On Politicians’ Commenting on Private Decisions to Fire an Employee: An Irish Example

 

On Politicians’ Commenting on Private Decisions to Fire an Employee

An Irish Example

 

Tillman: “All Myers meant to do was [to] pay a compliment to two successful people who happened to be Jewish. That is not antisemitism. It is not even remotely antisemitism. The ultimate result is that an Irishman [Kevin Myers] is out of a job, and now will be on the dole. And we are all paying for it—because of a Twitter storm that started in England—my G-d!”

Sean O’Rourke: “But … it is not just a Twitter storm in England. You have the Irish Prime Minister (the Taosieach, Mr Varadkar), [and] his deputy [prime minister]—both saying what The Sunday Times did [in firing Myers from his position as a journalist/editorialist] was right. The Chair of the Press Council did not wait for a hearing … he was on the news at 1 [pm] … although he [the Chairman] is not dealing with this complaint [against Myers] I gather ….”

--Extract from: ‘Today with Sean O’Rourke,’ RTÉ Radio 1 (Aug. 3, 2017, 11:40 AM), <https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/21213461/> (at 11:55ff).

I do not remember hearing, in 2017,  any voices in the Irish press, media, government or opposition, or academia suggesting that the intervention of the Irish prime minister and his deputy in a private employment decision was in any way less than praiseworthy. 

Seth Barrett Tillman, ‘On Politicians’ Commenting on Private Decisions to Fire an Employee: An Irish Example,’ New Reform Club (Sept. 18, 2025, 9:27 AM), <https://reformclub.blogspot.com/2025/09/on-politicians-commenting-on-private.html>;