Independent Dublin City councillor Mannix Flynn has said politicians advocating for drug decriminalisation are “clowns”, warning that such policies would lead to the normalisation of drug use in society, particularly among young people.
Speaking in an interview with Gript today ahead of the upcoming Dublin Central by-election, Flynn said that “the only protection” young people have against drugs “is the law”, while also claiming that voters are increasingly disillusioned with mainstream political parties.
“The problem for me at the moment is that people are disconnected,” Flynn said.
“People won’t open their doors – people tell politicians to f*ck off, they’re not interested in them, ‘we’re all the same’… the anger is palpable.”
The councillor, who has served on Dublin City Council for around 17 years, described himself as “very, very, very independent”, and said his political focus has centred on issues such as addiction, housing, poverty, and conditions within Dublin communities.
Flynn also criticised several candidates contesting the Dublin Central by-election, arguing that many had already spent years on the council without delivering meaningful results.
“They’re hypocrites in many ways, many of the individuals that are running in this particular by-election,” he said.
“If they get into Dáil Éireann, we won’t see them again, because many councillors from Dublin City Council have gotten into Dáil Éireann and we’ve never seen them again.”
Flynn reserved particular criticism for proposals around drug decriminalisation, which are supported by a number of parties and politicians nationally.
Speaking about arguments in favour of adopting a “Portugal-style” model focused on treatment and support rather than criminal sanctions, Flynn said such proposals would have serious consequences.
“The nonsense that comes out of those who would purport that decriminalising drugs is going to have a really positive impact need to rethink,” Flynn said.
“Because the only protection that young children have against taking drugs is the law. And if you remove that, well then you have children literally going in there and sampling drugs like we saw with the headshops.”
He pointed to the former headshop industry in Ireland, claiming that “many children end up in psychiatrics” following the widespread availability of so-called “legal highs”.
Flynn also argued that removing criminal penalties for drugs would worsen conditions in inner-city communities already affected by addiction and anti-social behaviour.
“Who’s going to control somebody smoking crack cocaine on a stairwell in a block of flats where their children playing?” he asked.
“Will the people in Pearse House be able to open their windows and be able to breathe in the fresh air or will they be breathing in marijuana?”
The councillor said he believed politicians supporting decriminalisation were effectively promoting drug use.
“My genuine belief is that those that wish to decriminalise drugs wish to promote the taking of drugs,” Flynn said.
“At the end of the day, the only protection that the young and the youth have in this country in relation to the devastating impact of drugs is the law.”
He also criticised supervised injection centres, claiming they had failed both in Ireland and internationally.
“People that come to me for help are looking to get off drugs, not on drugs,” Flynn said.
“People that are coming to me for help don’t want an injection centre. They want to be able to go to rehab.”
Describing the scale of addiction issues as “catastrophic”, Flynn said politicians advocating decriminalisation had the wrong solution.
“What we’re looking at here at the moment is a situation of catastrophic negative impact of drug abuse right across the country,” Flynn remarked.
“And these clowns – their solution for it is to decriminalise drugs, making matters seriously worse. It simply isn’t good enough.”
Flynn also spoke about immigration becoming a major issue raised by voters during canvassing in Dublin Central.
“The flooding of areas with those seeking asylum with those seeking refuge and with illegal immigrants is a major issue, not just within the central area of Dublin, but throughout the whole of Dublin, and indeed throughout the whole of the country,” he said.
He claimed people were reluctant to openly discuss immigration concerns due to fears of being labelled racist.
“There is a concern,” Flynn said.
“But as soon as you open your mouth you’re being shot down as being a ‘rightwing racist’ and a ‘Nazi’ so on so forth.”
Flynn described himself politically as “a conservative left winger”, while accusing larger parties of neglecting working class communities.
“They’ve done f*ck all for working class people,” Flynn said of major left-wing parties.
“They’ve done nothing in the communities that have been screaming out for help.”
He went on to claim that the modern political Left exploit social issues for their own benefit rather than helping people.
The Dublin Central by-election is taking place later this month following the resignation of the former Finance Minister, Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohoe, who left politics last year to pursue a top job at the World Bank in New York, leaving a vacancy in his constituency. A number of candidates are contesting the seat, including from political parties and independents alike.