Irish inability to call a spade a spade

The editorial in last week’s Sunday Business Post calling on Senator Callely to resign is a typical example of how difficult it is for Irish people to call a spade a spade.

On the one hand the writer states:

It is not the case that most or even many politicians are in Callely’s class when it comes to abusing the system of expenses and allowances.

This is immediately followed by:

But politicians of all parties have designed and exploited disgracefully a system of allowances and expenses which any private business would find outrageously loose.

What, I wonder; is the editor thinking when he writes ‘all parties have disgracefully exploited the system’ but only a minority are in ‘Callely’s class’ when it comes to abusing the same system?

Is the editor so naïve and ill informed that he believe that Callely’s behaviour is the worst ever and that while all other politicians are exploiting the system their behaviour is not as bad as Callely’s?

Does the editor really believe that only a minority of politicians are ripping off the system?

Here’s what a properly informed editor should have written.

Politicians of all parties have designed and exploited a system of allowances and expenses that enables them to legally defraud taxpayer’s of massive amount of money on an annual basis.

This contemptible behaviour will continue until somebody designs a system where this behaviour results in a jail sentence.

Copy to:
Editor, Sunday Business Post