Last Friday (June 29) I submitted a formal complaint to the Ceann Comhairle’s office regarding a possible abuse of expenses by Socialist Party TD Clare Daly.
I had intended submitting the complaint to the Clerk of the Dail but was informed by the Communications Unit of that office that the Ceann Comhairle’s office was the appropriate authority.
Today, as I had received no acknowledgement of my complaint, I rang the Ceann Comhairle’s office to check if they had received my email.
I was informed that they had only received my email on Friday and in any case it was not a matter for the Ceann Comhairle’s office, the Clerk of the Dail was the relevant authority for dealing with such complaints.
An official at the office of the Clerk of the Dail confirmed this morning that his office was indeed the correct authority for dealing with such matters.
So, once more:
To Whom It May Concern:
I wish to lodge a formal complaint concerning an apparent abuse of expenses by the Socialist Party.
My complaint is based on the following exchange between Socialist Party TD Clare Daly and journalist Matt Cooper on Today FM on 26 June last.
Matt Cooper: But why claim the expenses? It has been claimed that Mick Wallace doesn’t claim expenses, why not follow his example?
Clare Daly: We do accept the money and the money is used for local campaigning, supporting works in our area or community campaigns or trades union issues or whatever and we account for that.
I have checked the allowances and expenses section on the Houses of the Oireachtas website and can find no reference that allows politicians to use expenses for political campaigning or trades union activities.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony Sheridan
The ignorance of the left hand of the activities of the right hand comes to mind. They must get very few complaints seeing that no one knows how to handle them. Keep them busy, Anthony!
sorry for my bluntness but you really are a little man.
I for one hate the core foundation of the socialist doctrine, that all should bow down to the ‘revolutionary party’. I do not support any of the left in Ireland.
But right is right and wrong is wrong. At least some of our tax is going to good work, fair play Clare keep campaigning for our rights and I support 100% any individual that stands up for the Irish peoples right to an economically fare and politically just society.
Better than our taxes going to dinners, 1st class hotels, IBEC banquets, IMF, FG Parties….
I agree with you Daithi – right is right and wrong is wrong.
It is right for politicians to campaign for the rights of citizens.
It is wrong for politicians to rip off taxpayer’s money.
People seem to be forgetting that Clare in addition to her 92.000 euro salary also picks up a taxfree leaders allowance of 41.000 euro .She is also in receipt of a telephone allowance and on top of that a 12,000 euro travel allowance and an attendance allowance of about 50 euro a day.She also has the right to employ 2 secretaries.Great pay for a glorified messenger.Where would you get it.She does not wish to pay household charges or water charges.
@Jimky
They all are entitled to the same thing. One half is using the expenses for cavier and the other half is using it to fight against the permanent enslavement of the people.
I do understand how the population, even those who disagree with what is going like readers of this blogs, seem to want to attack anybody that goes against the status quo. There is NO alternative media in Ireland it is 100% state owned RTE (in a representative democracy) and 100% owned IBEC (only lobby group in a capitalist society) – I feel this effect even in my own thoughts sometimes.
So naturally we are to give out about people who want change because it is all the media exposure in papers, tv, radio that we are going to get. We have to realise that we are being controlled in no more the same way than the people in North Korea. Before anyone makes an idiotic statement on that – of course its better for us but its the “media” control that is the same.
* We are letting 1 in 5 children go with a dinner
* We are letting homelessness go completely out of control and thus bringing a worse heroin epidemic than the 90’s
* We are allowing the production for those that work to consitantly go up when it was at breaking point anyways.
* We are ensuring that our kids will never see their children because if they do work they will be working unreal hours at unreal rate production
* 20 hour shifts are back
* Bank bonuses are back
* Facism is being constantly premoted by the government
* We have been fooled into voting for STALINISM for every country in europe – even the rigid Germans have an alternative view
I hate the ‘party’ religious doctrine of so called “socialist” parties so do not think I am one of them. But I will shake clare’s hands when I see her because she is the only one that is putting our money to good use. Better literatures to fight the above than cavier at an IBEC banquet – would you not agree?
Well if you think constant agitation and whining–the stock in trade of Clares negative contribution to society is going to solve our difficult problems – thenfire away.
@Jimky are you not agitating and whining here? Do you not agree all I mentioned above is a problem in our society? Do you not agree that the current system is doing nothing to solve any of the issues?
So yes agitation and whining are essential because unfortunately there are still too my people that will shoot anybody that stands up for the Irish citizens. The attitude’s your portraying are exactly the negative contribution that is never going to solve our difficult problems.
Here our taxes were spent on a campaign to fight this tyranny. How much of our taxes was spent to trick the Irish people to vote in stalinism for every country in europe? How much did that website cost to promote this? This is no more than a publicity stunt from a system that controls 100% of our media to nit pick at the opposition.
All they have to do is push the program in the papers, radio, tv and people fall for it like fools. They constantly bombard us with images of riots in greece or spain but hide the solution the people in Iceland found. The show us images of angry young protestors at the front of pickets but they don’t show us the OAP’s behind them or the single parents and they don’t show us FG pointing and laughing at these people protesting from behind windows. (FG ard fheis, Gardai had to pull the blinds to stop FG from jeering at the citizens)
The negative contribution, is not only to not realise how much of an effect this has when we are constantly bombarded and brainwashed, but also and more importantly to believe it. We have two options to solve our society
1) like greece
2) like iceland
The latter will only happen if we stand together and end this negative contribution we are manipulated into believing. Any politician spends our taxes for the better of our society will always have my support.