Taoiseach criticised for comparing Sinn Fein to wolves

By Aine McMahon PA

The Irish premier was wrong to compare Sinn Fein to wolves, a party TD has said.

Leo Varadkar said he would sooner bring back wolves than let Sinn Fein into Government, in his speech at the Fine Gael Presidential Dinner on Saturday.

"Decisions are made by those who turn up. Sinn Fein doesn't - either to the House of Commons or Stormont. I'd sooner bring back the wolves than let Sinn Fein into government," he said.

On Tuesday, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan called for the reintroduction of wolves to help rewild the Irish countryside, but it was rejected by Heritage and Culture Minister Josepha Madigan who said the government has no plans to do so.

Mr Varadkar also used his speech to take aim at Fianna Fail and compared them to predators.

"The leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan, announced his great plan on Twitter to repopulate rural Ireland with wolves. I would have thought the Greens' experience of being in government with Fianna Fail would have warned them off dangerous predators."

Speaking on RTE programme The Week In Politics, Sinn Fein TD Louise O'Reilly criticised Mr Varadkar's comments: "The Taoiseach's remarks were quite low. To compare me, my fellow colleagues and comrades in Sinn Fein and our supporters to wild animals... I don't think that is a comment worthy of the office of an Taoiseach.

"I think that those remarks really trivialise and make light of what is a very serious job. In that regard, I do think it is warranted to compare him with Boris Johnson because that kind of cod acting and play acting and juvenile action should have no place at all," she said.

Fianna Fail TD Stephen Donnelly said Mr Varadkar was wrong to say his party were predatory.

Fianna Fail are in a confidence and supply arrangement with the Fine Gael Party and have said they will maintain the arrangement to steer the country through Brexit negotiations.

"He has got a whiff of the Boris Johnson about him at the moment," said Mr Donnelly.

"We have the leader of the country not just having a go - which is fine but getting quite personal and quite nasty. That feels to me quite disingenuous when what we need to be doing right now is protecting the country."