Mick Wallace is a fool. I do not mean Wallace is mentally deficient; he holds degrees in history, philosophy, English and teaching. I do not mean Wallace is dull witted; he ran a number of successfully business. Nor does he babble incoherently or indulge in inappropriate frivolity. But as a politician, he is a fool.
Like the court fools of old his appearance is outlandish with long shaggy hair, the occasional earring and a trademark pink t-shirt setting him apart from the tailored political lords. His speeches are often comical - he once requested the Dáil's summer holidays be moved so he could enjoy a football competition. On another occasion he referred to a fellow politician as "Miss Piggy", a remark he later apologized for.
Wallace presents himself as one of the people fighting against our banking and political masters. However his credibility was damaged in 2012 following revelations of a 2.1 million settlement for tax fraud.
So Mick Wallace is a parliamentarian fool. An eccentric, comical figure whose ineptitude as a politician contains a degree of well meaning simplicity and innocence. But innocuous fools often enjoy a privileged position at courts. Sometimes only a fool standing alone and guided by natural instincts and unburdened by political prudence can speak the truth and survive the wrath of political masters.
