Nice spin doctor criticised in Flood report

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday September 26, 2002 15:18 by MG

The Green Party has called for the resignation of Fianna Fail spin doctor PJ Mara after the Flood Tribunal’s interim report said he “failed to co-operate” with the inquiry.

Green chairman John Gormley said Mr Mara, Fianna Fail’s director of elections for the Nice Treaty referendum and the May general election, cannot be trusted following Justice Fergus Flood’s accusation.

Mr Gormley said the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the Tanaiste, Mary Harney, should force Mr Mara to step aside. “If they don’t do that, the Nice campaign is utterly devoid of any credibility,” he said.

The Green party chairman said the credibility and truthfulness of the ‘yes’ side in the Nice campaign has been undermined by the Flood report, adding that the Government has also come out in a bad light.

“Remember, it was Taoiseach Bertie Ahern that appointed Mr Ray Burke in the full knowledge that he had received £30,000 in cash,” he said. “The Tanaiste also knew that Mr Burke had received this amount of money and yet she was prepared to defend his so-called integrity in front of Leinster House.”