De Búrca 'threatened damage' over EU role
Saturday, 13 February 2010 22:19
Green Party deputy leader Mary White has accused former party senator Déirdre de Búrca of threatening to damage the party if she did not secure a senior job in the EU.
In a letter to Green Party members today, Mary White claims it is a simple fact that Ms de Búrca's behaviour was driven by her failure to secure a post in the cabinet of Ireland's EU Commissioner, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.
After two years as senator, Déirdre de Búrca yesterday resigned her seat and her position in the Green's Parliamentary Party.
She claimed it had lost its integrity while in government with Fianna Fáil, and she heavily criticised John Gormley's leadership.
Today Mary White reacted to the resignation with a letter to party members.
She claims that Ms de Búrca threatened John Gormley and party colleagues that she would set out to damage the party if she did not get the job.
She also alleges that Ms de Búrca stayed away from Parliamentary Party meetings over the past fortnight and communicated the threats and deadlines to colleagues - behaviour she describes as 'deplorable'.
Ms White also claims that the party and Taoiseach Brian Cowen supported Ms de Búrca's candidature for the Brussels job, but Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn had other plans and everybody had to accept that.
Read Ms de Búrca's letter
Since resigning, Déirdre de Búrca has declined to comment further on the matter, and is maintaining that silence this afternoon.
- Nine News: Will Goodbody reports that Déirdre de Búrca's former Green Party colleagues have hit back at her scathing criticism of its role in Government
- Six One News: Will Goodbody reports that the Green's deputy leader has accused Déirdre de Búrca of threatening to damage the party if she did not secure a senior job in the EU
