Irish leader faces backlash over dismissive attitude towards carer

Simon Harris, the Taoiseach of Ireland, has apologised to a disability care worker after walking away from her when she tried to ask him about low pay in her job sector.

According to reports, Charlotte Fallon stopped Harris in County Cork on Friday while he was campaigning for the general election. She wanted to know why the issue of carers’ low pay had been “ignored” in the last government’s most recent budget. Harris disagreed with her and cut their conversation short, but has since expressed regret for not giving Ms Fallon the time she “deserved” to discuss her concerns.

The tetchy encounter between the two has attracted about two million views online to date. Harris, who is campaigning to regain the role of Taoiseach, said Ms Fallon “was absolutely owed an apology”. He stated that he was annoyed with himself over how he dealt with the situation and felt bad for not giving her the time she deserved.

Ms Fallon described the encounter as feeling like “who’s going to listen to me anyway?” and said she felt stupid and silly. However, she also praised Harris for his sincere apology during their phone call on Saturday, which lasted up to 20 minutes. He explained about his brother and his autism, his mother who is a carer and a special needs assistant, and Ms Fallon genuinely felt for him.

Harris offered to keep in contact with Ms Fallon to work on her concerns, which she said she would be “delighted” to do. He also expressed an interest in visiting the charity she works for early next year, provided that no media attend. Despite making amends with Ms Fallon, Harris’s political rivals have been quick to capitalise on the incident, some saying it is an example of how carers have been dismissed by those in power.

Irish voters will go to the polls on Friday 29 November.

Taoiseach Simon Harris Expresses Regret for Not Giving Charlotte Fallon Sufficient Time to Discuss Her Concerns

The encounter between Harris and Fallon has been a topic of discussion, with some saying it is an example of how carers have been dismissed by those in power. However, Harris’s apology and willingness to work with Ms Fallon to address her concerns have been praised.

Key Points

• Simon Harris apologised to Charlotte Fallon for walking away from her when she tried to ask him about low pay in her job sector.

• Harris disagreed with Ms Fallon and cut their conversation short, but has since expressed regret for not giving her the time she deserved.

• The tetchy encounter between the two has attracted about two million views online to date.

• Harris offered to keep in contact with Ms Fallon to work on her concerns and expressed an interest in visiting the charity she works for early next year.