The former government minister, Jim McDaid, has announced that he is not to run in the next general election, he was convicted in October of dangerous driving and drunken driving at Naas District Court in Co Kildare and given a two year driving ban. Driving up the wrong side of a dual carrageway McDaid was more than 3 times over the limit with 267 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his sample.
He joins North Dublin TD GV Wright who announced his intent not to run in January 2006, GV finished a 2 year ban last november, GV publicly admitted knocking down a woman pedestrian, nurse Anne Butler while having been driving after drinking, then providing 67 microgrammes per 100 millilitres in a breath sample.
Did these two drunk driving TDs not think it suitable to resign from public life when convicted (or sooner) rather than hang on till the public get their next chance to pass judgement on the characters that represent them.
A shame they left it till now to bow out, coz they have sunk deeper in peoples expectations of TDs who hang on for the pensions and perks.