War of words breaks out between Fianna Fail's Jim O'Callaghan and Fine Gael's Helen McEntee

A WAR OF words has broken out between the coalition parties, as Helen McEntee said that “women all over the country understand what it’s like when men try to claim credit for their work”.

It follows comments from Fianna Fáil’s Dublin Bay South candidate Jim O’Callaghan, who suggested that he had proposed many of the initiatives tha McEntee had introduced during her time in the Department of Justice.

“We need to build on the good proposals that Fianna Fáil came up with before,” he told RTÉ’s Prime Time last night. 

“I commend the minister for the fact she adopted our proposal about raising the recruitment age and also the retirement was raised to 62,” he said.

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In response, McEntee said last night that O’Callaghan had turned down a junior ministry in the Department of Justice and that she had “turned up day in, day out”.

O’Callaghan responded: “I’ve been far more effective as a backbench Fianna Fáil TD… than being the Minister’s assistant. I’ve been much more effective as the Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson. The Minister has adopted my proposals in respect of knife crime. She adopted my proposal in respect of the Children’s Act. She adopted my proposal in respect of recruitment. She adopted my proposals in respect of safe countries.”

Asked about McEntee’s comments in which she said women know what it’s like when men try to claim credit for their work, O’Callaghan said “no circumstances was he trying to adopt the role of the man”, stating that there were a lot of Fianna Fáil work went in to achieve those ideas, which involved people like Senators Fiona O’Loughlin and Lisa Chambers. 

Justice ministry

At a press conference earlier today, the Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson stressed that his party wants to take control of the Department of Justice in the next Government, with Fianna Fáil arguing that the country needs a “sense of urgency and leadership after 14 years of a Fine Gael Minister for Justice”. 

“I believe had we had the full ministry in the Department of Justice, I believe we would have seen greater progress in the area of justice,” O’Callaghan said. 

“I’m not going to personalise it to Minister McEntee, but I do think there is a benefit to help the Department of Justice under new political control and direction as it really needs a new energy within that department,” he added. 

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‘Simply arrogant’

When asked if she wants to retain the job as Justice Minister, McEntee said:

“Nobody’s elected here. Nobody has been elected here. My focus over the next two weeks is to get re-elected to represent the people of Meath East. I hope that we will be in a position to return to government with Simon Harris as Taoiseach.

“Anything beyond that really is a matter for two, three, four weeks time when we see what the outcome is and what people have decided.

And I think anything beyond that is simply arrogant.

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