Robert Troy bowed to the inevitable when hard questions and awkward facts made his position untenable

The Longford-Westmeath TD resigned from his role of junior minister last week despite the backing of Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar

Robert Troy resigned as minister of state in the Department of Enterprise last week. Picture by Tom Burke

August 28 2022 02:30 AM

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Robert Troy’s resignation as a minister of state was a classic of the genre. He was not stepping down necessarily because he had done something wrong but because the furore caused by him doing something wrong had become a distraction. This is a path well-trodden by politicians falling on their swords.

“I am sorry that it has caused so much upheaval and has distracted from the serious issues at hand in this country and the good work this government is doing, and my party is doing, particularly in housing,” he said in his 539-word statement issued late last Wednesday.