More than a week later we still are waiting for documents to be made public https://t.co/iHBYEylDoA
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) November 10, 2020
This afternoon.
The Dáil at the Convention Centre, Dublin.
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald arrives ahead of a no-confidence motion against Tanaiste Leo Varadkar for leaking confidential GP contract documents.
Watch live here.
Earlier: All Behind Him
Earlier: Leo’s High Standards
Dr. Zero Craic – Somebody That I Used To Know
An emotional version by Tadhg Hickey of the Goyte smash in tribute to the severed alliance between Leo Varadkar and Maitiu O Tuathail (top) aka Dr Zero Craic.
Explaining his decision to disclose confidential GP documents to Dr O Tuathail, the Tanaiste said:
“We are friends. But there are friends and there are friends. We are not close friends. Dr O Tuathail is the kind of friend that you meet two or three times a year.”
He added for emphasis:
“We’re not best mates or anything like that, I know that’s the narrative that’s trying to be created.”
Cold.
Last night: Access. That’s The Key
Meanwhile…
Original idea by @roseannekerry !
— Michelle Smith de Bruin’s Ex (@TadhgHickey) November 4, 2020
Yesterday instead of publishing on @VillageMagIRE we passed more evidence to @IrishTimes & @rtenews
These 12 new exchanges are now being published for the 1st time & include exchanges between @LeoVaradkar & @DrZeroCraic
Make your own mind up. More on:https://t.co/eypjBxzLln pic.twitter.com/zwht0mJO2W
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) November 4, 2020
Gulp.
This afternoon.
He’s more craic than he lets on, in fairness,
More info for public consumption; much more to come (Village)
Earlier: Accepting ‘A Contorted Political Narrative For The Sake Of Political Convenience’
From top: Taoiseach Micheál Martin addressing the Dáil yesterday; Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’ Callaghan
This morning.
On RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne.
Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan spoke to Claire Byrne about Tánaiste Leo Varadkar’s address in the Dáil last night and his apology for posting a contract negotiated between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation to former National Association of General Practitioners’ president Dr Maitiú O Tuathail in April 2019.
Deputy O’Callaghan said:
“On a day, such as today, I don’t think we should sit back and accept a contorted political narrative for the sake of political convenience.
“And I also think, as a Fianna Fáil TD, it’s important that Fianna Fáil calls out something when it’s wrong and that we don’t shy away from it because of political inconvenience.”
He doesn’t believe Leo Varadkar should resign and he doesn’t regard it as an “Agatha Christie mystery where we’re trying to find out everything”.
But he said:
“I think he would have solved issues for himself had he simply said I disclosed a confidential document, I shouldn’t have done that, I was wrong, I apologise for it and move on.”
Adding:
“I regard it [the situation] as a political issue and, from the Government’s point of view, I want to see it resolved and I want to see people moving on from it.”
Later, Deputy O’Callaghan said:
“I’m not accusing him of saying untruths or something like that but his explanation, let’s be frank about it, has inconsistencies within it. And that’s why I say that politicians shouldn’t demean themselves by trying to stand over a defence which has a lot of holes in it.
“Like, for instance, he told the Dail yesterday that he asked the Department of Health for the document, why didn’t he just ask the Department of Health to send it out to the NAGP and Dr O’Tuaithail. Why wasn’t it emailed? We live in an age where documents are emailed.
“Why was there no covering letter with it? Why was it sent to the home address? Why was part of the front page redacted? All of these seem to suggest that the Tanaiste was trying to disguise his role in giving out this document.
“So like, these are issues that are going to be raised as a result of the contorted defence he has put forward.”
Earlier: Getting The Deal Done
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney leaving Government Buildings last night following an apology from the Tánaiste for giving a copy of a contract negotiated between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation to rival GP group, the National Association of General Practitioners
Yesterday.
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar’s full speech to the Dáil.
Meanwhile…
Yesterday.
Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty challenges the Tanaiste.
Meanwhile…
Dreadful how Irish media frame the Varadkar Dáil questions yesterday as “no punches landed’ and “Varadkar escapes” instead of doing their jobs & analysing facts.
Did he break the law and act appropriately?
But no, in Ireland, its about theatre. Shame on Irish journalism. #pknt— ConcernedCitizen (@scrahallia) November 4, 2020
Last night: Meanwhile, In The Dáil
This evening.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar addresses the Dáil about why he gave a contract negotiated between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation to former National Association of General Practitioners’ president Dr Maitiú O Tuathail in April 2019.
He opened with the following:
“I welcome this opportunity to give an account to the Dáil of my actions in April 2019 in relation to the contract negotiated between the Government and GPs, as represented by the Irish Medical Organisation or IMO.
“I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight and also the opportunity to refute some of the allegations against me and also apologise for my errors of judgment.”
Mr Varadkar will answer questions from deputies after his address.
