Mary Hanafin: A traitor to her country

When Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport Mary Hanafin was asked recently on Newstalk if anyone in the Government was going to say sorry for the mess the country is in she replied:

I don’t accept that people can blame the Government for what the banks did.

When pressed she conceded:

Insofar as any of that led to an over dependence on the construction industry, well, yes, of course, we’d be sorry for that but the Government is not responsible for the terrible situation that the banks are in.

Later, she backtracked again effectively saying that neither she nor the Government had anything to apologise for.

I will always say sorry for something for which I’m responsible and the Government will always say sorry for something for which it is responsible.

Mary Hanafin is one of the most ruthlessly ambitious and dangerous politicians in the country. Like all Fianna Fail politicians her first loyalty is to herself, then to the party and finally to the party leader.

Her flawed pedigree was exposed when she repeatedly defended the fairy tales of former Taoiseach and prize chancer Bertie Ahern. And, like Ahern, Hanafin is a traitor to her country.