THE Minister for Education should resign over the Universities Bill, a Fine Gael senator said yesterday. Mr Shane Ross claimed Ms Breathnach was "insensitive" to third level education and he declared his intention to defy the Fine Gael whip by voting against the legislation.
"If it comes to the Senate in its present form I shall vote against it on Second Stage, and I shall be proposing a series of amendments on the committee and report stages. I shall be opposing the Bill, breaking the whip and presumably being expelled from the Fine Gael parliamentary party", Mr Ross, who was elected by Trinity College Dublin graduates, told The Irish Times.
"Ms Breathnach is so insensitive to the needs and function of a university and the need for the State to keep its greasy paws away from a university that if she insists on going ahead with this particular Bill unamended, she should resign. She would be unfit to be Minister for Education."
He had always said that if there was ever any conflict whatsoever between the interests of Dublin University and his personal or party political interests he would "opt for looking after the interests of Dublin University".
He claimed the ethos of State interference permeated the entire Bill. "There are three very specific problems one is that Ms Breathnach will be able to appoint at least one member to the board of Trinity College Dublin.
"The second is that the Minister will be able, in certain circumstances, to suspend the board, which is completely unacceptable. The third is that a visitor can be sent in by the Minister to investigate the internal affairs - including the academic affairs of Trinity College Dublin, according to the Bill."
Mr Ross said the other universities had "serious reasons to be worried as well because they will suffer exactly the same State control". Trinity was going to give a lead in the campaign against the Bill.
There had been a growing consensus on the board and among the Fellows of Trinity that the objectionable parts of the Bill would be removed. "There is a sense of shock in Trinity, in particular, that they have actually appeared in the Bill itself.
Accountability for public funds provided to Trinity was not the problem. "Trinity is prepared to be accountable for every single penny spent. The problem is State interference and state control in how Trinity runs its affairs.
If the board was suspended, then he presumed the Minister would appoint a new board for a year or so. "Politicians have an appalling record, first of all, where they have control over any agencies or State bodies. Politicians, particularly the Labour Party, have ruthlessly appointed their own supporters to state agencies and State boards. This will be another case.
The Bill set a very dangerous precedent: "You may have a situation where the political appointee actually decides . . who gets what jobs." He could envisage provision being made in the future for more than one political appointee: "A principle is being breached here."