Dean Buckley Irish Politics

Michael Lowry Voted with Government More Than 75% in Last Dáil

Michael Lowry sided with the government on more than 75% of votes in the 33rd Dáil, according to data from an analysis of voting patterns by writer and activist Conall Mc Callig. I asked Conall for the stats on Tipp’s five incumbent TDs, four of whom are seeking reelection on the 29th of November, including Lowry.

Fianna Fáil’s Jackie Cahill, Tipp’s only government TD since 2016, unsurprisingly tops the table, voting with the government 99.3%. However, Cahill declared he wouldn’t be running again due to health concerns, and was replaced on the ticket by Cllrs. Michael Smith of Roscrea and Ryan O’Meara of Cloughjordan.

Sinn Féin’s Martin Browne voted with the government least often, just 4.46% of the time, followed by independent Mattie McGrath on 8.9% and Labour’s Alan Kelly on 15.53%.

But Michael Lowry stands well apart from his colleagues, voting with the government 77.3% of the time. To give a sense of scale, he has voted with the outgoing government more than twice as often as the other three incumbents combined, and closer to thrice as often than twice.

Interestingly, he’s also the only Tipp TD to never abstain on a vote in the 33rd Dáil.

Lowry is the third-longest-serving TD in the Dáil, at just over 37.5 years, after his former party colleague Bernard Durkan (43.5) and FF’s Willie O’Dea (42.5), and just ahead of the Tánaiste Micheál Martin at 35.5 years.

He was a Fine Gael TD from his first election in 1987 until late 1996, and served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications under Taoiseach John Bruton. He was forced to resign after it emerged that supermarket tycoon Ben Dunne paid for a £395,000 extension to Lowry’s home (equivalent to almost a million euro today). He was reelected as an independent in the 1997 election and has stood as one ever since.

The contrast between his voting patterns and the other incumbents seeking reelection is also reflected when comparing the TDs’ votes to the aggregate votes of their Dáil grouping.

Martin Browne (4.46%) voted with the government half as often as Sinn Féin (9.15%), while Alan Kelly (15.53%) voted with the government slightly more than Labour (12.02%) and Mattie McGrath (8.9%) voted with the government slightly less than the Rural Group (10.36%).

Meanwhile, Lowry at 77.3% voted with the government much more often than the Regional Group at 53.24%. He was the second-most pro-government TD sitting in opposition during the 33rd Dáil, after his Regional Group colleague Noel Grealish (excluding Joe McHugh and Marc MacSharry, who started on the government benches before moving to opposition).

Lowry announced his reelection bid surprisly late in the day, prompting speculation in Tipp political circles he might step aside for his son Micheál or one of the other councillors elected under the Lowry Group banner in June.

He was interviewed in August of this year by Gardaí from the Criminal Assets Bureau investigating matters arising from the Moriarty Tribunal. The Tribunal’s final report, published in 2011, found “beyond doubt” that Lowry corruptly influenced the awarding of Ireland’s second mobile telephone license to Esat Telecom, owned by billionaire Denis O’Brien, among other wrongdoing.

Lowry rejects the report, and refused to resign following an all-party motion in the Dáil calling on him to do so after its publication.

Dean Buckley Irish Politics

Interview: Martin Browne TD, Sinn Féin Candidate for Tipp South

For the general election, I have decided to conduct a candidate interview series with the candidates seeking to represent Tipperary in the 34th Dáil. I initially hoped to arrange to do proper interviews with as many candidates as possible, but in the interest of giving the candidates equal time and opportunity to respond, I’ve emailed them each ten questions. Nine of the ten questions are the same for all candidates, with one question (#9) tailored to the candidate. All candidates of the same party were given the same tailored question. I will be publishing responses in the order I receive them.

Next up: Martin Browne TD, Sinn Féin candidate for Tipp South.

Continue reading “Interview: Martin Browne TD, Sinn Féin Candidate for Tipp South” →
Dean Buckley Irish Politics

Candidate Interview Series: General Election 2024

For the general election, I have decided to conduct a candidate interview series with the candidates seeking to represent Tipperary in the 34th Dáil. I initially hoped to arrange to do proper interviews with as many candidates as possible, but even when the candidate pool was much smaller, it was going to be hard to pull off. Now that the number of candidates has increased sharply, and with the window for the election itself closing, it would be impossible.

Given the logistical difficulties, and in the interest of giving the candidates equal time and opportunity to respond, I’ve emailed them each ten questions and will be accepting written or recorded responses. Nine of the ten questions are the same for all candidates, with the tenth question tailored to the candidate. All candidates of the same party were given the same tailored question. No interview will be published if the candidate does not answer all ten questions.

A number of candidates have already agreed to participate, but again, in the interest of giving them equal time and opportunity to respond, I have also emailed those candidates who did not respond to my initial query. I will be publishing responses in the order I receive them.

In the interest of transparency, I want to acknowledge that I am a member of Tipperary Welcomes, a network of community groups and civil organisations working to promote integration and fight for the needs of everyone who calls Tipperary home, whose members include Tipp Sinn Féin, Tipp People Before Profit and Tipp Greens, as well as the Clonmel-based Workers and Unemployed Action. Additionally, I am a member of a community group with similar values called Clonmel Together alongside WUA candidate Séamus Healy. The uniformity of the questions beyond the tailored ones is intended in part to mitigate against my own bias in that regard, but I hope you’ll agree the tailored questions aren’t softballs either. I will be repeating these disclosures at the start of all relevant interviews.

I also want to be upfront about the fact I did not extend three of the candidates an opportunity to participate. I believe strongly in giving everyone a fair shake, but at the end of the day, this is my blog, and I have to live with what I publish on it. That being said, I could not in good conscience offer space on my blog to John McGrath, the National Party candidate in Tipp South, Peter Madden, the independent National Alliance candidate in Tipp North, or Justin Phelan, an independent candidate in Tipp North. I consider the National Party – and I don’t use this term lightly – a Hitlerite party established in open imitation of the Nazis, and anyone who would run for it is beneath contempt. As for Madden and Phelan, they have been personally involved in the harrassment, intimidation and abuse of friends and comrades of mine in Roscrea, and I couldn’t look them in the eye if I gave either a platform.

All other candidates have been asked to take part.

TIPP NORTH

TIPP SOUTH