Senator out in cold after speech on rural schools

"AS A Fine Gael Senator and former education spokeswoman, I have a request for Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn. I am respectfully asking him to review his position on small rural schools." So began a nice piece in support of rural schools by Fine Gael Senator Fidelma Healy Eames in The Irish Timesduring the week.

Fidelma could have asked the Minister that very question, face to face, on the same day that her article appeared. Unfortunately, Senator Healy Eames was not included in the delegation of Fine Gael and Labour TDs and Senators who met Mr Quinn on Thursday to plead the case for rural schools.

Strange, given how vocal Fidelma has been on the issue.

She spoke about it at a public meeting in Ballinasloe last weekend which was attended by about 400 people. Senator Really Screams lived up to her nickname, we hear, when she launched into a blistering speech against the Government’s education policy which, according to one witness, “would have put Joe Higgins in the shade”. Fidelma told her audience of parents and teachers that she wanted to lead their campaign and stand shoulder to shoulder with them. She called for their support in her endeavours.

Also present was Colm Keaveney, Labour deputy for Galway East, who wasn’t happy with the rhetoric coming from his Coalition colleague, not least because he felt she was trying to lay the blame at Labour’s door.

In front of the crowd, he told her to turn around and “look in the mirror” behind her. “You’re in Government!”

He then told her she was a “disgrace”°. Word of the Senator’s impassioned speech got back quickly to Dublin. We hear Fine Gael is not best pleased.

Which explains why Senator Healy Eames, champion of rural schools, was not part of the backbench delegation which visited Ruairí Quinn on Thursday afternoon.

Still, should Fidelma wish to run for Europe, the publicity should do her no harm locally.

Senator Healy Eames isn’t the only Fine Gael politician making unhappy noises about Government cuts. There are stirrings on the education front from our man James “Bonkers” Bannon too.

Along with Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor, he met a group of teachers from Longford during the week who voiced their concerns to them. James, we understand, is beginning to rumble again as he is unhappy with some of the cuts made by the Coalition.

Meanwhile, Peter Mathews spoke against the Government during Tuesday’s Private Members’ motion moved by the Socialist Party’s Clare Daly against honouring the Anglo promissory notes.

However, Peter didn’t have to vote on the motion the following night because he was in Berlin, on a parliamentary visit to the Bundestag. Which was most convenient.

He wasn’t part of the official finance committee delegation, but paid his own way.