Willie O'Dea is a Dangerous Man

imme · 22-12-2009 9:02am #1

Willie O'Dea (current) Minister for Defence was forced recently to issue an apology to a Sinn Féin councillor in the High Court.
O'Dea apologised for defaming the councillor and making false comments.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1222/1224261109197.html

I put it to you all that Willie O'Dea is a dangerous man and is not fit to be a government minister.
I believe he should resign or be sacked.

Mena · 22-12-2009 9:08am

imme wrote: »

I believe he should resign or be sacked.

You must be mistaken, that only happens in "other" countries...

imme · 22-12-2009 9:13am

Mena wrote: »

You must be mistaken, that only happens in "other" countries...

where are these 'other' countries of which you speak?

mike kelly · 22-12-2009 9:18am

imme wrote: »

Willie O'Dea (current) Minister for Defence was forced recently to issue an apology to a Sinn Féin councillor in the High Court.
O'Dea apologised for defaming the councillor and making false comments.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1222/1224261109197.html

I put it to you all that Willie O'Dea is a dangerous man and is not fit to be a government minister.
I believe he should resign or be sacked.

Fair play to him for speaking his mind. We need more like him in Government.

funnyname · 22-12-2009 9:20am

Oh no he's not, oh then again.........

FlutterinBantam · 22-12-2009 9:22am

imme wrote: »

Willie O'Dea (current) Minister for Defence was forced recently to issue an apology to a Sinn Féin councillor in the High Court.
O'Dea apologised for defaming the councillor and making false comments.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1222/1224261109197.html

I put it to you all that Willie O'Dea is a dangerous man and is not fit to be a government minister.
I believe he should resign or be sacked.

I put it to you that the case is closed and sorted.

There are plenty of people in the Dáil a lot more dangerous than O'Dea, and you wouldn't have to travel too far from Willie's constituency to find them.

I am no apologist for O'Dea but i put it to you that there are a lot more resigning issues in the Dáil that something like that;)

OldJay · 22-12-2009 9:43am

Demanding a TD's resignation is all well and good if you voted in the last general election.
If not, you got the government you deserve and have relinquished your right to have a say in how this country is governed and who governs it.

mike kelly · 22-12-2009 9:45am

I still don't see how defaming a Sinn Fein councillor could be considered reason for resigning.

OldJay · 22-12-2009 9:50am

mike kelly wrote: »

I still don't see how defaming a Sinn Fein councillor could be considered reason for resigning.

Its not.

Hootanany · 22-12-2009 10:07am

His tail is between his legs lying hound

Sleepy · 22-12-2009 10:08am

What did he actually say about the councillor?

I can't imagine that anything Willie O' Dea could have said would have been more damaging to the guy's reputation than his membership of Sinn Fein tbh.

RedPlanet · 22-12-2009 10:17am

mike kelly wrote: »

I still don't see how defaming a Sinn Fein councillor could be considered reason for resigning.

It was YOUR TAX EUROS at work, in defending Willie O'Dea while he was brought through the courts.
Is that a good way to spend your tax money?
That alone is reason enough for him to resign.
It was also your tax euros that paid the damages.

Then there's this tidbit:

The Minister apologised to Cllr Quinlivan both for making the statements and for denying having made them during High Court injunction proceedings brought by Cllr Quinlivan.

He lied to the High Court.

Nodin · 22-12-2009 10:22am

mike kelly wrote: »

Fair play to him for speaking his mind. We need more like him in Government.

Why? is the legal profession in need of more business?

Poccington · 22-12-2009 4:57pm

Up until now he has done a reasonably good job as Minister for Defence and he's far from a dangerous man.

kmick · 22-12-2009 5:04pm

He basically made up some stuff about a Sinn fein councillor on the back of that Councillor questioning the number of civil servants (that should be doing something else) he has working for him. It was revenge dig. It not resigning matter but but shows the parochial and childish nature of Irish politics and is par for the course.

aurelius79 · 22-12-2009 5:14pm

So in the High Court, Mr. O'Dea denied making remarks which he later admitted to making? Isn't this a simple case of pergury? I love the Irish "justice" system.

Sleepy · 22-12-2009 5:30pm

RedPlanet wrote: »

It was YOUR TAX EUROS at work, in defending Willie O'Dea while he was brought through the courts.
Is that a good way to spend your tax money?
That alone is reason enough for him to resign.
It was also your tax euros that paid the damages.

Then there's this tidbit:

He lied to the High Court.

The article says O' Dea paid? If he didn't, he certainly should have.

The Minister also paid damages and costs in respect of the proceedings, which Cllr Quinlivan brought in defence of his reputation.

mike kelly · 22-12-2009 5:33pm

aurelius79 wrote: »

So in the High Court, Mr. O'Dea denied making remarks which he later admitted to making? Isn't this a simple case of pergury? I love the Irish "justice" system.

