Last Thursday, the Irish parliament’s golf society in Clifden, County Galway hosted over 80 high-profile individuals from the Irish political network. What brought this event into the public eye was its peculiar timing. The gathering occurred merely one day after the decision of the Irish government to strengthen COVID-19 restrictions in the country. One of the newly imposed rules was to reduce the permissible number of attendees of indoor gatherings from 50 to six. The Irish police are still investigating the issue and are yet to comment on whether there were any breaches of the COVID-19 restrictions during the event.
However, the event has already caused political turmoil in Ireland and beyond. Micheal Martin, Ireland’s Prime Minister, and his deputy, Leo Varadkar, who is also the leader of the Fine Gael party, said that the Thursday’s event was in clear violation of the public health guidelines. Several political leaders have found themselves in the middle of this storm. The first to be affected was Dara Calleary, Ireland’s agriculture minister, who unconditionally apologised a few hours after the media began reporting on the event. Under intense media scrutiny and public pressure, Calleary was forced to step down from his post.
Another major casualty of the event was Phil Hogan, the trade commissioner for the European Union (EU), who is also an Irish national and a member of the Fine Gael party. Initially, he justified his actions by stating that he had followed all the rules of the COVID-19 restrictions and had tested negative before travelling. However, he was undeniably in contravention of Ireland’s travel regulations, which require passengers coming from Belgium to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Consequently, in a joint statement, Ireland’s ruling coalition, led by Michael Martin, criticised Hogan’s violation of COVID-19 restrictions and said that his “delayed and hesitant release of information has undermined public confidence”.
Although he initially remained silent on the issue, on Wednesday, Hogan stepped down from his position as the trade commissioner of the EU as the controversy was “becoming a distraction from [his] work as an EU Commissioner”. He also issued a statement apologising “to the Irish people.”
This will have a severe impact for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as Hogan played a crucial role in negotiating the terms of Brexit. During the talks, Hogan specifically worked on the complicated situation of Northern Ireland. Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, it is also closely associated with the Republic of Ireland, which continues to remain a part of the EU. He also played a significant role in advocating for and finalising the €750-billion recovery budget. Further, Hogan was also spearheading the resolution of the trade war with the United States, while simultaneously maintaining a middle ground amidst ongoing tensions between the US and China.
EU Trade Commissioner Resigns Over Golfgate Scandal
Over 80 high-profile individuals met for an event organised in Clifden, Country Galway.
August 28, 2020
Phil Hogan, EU's ex-Trade Commissioner SOURCE: INDEPENDENT.IE