The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte has been doing a great job recently defending the interests of the banking sector.
The interdepartmental group that produced the Keane Report on the mortgage crisis was made up of two bankers, 16 civil servants and Keane himself was seconded from KPMG
Marian Finucane commented that it was remarkable that organisations like MABS or Legal Aid weren’t involved in the report.
Rabbitte replied in his number one condescending voice:
No it isn’t Marian, no it isn’t and I’m one of the most stringent critics of the reckless behaviour of bankers.
You cannot address this issue without having bankers present in terms of the ramifications for the banking system.
In other words – I’m not answering the question.
Someone else challenged him on the fact that bankers were still paying themselves vast amounts of money.
Again, in his Sunday best condescending voice, Rabbitte patiently tried to explain things to the great unwashed.
Let’s not get carried away now, let’s not get carried away, I mean that’s not true. The bankers pay has been cut dramatically…
Look it, we’ve been landed in this mess, we have to have to try and deal with the unfortunate people in acute distress about losing their homes.
In other words, stop talking about greedy bankers; after all I’m supposed to be a left wing, for the ordinary people politician.
The Labour party has lost all credibility as even watered down Social Democrats and Pat Rabbitte is a real disappointment.
BTW witness the reported comments of the retiring DPP who says that bankers cannot be tried before a randomly selected jury. The matters are so complex that ordinary mortals are incapable of understanding the issues. Perhaps juries for such should be made up of fellow bankers! Now, that’s condescension for you!
I heard mention of that comment from the DPP Haymoon, do you know of any source for the comment, I’d be interested in seeing the full text
It was a front page report in yesterday’s Sunday Business Post.
see http://www.sbpost.ie/news/banker-trials-would-require-specialist-juries-says-dpp-59212.html
Thanks for that Haymoon.