It's not perjury if you are the accused. The accused person is allowed to lie all he wants. Perjury only applies to witnesses.

imme · 22-12-2009 10:31pm

mike kelly wrote: »

Fair play to him for speaking his mind. We need more like him in Government.

ok, fair enough speak his mind, but why didn't he back it up.

why did he make the comments, then deny making them in the High Court. Then have to make an apology in the Hugh Court and have to say he made false comments and that he defamed councillor. O'Dea is a barrister and should have known better. I think it's wrong for a government minister to deny to the High Court having said certain things and then to have to issue an apology before the High Court.

It brings to mind former Limerick TD (Independent & subsequently Labour Party) Jim Kemmy's comments about O'Dea.
Kemmy said in Limerick O'Dea was like Mighty Mouse, when he went to Dulin he was like Minnie Mouse.

Liam Byrne · 23-12-2009 12:01am

I'm just stunned that an FF TD was actually taken to court over his actions........I'd have thought there would at least be an endless tribunal, after which he'd be deemed to be too ill, or too forgetful, no ?

imme · 23-12-2009 12:06am

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I'm just stunned that an FF TD was actually taken to court over his actions........I'd have thought there would at least be an endless tribunal, after which he'd be deemed to be too ill, or too forgetful, no ?

what about the dancing Mattie McGrath *laughs*
you'd have to feel sorry for them really.:o

Arnold Layne · 23-12-2009 12:11am

Poccington wrote: »

Up until now he has done a reasonably good job as Minister for Defence and he's far from a dangerous man.

As MOD what does he actually have to do? We are a supposedly neutral country with a small army and there is a ceasefire in NI. All I see him doing is having articles in the Sindo defending his corrupt cabal and shouting down critics during "debates" on RTE where it is evident that he has little or no knowledge on the subject matter.

imme · 23-12-2009 12:22am

Arnold Layne wrote: »

As MOD what does he actually have to do? We are a supposedly neutral country with a small army and there is a ceasefire in NI. All I see him doing is having articles in the Sindo defending his corrupt cabal and shouting down critics during "debates" on RTE where it is evident that he has little or no knowledge on the subject matter.

the Minister for Defence has little to do and will have less to do with budget cuts. He gets to look all macho with guns or with our defence forces personnel overseas.
I wonder about his articles diatribes/party political puff pieces in the Sindo, who's he trying to impress/convert.

RedPlanet · 23-12-2009 10:30am

mike kelly wrote: »

It's not perjury if you are the accused. The accused person is allowed to lie all he wants. Perjury only applies to witnesses.

Well your clearly no legal expert.
For the charge of perjury, the statments must be given under oath in a court.
It doesn't matter if your a witness or the accused, if you've sworn and oath to tell the truth, and then lie; you could be charged with perjury.

Regardless, the issue is not if the Minister should be charged with Perjury or not, it's the fact that he lied to the High Court.
That is behavior unbecoming of a Minister and that is why he should be forced out.

walshb · 23-12-2009 10:45am

Willie has to be gone for this. I would be really amazed if he isn't. I know we don't have standards, but this is taking the piss. Will he survive this?

I am surprised there isn't a media frenzy about this

walshb · 23-12-2009 10:48am

Poccington wrote: »

Up until now he has done a reasonably good job as Minister for Defence and he's far from a dangerous man.

So perjuring oneself in court isn't all that bad, Hey, maybe if you are a murderer or rapist or gangster, it could be understood, but the Minister of Defence? Sorry, this is just not acceptable or defensible. Jesus, have we really no standards in this country at all?

Erin Go Brath · 23-12-2009 11:55am

walshb wrote: »

Willie has to be gone for this. I would be really amazed if he isn't. I know we don't have standards, but this is taking the piss. Will he survive this?

I am surprised there isn't a media frenzy about this

+1 FFers seem to be exempt from the law. Any other (civilised) country and he'd be shown the door. However, the vast majority of Judges in this country have been politically appointed by FF. FF bigwigs are virtually untouchable by our 'law' system. Ireland is probably the most corrupt country in Europe.

FTA69 · 23-12-2009 12:29pm

Fair play to Mossy, I know the man himself and there's no reason he should have aspersions cast on his integrity from a Fianna Fáil TD of all people. Perhaps O'Dea will learn to shut his hole in future.

Moriarty · 23-12-2009 1:51pm

I guess since the sticks and stones have been decomissioned, words really do hurt now.

walshb · 23-12-2009 3:28pm

Moriarty wrote: »

I guess since the sticks and stones have been decomissioned, words really do hurt now.

And hurt more when they are blatant lies.

Bottle_of_Smoke · 23-12-2009 4:30pm

FTA69 wrote: »

Fair play to Mossy, I know the man himself and there's no reason he should have aspersions cast on his integrity from a Fianna Fáil TD of all people. Perhaps O'Dea will learn to shut his hole in future.

Do you know what O'Dea said about him? Article didn't say.

Willie O'Dea is a Dangerous Man

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