The Late Debate : 'Cynicism is endemic in our society and some pe

Things got a little personal on The Late Debate last night.

In a discussion on Irish Water, Paul Sommerville accused Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan and his political counterparts of appearing on programmes and "explaining to the 'dumb people'" that systems – like Irish Water – will work better and be more efficient than the alternatives.

"People like you," countered Durkan, "Come on programmes all the time – cynical people, who have nothing else to divulge -".

At this point, Cormac O'hEadhra warned Durkan against getting personal. "I didn't get personal first," Durkan said, before turning back to Sommerville to tell him exactly what he thought.

Also joining Cormac on the panel were Green Party Senator Grace O'Sullivan, SIPTU's Paul Bell, and Michael O’Regan, Parliamentary Correspondent for The Irish Times.

To listen to The Late Debate, click here.