Hi All,

A while back I started the below request thread for Behind Closed Door quotes by Charlie Haughey, which generated some excellent responses. http://www.politics.ie/viewtopic.php?t=20685

I would now like to expand the search to similar quotes by other politicians. The quotes can be humourous (like below Charlie McCreevy quote) or serious (like below Ruari Quinn quote), but ultimately have to have that “Behind Closed Door” quality about them. If you happen to know of such a quote/story, feel free to share it.

Thanks In Advance

Examples

1. After the 1989 General Election, Charlie McCreevy and Mary Harney began unofficial initial discussions on the formation of an FF-PD coalition. During the discussions, Harney mentioned the plight of FFs Martin Cullen who had lost his Waterford seat and was said to be in such financial difficulty that he would be forced to sell his car to pay his mortgage. Sometime after the conversation, Cullen was appointed to one of the PD Seanad positions, due to intense lobbying on his part. A few months later, McCreevy rang Harney:

CMC: “Harney, do you remember that fellow you said would have to sell his car?”

MH: “Yes”

CMC: “Well, he has just driven in through the gates of Leinster House in the biggest f***ing Merc I have ever seen”

2. After the shooting of Veronica Guerin, Justice Minister Nora Owen and Finance Minister Ruari Quinn were under sever pressure to create what was to become the Criminal Assets Bureau. As it was a co-ordination between two Government departments, they both had to make a presentation to an Inter-departmental Working Group. After the presentation, the Chairperson of the Working Group thanked Quinn for the presentation and went on to say that if the Working Group came to the conclusion that a new body such as that proposed was required, then they would proceed to develop the concept. Before he had finished, Quinn (to his own surprise) interupted,

RQ: “Excuse me. You will f***ing come to that conclusion. The decision has already been made. If you don’t f***ing understand that, then we’ll get someone else who does. Is that clear?”

References

1. Breaking the Mould, Stephen Collins, 2006, p 111
2. The Untouchables, Paul Williams, 2006, p 49