The term “woke” is an “offensive term”, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said, as he defended Justice Minister Helen McEntee’s record.
In an interview with RTÉ Radio 1’s Today With Claire Byrne programme on Monday, the Taoiseach was asked about the recent complaints of some government backbenchers, such as Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan and Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea, who have expressed concerns that the government is pursuing a “woke” agenda which is disconnected from public sentiment – particularly regarding legislation such as the controversial hate speech bill.
Couldn’t agree more with @willieodeaLIVE. https://t.co/PyDHARhtZT
— James O'Connor TD (@JamesOConnorTD) March 11, 2024
“You hear it from your own backbenchers, you hear it from Fianna Fáil as well about this ‘woke agenda'”, said interviewer Claire Byrne.
“That, you know, the party is placing too much emphasis on social issues and not enough on sentencing…Why has that been allowed to take hold?”
Harris replied that he believed the term was, in fact, “offensive”.
“Well, I think it’s an offensive term, quite frankly,” he said.
“And it’s not your term – it’s you relaying a term that’s been that’s been used. But, you know, there’s nothing ‘woke’, whatever that means, in relation to placing a focus on issues that haven’t been looked at for a long number of years.
“And when I look at the work that’s being done by [Justice Minister Helen McEntee] and by the Department of Justice around sexual and gender based violence and the like, Minister McEntee has my full support and a zero tolerance approach.”
He added: “I’m doing more than one thing at a time with a whole range of issues that we need to address when it comes to law and order. And that’s what we’re focused on.”
Asked if the ‘woke’ criticism was a question of “emphasis” and “the perception of that emphasis”, then, Harris replied: “I think it is, yeah. I think politics is always about responding to priorities.
“And I think it’s absolutely clear right now that the biggest priorities that we must face when it comes to justice is Garda numbers, helping to recruit and retain Gardai, bringing in some of the reforms that Helen [McEntee] has brought in around the age at which you can enter the guards, the age at which you can leave the guards, giving the gardaí the equipment they need like body cams.
“And as legislators making sure that the laws of our land support the gardaí and aren’t in any way, shape or form seem to be soft on criminality.
“So, for example, making sure that if someone is convicted of a life sentence, that they actually serve a longer period of time in prison, rather than popping up in front of the parole board after 12 years.”
Asked if he had considered moving Helen McEntee out of the justice portfolio during the cabinet reshuffle when he became Taoiseach, Harris said he gave consideration to “all aspects” of the cabinet.
“But no,” he said.
“I’m very satisfied with Minister McEntee as Minister for Justice. She’s a great colleague of mine, and this is not about any one person or any personality. This is about all of us working together. And Helen has a proud record of legislative change that is tough on crime.”
During the course of the same interview, Harris said that he had decided the government would pass the hate speech bill before the next election – albeit an amended version that seeks to ensure the legislation will address some of the free speech concerns raised to date, and prevent “unintended consequences”.
"I have made a decision": Taoiseach Simon Harris has said the government will pass the hate speech bill before the next general election, saying it would be "very irresponsible" not to do so.https://t.co/GiGshc736R
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