Sir, – In her letter (“Ireland and EU – no time for complacency”, September 24th), Regina Doherty, a Fine Gael MEP, writes: “Ireland has gone from holding one of the most influential portfolios in the European Commission to one that is comparatively much less significant”.
When Phil Hogan was European commissioner for trade (an “influential portfolio”), he was forced to resign his position in the wake of the Golfgate scandal (2020). He had precious little choice in the matter because the then-tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar declined overtly to support Mr Hogan, which made his position untenable, resulting in his forced resignation from his very prestigious commissionership.
I presume Mr Hogan’s former post is the portfolio your letter writer is referring to? – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
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Dalkey,
Co Dublin.