Bear with me because this will take more than one tweet. As the fallout of #golfgate continues to reverberate attention has turned to @PhilHoganEU. No-one has asked if the request of @MichealMartinTD & @LeoVaradkar are appropriate? @BrigidLaffan

2. Commissioner is wholly independent of Irish Gov. Article 17 of TEU references independence twice & Commissioners swear an oath to that effect. If it were a German or French Commissioner who attended the event would Irish Gov ask them to consider their position. @BrigidLaffan

3. @PhilHoganEU is accountable to political processes beyond Ireland. For the EU to lose its trade Commissioner when he has has just launched a review has significant implications for the EU beyond Irish domestic politics & thus this is a matter of EU not Irish politics