Humphreys defends credit union work and accuses Connolly of ‘double standards’

Heather Humphreys has said no-one lost their home when she worked at a credit union as she accused her presidential rival of “double standards”.

Ms Humphreys and Fine Gael have criticised Catherine Connolly’s work as a barrister, claiming her time representing financial institutions clashed with remarks on banks in the Dail.

Opposition leaders and barristers, including Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, have defended the “cab-rank rule” that means barristers cannot discriminate against those seeking legal representation.

Independent left-wing candidate Ms Connolly and Fine Gael candidate Ms Humphreys are in the final days of campaigning for the Irish presidency ahead of polling day on Friday.

Ms Connolly, who is leading in the opinion polls, said she was “deeply disappointed” in this being raised as an issue and that Fine Gael were “absolutely terrified”.

The war of words began after Ms Humphreys told the Sunday Independent she “never tried to make money out of people’s misfortune”, referring to Ms Connolly’s time working as a barrister during the economic crash.

Ms Humphreys said Ms Connolly worked for “UK banks” before she went into politics while she worked in a credit union, “actually helping people to stay in their houses”.

Fine Gael have also published a video on X that focused on Ms Connolly’s work as a barrister, which includes a clip from Ms Connolly speaking in the Dail in 2017 where she questions the actions of banks.

Ms Humphreys was asked about the video and her comments on Monday while out canvassing in Gorey, Co Wexford.

“Catherine, I’m sure, is a fine barrister, absolutely, and I’m sure she was very good at her work,” she said.

“But the point is she stood up in Galway City Council. She absolutely castigated the banks and she talked about them evicting people, and she was the very same person that was working for those banks at that time, helping people to be evicted out of their houses.

“That is what I call double standards.

“It’s about the character of the person and I think it’s important that those questions are answered.

Asked if there were repossessions during her time as a credit union manager, she said: “A credit union has a duty to look after the savings of those who deposit their money with the credit union, they’re for the members.

“Unfortunately, in some cases – and always, always with the approval of the board of directors in the credit union – that legal proceedings took place, but it was only as a matter of last resort.

“I can tell you that nobody lost their house when I worked in the credit union.”

Asked about comments she made at the weekend that she had not made “money out of” other’s misfortune, in an apparent reference to Ms Connolly’s work as a barrister, Ms Humphreys was asked if the same applied to barristers in Fine Gael.

She said: “I was speaking for myself when I said that, I have never tried to benefit from people who have been in difficult situations.

“Barristers have a job to do. I respect them. Absolutely respect them. They play a hugely important role. Lawyers play a huge part of our system. It’s part of our legal system.

“The point I am making is, how can you stand up and give out and criticise and castigate banks, and at the same time you’re working for them to repossess houses?”

Asked whether she declared her status as credit union manager when speaking in the Dail about mortgage repossessions or the tracker mortgage scandal, she said: “I never stood up in the Dail and spoke about any of those things, I can assure you.”

Speaking in Dublin, Ms Connolly said she was “deeply disappointed” the discussion in the campaign was about her work as a barrister prior to 2016 rather than the two candidates’ “vision for the presidency”.

Asked if Fine Gael should withdraw the video, Ms Connolly said: “I think they’re absolutely terrified that the movement that I represent and am simply a symbol of a new movement for a new republic, I think they’re absolutely terrified.

“And that they would resort to such tactics just reflects on their terror and their fear of the change in Ireland, and they’re utterly out of touch.”

Labour leader Ivana Bacik, who worked as a barrister and criminology lecturer before becoming a politician, said the attacks were “craven” and represented a “new level of nasty”.

She said: “Fine Gael should know better.

“This attack video is not only a new political low – a new level of ‘nasty’ in this presidential campaign.

“It also represents a craven and dangerous attack on a fundamental principle of the rule of law in our democratic system.”

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said a social media video focusing on Ms Connolly’s work as a barrister was a “Trumpian” attack and claimed Fine Gael were in “panic mode”.

Fine Gael minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill hit back at those claims on Monday, calling on opposition parties to comment on why Ms Connolly did not declare her previous work for financial institutions during Dail statements on repossessions.

On Monday afternoon, Ms Carroll MacNeill, who is also a barrister, said the issue was not the work of a barrister but Ms Connolly’s “lack of transparency when speaking so forcefully as a TD or as a councillor on matters such as repossessions, banks and evictions”.

“Why did she not disclose it?”

“Time and again Deputy Connolly stood in the Dail and spoke on these issues never once declaring her role – she was not silent on the issues, why was she silent on her role?”

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the choice on Friday was between Ms Connolly, “a champion for human rights, democracy, for peace”, and Ms Humphreys, who she said was “essentially an echo chamber for government”.

Asked about Ms Connolly being ahead in the polls, Ms McDonald said they were not taking the result for granted.

“I am always very, very dubious of any predictions that anybody has anything in the bag before as much as one vote has been cast,” she said in Belfast.

“We’re very clear that we need to keep the momentum of this campaign very, very strong, out on the ground and our job now is to encourage people to come out and cast their vote.

“I hear a lot of people predicting that there will be a low turnout, I hope that we can confound that prediction.”