Watch live here
UPDATE:
Second part of @PearseDoherty's questioning of Leo Varadkar #OldBoysClub #Dáil
[Twitter Version – 2/2] pic.twitter.com/ZqMKjJ54bD
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) November 3, 2020
Oops. pic.twitter.com/o8VeDgqMJ4
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) November 3, 2020
This afternoon.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin calls Tanaiste Leo Varadkar the Taoiseach ahead of a statement from Mr Varadkaer at 4.50pm on the leak brouhaha.
Meanwhile…
Weasel words from Taoiseach – no answers or explanation for the clean bill of Health he has given the Tanaiste. Has now agreed that all docments, correspondence will be published as Sinn Féin has requested
— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) November 3, 2020
FIGHT!
Earlier: In The Soup
Outside Leinster House. pic.twitter.com/aMrx3k5NKU
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) November 3, 2020
This afternoon.
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Bit of a turnip.
Meanwhile…
It seems #Leotheleak is not out of the woods just yet. The Village magazine has announced that they will release more revelations at 3pm today. An hour before Leo is due to speak in the Dail.
— Ned Kelly (@TrumanKelly) November 3, 2020
Meanwhile…
A detailed criminal complaint about @LeoVaradkar has been made to Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Lordan, head of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau & the new anti-corruption unit
I will be making an additional criminal complaint & making myself available to @gardainfo
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) November 3, 2020
Gulp.
Earlier: ‘Confidential Basis’
Thankfully, @simoncoveney has confirmed the leaked document sent to @LeoVaradkar‘s friend was sent on a “confidential basis” 🤪 #MuppetShow #cblive #LeoTheLeak #SackVaradkar pic.twitter.com/pcIh5ojA8o
— Mick Caul 😷 (@caulmick) November 2, 2020
Last night.
Meanwhile…
The Tánaiste is due to give a 20-minute statement in the Dáil chamber at 4.10pm on how and why he gave a contract negotiated between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation to a rival GP group in April of last year.
As well as Mr Coveney, a succession of Fine Gael Ministers have defended Mr Varadkar asserting that much of the information in the document was in the public realm and his only intention was to ensure more GPs signed-up to a long-overdue upgraded contract.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said he has confidence in the Tánaiste but admitted the controversy is a distraction.
Varadkar due to make Dáil statement over document leak (RTE)
Meanwhile…
Paddy Cosgrave
Paddy Cosgrave [Web Summit co-founder], who has been a vocal critic of the Government and the political system, and also settled a High Court action taken by Mr Ó’Tuathail – who received the leak from Mr Varadkar – earlier this year.
Mr Cosgrave also provided “strategic advice” on the article, [Village editor Michael Smith] said. Asked for comment, Mr Cosgrave responded with an emoji with a zipped mouth.
When details of his alleged involvement were put to him, he responded with a “thumbs up” emoji.
Mr Smith has said he has “more information” to come on the Varadkar story.
Asked for details, he said the magazine is “going through a whole range of correspondence that [whistleblower Chay [Bowe} received, mostly from Maitiú Ó Tuathail.”
Who are the main players in the Varadkar document leak? (irish Times)
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris
This morning.
RTÉ Radio One’s Today with Claire Byrne.
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris, who was the Minister for Health at the time Leo Varadkar leaked a confidential government document on GPs’ pay to a friend, spoke about the controversy.
Claire Byrne: “This was your negotiation. Did you know at the time that the Taoiseach was getting this document that you had worked so hard to agree with the IMO and sneaking it off to his friend at the National Association of GPs?”
Simon Harris: “Well I don’t agree with that characterisation and we’ll come back to that in a moment. But no, I didn’t know. I didn’t know that the then Taoiseach was going to provide this document to the president of the National Association of General Practitioners. But I do very much accept his bona fides and what he was trying to achieve here in terms of an agreement that had now been reached, an agreement that had been announced indeed by himself and myself in a very public way on a Saturday, I think it was a Saturday, the 6th of April and then indeed I had actually brought a memo to Government on the 9th of April confirming that the engagement between the parties had concluded…”
Later
Byrne: “He was undermining you because if anyone was going to share that agreement with the NAGP, it was you?”
Harris: “No I don’t believe he was undermining me and I don’t think it’s about me either…”
Later
Byrne: “But it’s he obvious conclusion, it’s the obvious conclusion right. You’re doing an negotiation, you’re doing it with the Department of Health, with the IMO, all of this has been worked through in terms of the framework that should be followed and yet the Taoiseach is saying I want to get all the other doctors signed up to this, so he gets your document and sends it off to another crowd you have decided, quite rightly, that you’re not in negotiating with, this organisation, because of the framework that’s in place.
“There’s no other way to look at this. You are undermined here, minister.”
Harris: “I’m sure that wasn’t intentional because the negotiations had been concluded…”
Earlier: Leaking Confidence
