‘This was a moment of celebration that was careless, that was a serious breach of Covid guidelines’ – Minister Simon Coveney has said the gathering at the Dept of Foreign Affairs should not have happened | Read more: https://t.co/ALQDgvA2SM pic.twitter.com/jJ3WZbdoS0
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 1, 2022
This morning.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has responded to to the publication last night of a report by the Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs which found a “serious breach” of social distancing rules had occurred at a gathering to mark Ireland’s election to the UN Security Council (top).
The event inflicted reputational damage on the department and undermined internal morale, it stated.
….via RTE News:
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Mr Coveney told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that it was a moment of carelessness and celebration and lasted for about a minute.
But, he said that he can totally understand why people looking at the photograph would be annoyed.
He said he did not order an investigation or take action because he trusted his secretary general to deal with the matter…
Meanwhile…
Sinn Féin has demanded that Taoiseach Micheál Martin establish an independent investigation into the celebration at the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2020, because an internal review published last night had “no accountability”.
Breach of restrictions at DFA ‘should not have happened’ – Coveney (RTE)
tut tut, get your coats on and go home.
I presume they all got taxis home after their impromptu celebration, or was it alcohol free champagne?
Lasted about a minute? I guess they must have just finished their drinks in one gulp and poured all that extra champagne at the front down the sink then..
“Should not have happened”
“Lessons to be learned”
Move on peasants nothing to see here.
The Irish people are the most abused and manipulated in the western world.
But they voted FF/FG back in so they get everything they deserve.
I’ve said It before and I’ll say it again…
none of them look remotely worried about the deadly pandemic.
All unjabbed and maskless.
Yup – June 2020 this happened.
3 months into the whole thing. Some folks were still washing their groceries in the porch before bringing them into the gaff at that stage.
Gobspoos they made of people.
I know some who are still washing and/or ‘quarantining’ their groceries, they may never fully adjust back to normal, strange times to live through.
It’s really galling when you think about it in those terms.
True Micko, and if they haven’t figured that out by now… It’s going to be a long journey back for some.
Absolutely- by their actions it is crystal clear that they did not believe the fear and scaremongering propaganda that they were pumping onto the general public- it was, and is, an act of terrorism against the people.
People being chased out of public parks by the guards for sitting on a bench ffs.
Two of the attendees were on maternity leave – so obviously invited in for the celebrations. Pre-planned in other words. (One of them brought very young baby in too.)
Niall Burgess ‘largely responsible’. And his reward? – Promotion to Ambassador to France.
That’s the FFG way. Good man Simon.
I wasn’t sure if that other woman was pregnant or just nicking office supplies! ;-)
Or it could just be the cut of the dress.
:-)
I just dont understand why we dont do accountability in Ireland. It must have a corrupting effect , why would anyone bother try and do the right thing …
If it’s accountability we’re after then Coveney should have slung his hook back when he was a disaster as Minister for Housing (or whatever it was called back then). One of the biggest doses of them all and that’s saying something. For him to achieve mediocrity it would take a massive effort on his part. He couldn’t even be sidelined to the DFA backwater without making a balls of it. More keening the Dáil chamber from him no doubt and all kinds of promises to take action blah! blah! blah!
+1
He’s a vacuous dud.
A vacuous dude I could accept in some way but a dud, nah .. uh-uh .. I can’t get with that.
No can do?
This was a pre-planned party,
I often bring a bottle of champagne into work…or a baby, or both, nothing to see here, where’s my pay rise and/or promotion?
Scammers still scamming.
Why is this news now? Why the distraction?
Oh wait, we don’t have to talk about the scam if we’re ‘punishing’ past actions… like golf gate.
Only so many headlines in a news cycle.
Coveneys another liar like his father.
Sinn Fein, by responding as if the fake pandemic was real, are clearly indicating that there’s no point in voting them in & expecting anything to change. They’re just as committed to the fiction, the lies, the show, so they don’t point out the reality that this little soirée makes plain.
Nobody was put at risk here & there was nothing reckless about the behaviour of the atendees because there was NO DEADLY PLAGUE about & there was NO PANDEMIC & all these people damn well knew it.
Nobody cares.