'This is all BS': Ivan Yates on controversy over 'smear the bejaysus' comment
James Cox
Ivan Yates has responded to criticism from presidential candidates Heather Humphreys and Catherine Connolly after he suggested Fine Gael should “smear the bejaysus” out of Ms Connolly.
Mr Yates, a former Fine Gael minister, is now a political pundit and broadcaster.
Speaking on his Calling It podcast, Mr Yates outlined how he would approach Ms Connolly's popularity if he was in charge of Fine Gael's presidential campaign.
“So, if you were asking me, okay? So Fine Gael ring me and say, ‘How do we reverse this?’ right?'
“You’re going to be shocked about this now… I would go bullheaded, ‘Do you want a provo in the park? Is she a Russian asset?’
“I would smear the bejaysus out of her, simply because you’ve nothing to lose.”
The comments drew huge controversy, with some attempting to attribute them to Fine Gael.
Ms Humphreys quickly distanced herself from the comments, while Ms Connolly was also critical.
"In relation to the politics of fear, I think Ivan Yates did us a favour in relation to that, in articulating what happened," she told Virgin Media.
"Get out the big guns and create an atmosphere of fear, and [that] nothing works as good as a negative campaigning," she added.
Speaking on Calling It, Mr Yates has responded to the criticism, saying "this is all BS".
Blaming me for Heather’s difficulties is like blaming Roy Keane for the problems of Man United.
“I realised very quickly by some of the texts I was receiving that the normal coverage of anything I say… might get a bit of traction or whatever, but I could see this was being driven.
“The Connolly campaign decided to really amplify [this] in every way they could.
“The reaction from those on the Fine Gael side, who felt this was damaging to Heather in terms of reaction and so on, I would say, ‘Sorry, hold on a second - let’s be clear; blaming me for Heather’s difficulties is like blaming Roy Keane for the problems of Man United.’
“I’m an analyst, I’m a pundit, I’m a commentator and the nature of that is pretty graphic and explicit.
“To actually suggest that I was in any way involved in the Fine Gael campaign, at any point in time, for years, is just nonsensical.
“The first lie they put out, the big lie, was that I was actually involved in some sort of Fine Gael conspiracy here.”
Mr Yates, who also hosts the Path to Power podcast with Matt Cooper, said he cancelled his membership of Fine Gael when he started work with Newstalk in 2009.
“The lady doth protest - not only too much but so much that she’s actually using it for five days nonstop as a campaigning angle to actually smear Heather’s campaign - which I have nothing to do with."
He added: ""This is an absolute attempt to distort and conflate me - who is not involved in her campaign.
"The fact of that matter is, there was about two weeks to go when had that chat, this is all BS."