Micheal Martin hits out at ‘eurosceptic’ Irish MEPs

Ireland’s deputy premier has hit out at eurosceptic Irish MEPs and said it was time to “push back” against “destructive” anti-EU forces.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said that Ireland had become known as a country that had benefited from European Union membership, but which also regularly elected politicians to the parliament who “undermine” the union.

The Fianna Fail leader said that Ireland had one of the highest proportions of its MEPs in an “extreme left” group in parliament, which he accused of speaking “more than others, but by every measure achieve almost nothing”.

Ireland has 13 MEPs, with all five Fine Gael MEPs in the EPP group, two Fianna Fail MEPs in the Renew group, two Green MEPs in the Green alliance group, and the four remaining MEPs in the Left group.

Mr Martin, who was speaking at the launch of his party’s European election manifesto, said: “Ireland’s MEPs currently include Europe’s loudest defenders of worldwide dictatorships and opponents of the very idea that European values need to be defended.”

He added: “”We must always strongly represent our interests and continue to be willing to stand against the majority when we disagree with a policy.

“It is time for Ireland to step up and play its role in pushing back (against) destructive anti-EU forces which are more active today than ever before. For far too long, we’ve taken the European Parliament for granted.”

When pressed to name which MEPs he considered to be eurosceptic, Mr Martin said: “Clare Daly, Mick Wallace are anti the European Union. They speak out consistently against the European Union.

“Sinn Fein have taken an anti-European Union stance all of the time. Luke Ming (Flanagan) equally is anti-European Union. No question about it.

“That’s a very fundamental issue on the agenda here. The vast majority of the Irish people believe the European Union is good for Ireland.

“So there’s a fundamental question: are we going to elect MEPs who see it as their objective to oppose the union, who sometimes declare the union to be part of a Nato-militarised operation, who don’t accept the bona fides of Europe’s role internationally, for example, in terms of humanitarian aid … and always, always takes an anti-EU perspective and lack balance when it comes to policies that emanate from the European Union.”

Asked about the comments, Mr Wallace said it was “ridiculous” to suggest that MEPs who critically engaged with Europe were “anti-EU”.

He said he and Ms Daly were among the hardest-working MEPs in Brussels.

He added: “We are critical of EU policies because they often hurt ordinary working people and farmers and the environment.

“We believe in an EU that serves the people and the planet.”

Mr McManus said Sinn Fein MEPs went to Brussels to stand up for Irish interests, adding: “Micheal Martin’s MEPs go there to roll over.”

The Midlands North West representative said he had a 99.83% attendance record, affected by a “brief spell of medical leave”.

He added: “Trying to make that the subject of political point-scoring is frankly beneath someone who occupies the office of Tanaiste.

“Perhaps the Fianna Fail leader should focus on his own party’s track record of failing to fix the housing crisis instead of these desperate attempts to distract from his Government’s disastrous time in office.”

Mr Flanagan dismissed the Tanaiste’s remarks in a short statement which made reference to Fianna Fail in-fighting in the Midlands North West constituency.

He said: “I don’t care about what Michael Martin thinks. He’s irrelevant.

“He can’t even get his own candidates in Midlands North West to co-operate.

“He should get his own house in order before he preaches to anyone else.”