly.

          That podcast should have been well known to SF Party HQ – a basic background check and a light forensic dig into the the lad’s social media was the least they should have done before signing off on him, or at least have a response prepped in advance.
          So they’re as much to blame imo.

          Having the Party leader have to admit publicly she’d no clue in the middle of a General Election campaign?!?! And then announce that a Candidate has been suspended.
          Absolute nonsense – and a big blow to their campaign
          And from the party with the biggest war chest in Irish – maybe even EU – politics.

          And shur’ Fine Gael can’t talk either.

          If anyone ever wonders why nothing will ever be done about dodgy over indulgent expense claims, absentee Dáil voting records, patronage – look at the attention and diligence they put into recruiting their Candidates.

          If schools or hospitals or crèches or charities were as lazy and sloppy about background checks, vetting, and standard fitness and probity tests, or even a search through the person’s online behaviour, we’d know all about it.

          There is no excuse for endorsing a Candidate, platforming, funding and canvassing for a Candidate, without not knowing anything about that Candidate’s activities, history, views, abilities, motives, what they can offer their constituents etc;

          It’s all very well for well meaning individuals to take a punt on someone they think might have potential to represent them, but well funded and well staffed main parties should take responsibility for putting that person in front of the voter.

          Sinn Fein should admit they effed up here, and apologise to the voters in their former member’s Constituency.

          The second problem, and imo just as dangerous, is that professional politics is just not attracting quality competent people into it as a career.

          1. Spaghetti Hoop

            Insightful V, and I agree with your last point on the second problem fully.
            But the rest is about risk and public-championing – and lack of qualified candidates. I mean, sportspeople and dare I say it, beauty pageant winners are now representing thousands of people and without any (at induction anyway) knowledge of the inner workings of central, local, EU governance. Is that popularism at work? I know that the Shinners will grab any willing candidate that’s high-fiving the kids in working class Dublin but the other parties…the desperation smacks smarter there. I think this debate is worth entering in parallel to the GE2020 as they keep moaning about the lack of women joining politics but I think we’re into deeper waters than just gender.

          2. V

            Ah shur’ parachuting in Candidates goes back to the founding of the State
            It’s about bums in seats – making up the numbers in the final count
            Not about selecting the best option to represent insert party voters in that / whatever constituency

            What bothers me most about this whole story is the carelessness of Sinn Fein here
            They didn’t give a púc

            And gave no consideration to their own leader either
            She was shafted

            Ireland should be led by a family man?!?!
            I’m surprised Aontú didn’t want him

            Ara’ I’m sick of cribbing
            This was one for Frilly in fairness

      1. Caroline. No.

        I’d say they are just deleting your stuff Tomm given that it’s mostly resembling the widdle down an old persons incontinence pad

  6. Fluffybiscuits

    Terry Mc Mahon was all over this on FB .

    “What’s being done to @PaddyHolohanMMA is sickening. Many of the recontextualized quotes being used against him are from this podcast where we discuss how censorship of ideas and the weaponization of language will be used against people. Didn’t take long.

    How can he defend in the indefensible? Terry struggling to be relevant..or what??

  7. class wario

    the more i think about it the more i wonder how exactly he came up with such a specific example.

    1. b

      i’ve no idea

      anyway, that McGregor lad is keeping a very low profile considering he has a fight to sell this weekend

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