Simon Harris calls Michael O’Leary’s teacher comments ‘crass and ill informed’

The Ryanair boss has come under criticism for saying he would not hire teachers to “get things done”, at a Fine Gael event at the weekend.

Mr O’Leary was endorsing Minister for Enterprise and Fine Gael candidate Peter Burke in the Longford–Westmeath constituency, adding that he would give his second preference to Fianna Fail candidate Robert Troy.

He has doubled down on the remarks on Monday, telling Newstalk that there are “too many teachers in the Dail” parliament and they are not “the best people to deliver the kind of change and enterprise we need”.

The businessman also said that Media and Tourism Minister Catherine Martin was “far better off back in the classroom”, while endorsing Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

Addressing the comments, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said he was “annoyed” at Mr O’Leary’s remarks.

“I think the comments made were crass, they were ill informed. I’m pretty annoyed about it,” he said.

He said the Dail parliament was not like running a company and was “meant to be reflective of society”.

He also pointed out that former taoiseach Enda Kenny and former finance minister Michael Noonan were both teachers before entering politics.

“Teachers are the people that we can trust with our most precious possessions: our children, I know that in my own house. And there’s not that many people who can stand up in front of a classroom for five seconds and last, let alone for the full day, for the full week, full month, it is a tough job.

“It’s an impactful job, and I have nothing but respect for teachers.”

Asked about laughter at the comments made by Mr O’Leary at a Fine Gael event at the weekend, he said that cheering at the comments was “inappropriate”.

Mr Harris also said he did not know whether Mr O’Leary had donated to the Fine Gael campaign.

“Michael O’Leary was at a local event in the constituency in which he resides. He will have no further involvement, nor does he have any involvement in the campaign,” Mr Harris said.

“His views don’t reflect my position, or the position of my party at all.”

He added: “Michael O’Leary is Michael O’Leary. I’m not sure he’s ever made an intervention that hasn’t generated a significant level of discussion and debate. We live in a democracy. He can say he wants.”

“Quite frankly, he wouldn’t be somebody I’d be inviting to a launch, because his way of engaging and speaking isn’t it to my taste. He can engage in speaking as he wishes, but I prefer to do my politics in a more mannerly fashion.

“I didn’t like some of the interventions that he had made in relation to some of my Cabinet colleagues – even if, by the way, I saw validity in the point and the passenger cap needs to go, by the way, I think it’s extraordinarily problematic. But I never believed in the politics of personalisation.”

Mr O’Leary’s remarks have prompted sharp criticism from teachers’ unions and parties across the political spectrum, while senior Fine Gael figures have distanced themselves from the comments.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said anyone who aspires to political office should launch their own campaign.

“You’re out there asking people to vote for you, to support you. Why are you going forward in the first place? That’s my view of life,” he said on Monday.

“No one ever launched my campaign. That’s my view and I would say to all of my colleagues, launch your campaign, motivate your own supporters and members, and motivate them enough that they’ll go out and knock on doors on your behalf because they believe in you as a political representative.

“But it’s open to any individual, to be fair now, we’re in a democracy. If somebody wants to bring somebody in to launch their campaign or to be with them in the launch of their campaign, that’s democracy.

“That’s a matter for the person concerned to defend the position they took in doing that. My view is politicians and political representatives, if they aspire to public office, should lead their own campaigns and launch their own campaigns and outline why they want to be elected and what they want to do in office.”

Speaking on Newstalk earlier on Monday, Mr O’Leary said he was making a “serious” point about the need for more diversity in the Dail parliament – and said there was a need for more business owners to become TDs.

“This country is facing enormous challenges over the next decade, where the population is going to rise from five to six million people,” Mr O’Leary said.

“Now we need lots of teachers delivering excellent education in the classroom, but a Dail where there is a striking surplus of teachers in the Dail is not necessarily one that’s going to get things done.

“I want to see more people enter the Dail from private enterprise, from the private sector, and that’s the energy we need if we’re going to fix the infrastructure challenges we face, and if we’re going to provide housing and infrastructure for a population of six million people.

“I think teachers do a great job in the classroom, but I’m not sure that teachers in the Dail are necessarily the best people to deliver the kind of change and enterprise we need.”

He cited Green Party ministers Catherine Martin and Roderic O’Gorman as two former teachers “who have clearly failed” in their roles.

“I’ll give you the example of Catherine Martin, for example, who’s the Minister for Tourism. She’s been Minister for Tourism for five years, and what has she delivered? A (passenger) cap at Dublin Airport.

“I think Catherine Martin will be far better off back in the classroom doing the valuable work that teachers do and as far away from the reins of government or making decisions, where I think she’s clearly failed.”

He said that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail had done “a great job” in government, while their coalition party colleagues the Green Party needed to be “weeded out” and the main opposition party Sinn Fein should be “ignored”.

“I think people should vote for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, I think Fine Gael and Fianna Fail should transfer to each other. I think nobody should vote for the Greens.”

Greens leader Roderic O’Gorman said he was “appalled” by Mr O’Leary’s comments.

He said the Ryanair boss was “designing his fantasy Cabinet”, which would be made up of “solely rich men”.

“I think Michael O’Leary’s comments yesterday in terms of teachers and disrespecting an entire profession were absolutely disgraceful,” he added.

“We’ve seen, over the past few weeks, billionaires punching down in America, and it’s really sad to see now that billionaires punching down is becoming part of Irish politics as well. I was particularly shocked to see the big cheer it got from the Fine Gael faithful at their election launch event.”

He added that Mr O’Leary wants the Green Party out of government.

“Michael O’Leary is a climate denier. Michael O’Leary is a profiteer,” he added.

“He wants to get profits for Ryanair and that’s his sole goal in life, and that’s fair enough. But a government can’t be designed around the needs of one big company. A government has to provide for everybody.

“I think what he’s pushing is what I worry is maybe a view of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael – let’s push the Greens out. Let’s just do a two-party government. I think, fundamentally, a two-party government of just Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, it would be the kind of government that Michael O’Leary likes.

“It would be the kind of government that would be good for billionaires, but I don’t think it would be the kind of government that would be good for people all over the country.”

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald has called for Mr Harris to clarify the response inside the room to Mr O’Leary’s comments.

“The issue here isn’t the comments themselves, the issue is the response by a room full of Fine Gael members and activists, and elected representatives I presume,” she said.

“I don’t think the Taoiseach has clarified that and I think he should.”