Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon to step down blaming ‘toxicity in politics’
Michael Bolton
Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon has announced he will not run in the next general election, as he says there is “a toxicity in politics”.
Mr Cannon has become the 10th Fine Gael TD to announce they will not contest the next election, which must take place before March 2025.
Mr Cannon was previously a senator and the last leader of the Progressive Democrats.
He joined Fine Gael and was elected to the Dáil for the Galway East constituency in 2011, retaining the seat in the two general elections since.
He was subsequently appointed by former taoiseach Enda Kenny as a junior minister at the Department of Education and Skills, and later to the Department of Foreign Affairs by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
He was also made a Unicef global champion for education in 2019.
In a statement on Tuesday monring, Mr Cannon said: "Following a career spanning 20 years, I have decided to leave politics and not contest the next General Election. I've enjoyed politics immensely and have been privileged to work alongside some very committed and talented people.
"After 20 years in any role, I think you begin to reach a point where you've given all you can give. I have a deep respect for the people who elected me again and again, and I'm either all in on their behalf, or I'm not."
Mr Cannon said he spoke with Fine Gael leader, Mr Varadkar, about his decision after Christmas, "and on a number of occasions since", adding the Taoiseach "has been very supportive in allowing me the time and space to make this decision".
On his decision to step down, Mr Cannon said there is now a "coarseness" and "toxicity" in politics that was barely palpable when he started out as a politician 20 years ago.
"None of us asks to be put on a pedestal, or to be treated any differently. We just ask to be treated with the same civility and respect as anyone else doing their job.
"Yes, politicians are subject to public scrutiny, and rightly so, but what we are experiencing right now goes far beyond that and can be deeply damaging to our wellbeing. At times, it feels like it's open season on you and your family. That's not acceptable, nor indeed sustainable, if we want to have good people choosing politics as a career," Mr Cannon said.
He thanked his constituents in Galway East, without whom he said none of his work in office would have been possible, adding: "I am deeply grateful to them for putting their trust in me again and again."
Thanking his family, Mr Cannon added: "Finally, I want to thank my wife and son who give me the love and support I need to do this job well. My wife is my guiding star, I can't even begin to describe how pivotal she has been to my work.
"My son was only seven when I started my career, he has grown up surrounded by politics and has become a trusted advisor on so many aspects of the job, particularly as my work applies to his generation, a generation that gives me so much hope for our future."