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Hoctor threatens to reject budget
(12/12/2009)
By Peter Gleeson
North Tipperary Fianna Fail TD Maire Hoctor told The Guardian this week that she will not vote in support of the Government’s budget this Wednesday in the absence of certain commitments in relation to issues in her constituency.
Ms Hoctor indicated that she was growing disillusioned with the direction which Fianna Fail had taken in recent times.
“I have my own reservations on the direction of my party and I have made my position clear to the Taoiseach and the Chief Whip. The Taoiseach looked for a meeting with me last week and I met with him,” she revealed.
Ms Hoctor said she had issues with the Government and issues with certain ministers that she had made known to the Taoiseach. She said she wanted to meet with one minister in particular before the vote was taken on this Wednesday’s budget in order to secure commitments relating to issues in North Tipperary.
The North Tipperary TD refused to name the ministers she had issues with and also refused to be drawn on the issues she is seeking commitments on.
She said she was committed to government policy and making the tough decisions that were needed. But she said she had clear reservations about the ways the Government had acted in recent times in relation to decisions, particularly in the area of communication. She said she had made the Taoiseach “clear” about her opinions.
She added: “I have not finished my business…that means meeting with the minister before the budget vote. That minister owes me a meeting…I hope I will be received well by that minister.”
Asked by The Guardian about national media reports that she went missing for crucial Dail votes last week as she had grown increasingly unhappy because of the way in which the Independent North Tipperary TD Michael Lowry was being allowed to “wheel and deal” with the Taoiseach, Ms Hoctor replied: “That is not the case.”
“I made my position clear to the Taoiseach and the Chief Whip about my absence on those occasions in the Dail,” she said.
Referring to the deal done with Michael Lowry by the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in return for the Independent TD’s support for the Government after the 2007 general election, Ms Hoctor said Mr Lowry had supported her in delivering for North Tipperary on a number of projects.
“I have no issue with Michael Lowry. I see his position were he saw fit to cross the floor of Leinster House to support Fianna Fail because he saw Fianna Fail was the party to deliver…That is important for Michael Lowry personally and politically: that he is seen to be to the fore in making announcements.
“But I worked hard on the projects too and it’s not an issue for me that he [Lowry] announced it. What’s important is that the people of North Tipperary benefit from this, so I do not have a difficulty with that,” said Ms Hoctor.
According to a report in Tuesday’s Irish Independent, Ms Hoctor, who was removed from the post of Minister for Older People by Mr Cowen last year, had only voted twice in the past three weeks when 18 votes were called. This included a vote last week that saw the Government scrape through on just two votes. |
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