Justice Minister Helen McEntee is “determined” to pass the hate speech bill into law, despite “huge concern” within the party, a senior Fine Gael TD has told Gript.
The TD said that as of yesterday, the bill had been “deferred” until after the Dáil recess to give time for the Minister to “meet with concerned Senators.” This is because there is “much concern and opposition” to the legislation behind closed doors.
“She seems determined [to pass it],” the source told Gript, adding that there was “some anxiety in Fine Gael, but only Michael Ring voiced it.”
The TD added that it’s a “worry” among Fine Gael backbenchers that many Ministers don’t do constituency clinics, and as such may not be hearing the same level of negative feedback from constituents.
“My office staff tell me they’re inundated with opposition and worried. They don’t often say that,” the source said, adding: “Replies from Helen’s office are in no way placating people with concerns.” Many other TDs are receiving similar levels of negative feedback, the source claimed.
The TD added that there was “huge concern” among many rural Fine Gael TDs in particular, who are “falling away” from the party due to a “disconnect” on “woke” issues, such as transgender inmates in female prisons. The source claimed that senior Fine Gael leadership, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Helen McEntee, had “bought into” a “woke agenda” that is largely being pushed by Green Party Equality Minister Roderic O’Gorman, and which is “running counter to Fine Gael values.”
“We need to focus on issues that matter to ordinary people,” the TD said, adding that these frustrations were felt by many other backbenchers within the government, including within Fianna Fáil.