Dev Óg’s vitamin C and camomile tea

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

If you were to call it, you’d have to say Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív was a plain ‘mug a tae’ kind of a guy.

The humble Fianna Fáil representative is a no-frills politician – and not the type of fella you’d expect to be sipping skinny lattes or fancy camomile tea.

No, we reckon it’d be ‘plain’ tae n ‘hang sangidges’ all the way for Dev Óg.   But then we stumbled across the following parliamentary question that he recently posed.

It sowed the seed of doubt that his eating and drinking habits during elevenses in Dáil Éireann might not be as country as first thought.

“To ask the Minister for Finance if consideration is being given to VAT rating on herbal teas, vitamins and food supplements at 23%; if so the reason this is being considered in view of the beneficial health effects of these products; and if he will make a statement on the matter.”

It seems, Éamo, the hero of rural Ireland, and champion of the ‘Ordinary Joe Soap’, could be a closet herbal tea drinker.

Say it ain’t so Éamo, say it ain’t so.

That’s enough about me what do you think of me?

Ciaran Cannon, the Fine Gael Galway East TD and Junior Minister at the Department of Education was among the gaggle of politicians issuing press statements last week to pay tribute to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, who announced he was stepping aside.

Never one to miss an opportunity at self-promotion, we counted 10 references to “I”, “me” or “my” in Cannon’s statement.

Quinn, the individual, was referenced half as much, on five occasions.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.