War of words break out between former and current Déise TD's over Orange Order march
The current and former Waterford TD's had an online exchange.
A war of words broke out online between two Waterford representatives over the ongoing Garvaghy Road standoff.
Former TD Matt Shanahan criticised current TD Connor McGuinness for attending the standoff in Portadown, Co. Armagh.
The standoff was sparked by the Parades Commission of Northern Ireland allowing the Orange Order to march down Garvaghy Road, a Catholic area.
Since 1998, the Order had been banned from marching down the road due to the horrific violence that came with it. During the Drumcree standoff in 1998, Jason (9), Mark (10), Richard (11) Quinn were murdered by loyalist paramilitaries when their bedroom was set on fire.
The current standoff has re-ignited tensions between loyalist and nationalist communities, with political figures on both sides of the border critical of the Parade Commission.
Former TD Matt Shanahan posted on Meta that the PSNI had 'full control' of the standoff and it was 'ironic' for a Waterford representative to be present at a protest in Armagh when they had little influence in Leinster House.
He wrote: "At a time when Waterford city and county are being largely excluded from the biggest spending capital splurge in the history of the state one might be forgiven for thinking a locally elected TD’s primary responsibility would be to look firstly to the issues in his own constituency rather than prioritising his presence to those in another jurisdiction, one which has ample political representation to call on as clearly demonstrated by this latest PSNI decision.
"I do wonder what representation those in Northern Sinn Fein make to the ongoing exclusion of Waterford in 26 county political considerations!"
Mr. Shanahan questioned if Deputy McGuinness had more loyalty to his party than his county: "presumably won’t do his standing in national SF any harm which presumably is the primary motivation. How that benefits Waterford citizens I fail to see, as I’m sure, do many others."
Deputy McGuinness commented on the post: "I do find it all rather silly, childish and centred around your own sense of grievance at not being returned by the electorate after your term as a TD.
"Standing up for people’s rights, and standing up for what is right, is always the responsibility of political and community leaders.
"I am proud to have stood with the community of the Garvaghy Road this weekend. My standing up against sectarian bigotry in Armagh hasn’t in any way impacted on my ability to do my job as a representative for Waterford.
Deputy McGuinness ended the post: "Being a TD is a privilege, not a right. I am privileged to be able to stand up for the people of Waterford on issues that immediately affect them, but also on wider matters that they and I care about.
"Finally, a word of political advice: perhaps people would take your ‘social advocate’ role a little more seriously if you didn’t use your platform as a former TD to gripe and navel-gaze about the loss of your seat.
"The electorate is intelligent and discerning. Blaming them for your political misfortune is not only wrong; it’s also really not a good look."
