Former minister Katherine Zappone has said she will not accept her appointment by the Government to be the UN Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, saying ‘criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role’ https://t.co/EIcxFqvV6g
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 4, 2021
This afternoon.
“While I am honoured to have been appointed by the Government to be the Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, it is clear that criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role itself.
“It is my conviction that a Special Envoy role can only be of real value to Ireland and to the global community if the appointment is acceptable to all parties.
“For this reason, I have decided not to accept this appointment, and I have communicated my decision to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.”
Katherine Zappone this afternoon.
Earlier: Well Now
Should read – “I Have Decided Not To Do the Thing I Organized for Mysel to Dof” not the z instead of the s to reflect the American spelling…
so the zapper finally walks away form the job she requested. inm her wake she leaves a damaged taoiseach, tanaiste and ministers for foreign affairs and higher education, sjillz etc.
she has done the state some service
give her another pension!
I have decided not to accept this appointment in an attempt to distract from the party I arranged that breached government health guidelines.
I leave several government ministers to clean up the mess.
So – who would you like to see fill the important roll of free speech advocate at the UN now that the vacancy needs filling…
Kevin Meyers, Justin Barrett, Zig and Zag, Some lad in a Pub, Hazel Chu???
Someone who firmly believes in the right to freedom of speech as a fundamental human right.
Zig and Zag it is so ;)
Dustin the Turkey.
Dustin has represented us at european level.
How about Jedward? They are 400% better than Dustin.
Jedward or Zig and Zag would be good – one could take free speech on the left and the other could do free speech on the right
This is why I came here.
They were considering her for a role of free speech champion at the U.N. ? That’s a dangerous idea nowadays, especially with “liberal” American women. So many of them are into the woke cult, which goes against the principals of free speech. How woke is she? If she’s like the US establishment politicians, then that’s trouble.
I have decided not to accept this appointment as criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the candidate
So rte finally decide to run the story on their website, but don’t get around to mentioning Zappone’s party until paragraph 6.
RTE news, truth matters
sounds like she’s admitting the role had no legitimacy.
RTE just confirmed the Ivana Bacik “popped” in ad the party for 15 to 20 mins….
“it is clear that criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role itself…”
What a way to demonstrate infinite capacity to “miss” the point. It is the role that has been damaged, really?
Whatever anyone might think regarding how badly Ireland needs anyone in such a role – in these extraordinary times.
I feel it is clear that criticism of the appointment process has impacted the credibility of the appointee and also those doing the appointing.
There has been a resignation!!!
Where’s my hat to eat?
I’m not sure if accepting that your 15K a year attempted grift has been rumbled quite counts as a ‘resignation’
Let’s keep the replacement post secret !
Looks like the Attorney General has let everybody off the hook – magically 200 person events outside, regardless of the reason, have been allowed…
and in doing so has fatally torpedoed the health regulations below the waterline. the govt will pay a heavy price for that particular piece of chicanery
+1
“the govt will pay a heavy price for that particular piece of chicanery”
And so they should.
Good riddance!
I think GOD would be rather good at this freedom of expression stuff. She seems rather much against her views being stifled. Maybe cuddly Kevin could be her PA. It seems PAs are all the rage now
I see aciquestion, G O’D’S thorn in the side, had his/her twitter account suspended.
This was always going to happen, Fg members tried to pull a stroke and it blew up spectacularly in their faces.
Although this announcement came a lot sooner than I expected, Fine Gael chiefs are no doubt concerned about the blowback from the hotel dinner and reception that preceded her appointment. Perhaps they are hoping that by her falling on her sword, the angry mob would be largely pacified and not require any further discussion and enquiry on the matter.
But I don’t think that this will be nearly enough, Dara Calleary and Phil Hogan were forced to resign their respective posts as Minister and EU Commissioner for events that were largely similar. Both of them are said to be a little bit b***hurt and have a lot of loyalists that will cause problems for them.
Then there are people like former fired minister Cowen , who will likely see this as an opportunity to further undermine Martin and this government. There are many ff party members that agree with him.
As slippy and Teflon-coated as Varadkar is, I doubt he can survive the blowback from this and the criminal investigation against him. My money is on him being the next government official to fall on their sword.
It’s popcorn time. Things are about to get very interesting.
I haven’t read all the comments and living in London my grasp on Irish politics is not great but am I the only one who was most dismayed about this whole debacle by the fact that the person who was responsible for sealing the mother and baby home tribunal records, to protect the guilty, was being appointed as a special envoy for free speech??
well said
Yes. Well said
Totally.. rewarded for her treachery..
Oh. Noddy Ryan caught too?
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40352774.html
It’s not easy being green?
This won’t happen but…
Micky picks up the phone to the shinners and says look, FG have stabbed me in the back, let’s cut a deal and form a government. If the Greens are in trouble now too we’ll grab the SD/Lab or some rural independents.
Option A, shinners say yes, highly unlikely. Option B, shinners say no and there’s an election with Micky able to say, FF are not FG and we made a big decision to do things different, our ministers resign when needed, we rolled out the vaccine, we’ll using the upcoming housing plan as a manifesto and the FG shackles will be off so we’ll supercharge it etc…etc.. and also, he can say FF offered the sinners a coalition and they said no, making sure FF don’t have a totally disastrous election… and either way Micky walks away with a clear conscience as a leader who was brave enough to make a huge call…
As I said, it won’t happen… but that’s the kind of mad move FF would need to pull to survive…
You’re right, it’s the type of grand stroke that could work, but you’re doubly right, won’t happen. MeHole only interested in the pension at this point.
Absentaoiseach.