Dublin MEP Ciarán Cuffe has strongly criticised comments made by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern about the introduction of a directly-elected Dublin mayor, labelling them as offensive. Reacting to comments made by Mr. Ahern at a debate organised by the Urban Land Institute, he said:

‘’It seems Bertie Ahern thinks the people of Dublin, the people of Limerick, and almost every other city in Europe, are stupid simply because they want a greater say in the running of their city. Let me remind him that the people of Dublin voted resoundingly in favour of a powerful new mayor with expanded powers and responsibilities, in the Dublin Citizens’ Assembly.

‘’His argument about centralisation completely misses the point about a directly-elected mayor. This is precisely about decentralising government, to bring decisions about Dublin closer to Dubliners, and to give people more of a say in how their city is run. Directly-elected mayors are not only good for democracy, they are the norm across Europe.

"So instead of respecting the wishes of Dubliners, as expressed by the Citizens’ Assembly, Bertie suggests a full cabinet position for Dublin. I’m not sure this  would go down well in the rest of the country. What Ministerial cabinet position would it replace, I wonder?"