‘He showed very bad judgement’ – Kilkenny TD hits out at Minister’s attack on gardai

KILKENNY TD John McGuinness said Disability Minister Finian McGrath “showed very bad judgement” by attempting to “politicise” the gardai. The Fianna Fáil TD joined a growing chorus of condemnation from Government and opposition politicians after Minister McGrath accused gardai of carrying out unnecessary breathalyser check-points because they opposed controversial new drink-driving laws. McGrath subsequently retracted the remarks he made in an interview with a Sunday newspaper after coming under intense pressure from fellow Independent Alliance members and furious Fine Gael Cabinet members.


Road safety campaigner Aisling Reid of the PARC road safety group today described the minister’s remarks as “disgraceful” and called on him to resign. Kilkenny TD John McGuinness (pictured below) also said McGrath’s comments were “out of turn”, adding: “He showed very bad judgement”. “He should not have said it and I’m glad he withdrew it,” Deputy McGuinness told KCLR.