Author: Anthony

Functional democracy; immediate accountability

Following letter published in today’s Irish Times. (Sub. required)

Madam, – It has just been reported that Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, is to face a criminal investigation into his purchase of a property. The investigation was triggered when a government watchdog concluded that Mr Olmert had bought the property at well below market value.

In Israel, as in most Western democracies, where there is strong suspicion of political corruption police involvement is immediate. If sufficient evidence is revealed there is immediate court involvement. If a politician is found guilty there is immediate accountability.

In Ireland, no government watchdog has ever begun a criminal investigation against a politician. The Irish police do not investigate allegations of political corruption.

Instead of immediate accountability, Irish politicians and officials simply turn up at very expensive – and, for the most part, ineffective tribunals to inform the nation that they are suffering from amnesia.

There is not the remotest possibility that our Taoiseach will face an investigation that would make him immediately accountable despite failing to provide satisfactory answers to the many serious questions regarding his acceptance of large amounts of cash.

Recent polls and elections confirm that the majority of Irish citizens are very happy with this state of affairs and apparently have no worries about the serious consequences that inevitably follow when low standards in high places become the norm. – Yours, etc,

Anthony Sheridan

Greens: On the road to destruction

In a functional democracy the participation of a party like the Greens in a coalition government is usually workable. Such coalitions have worked very well in a number of other European countries.

It’s another story, however, in a dysfunctional democracy like Ireland. Parties with high ethical standards have two choices when they get into bed with an intrinsically corrupt party like Fianna Fail.

They either maintain their standards even to the point of giving up power or, do what the Progressive Democrats have done under Mary Harney, abandon all ethical standards in exchange for achieving some of their political aims.

The Greens have clearly opted for the latter strategy. Only a couple of months in office and they agree that;

It’s acceptable to illegally manipulate (Seanad) elections.

It’s acceptable for the Prime Minister to appoint his friends to State boards.

It’s acceptable for government ministers to accept large amounts of cash from businessmen.

It’s acceptable for the Prime Minister to give conflicting and patently unbelievable answers to a tribunal established by the Oireachtas.

It’s acceptable to insult the intelligence of Irish citizens by faithfully parroting (2nd item) the gombeen utterances of ethically blind Fianna Fail politicians.

The Progressive Democrats were wiped out because they abandoned their core principles on corruption and high standards in public life, the Greens are on the same road.

Still waiting for courageous leadership

With few exceptions, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cowardice are the hallmarks of Irish political life.

In today’s Irish Examiner, Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny accuses Bertie Ahern’s cabinet colleagues of cowardice because they will not stand up and say that what he (Bertie) did was wrong.

Before the election Kenny and Rabbitte scurried for cover when polls indicated that Irish citizens were not bothered by the low ethical standards of their Prime Minister.

Pat Rabbitte made his position crystal clear. (1st question)

“I asked some tough questions on the Bertiegate affair and I was down five points in the polls and Mr. Ahern went up five. In politics, especially coming up to a general election, you tend to learn lessons from that.”

In common with the majority of Irish politicians, Kenny and Rabbitte have not the slightest notion of what it is be a leader. It is not, as they seem to think, to slavishly follow the crowd, to pander to the lowest common denominator.

It is to state clearly where you stand, especially on the question of ethics in government and stand by that position no matter what the polls say.

Courageous leaders will attempt to persuade citizens that honest and visionary leadership will ultimately produce a fair society.

Eighty five years of independence and we’re still waiting for that courageous and visionary leadership.

Progress?

With a population of just four million, less than the city of Bristol, and after 15 years of unprecedented economic growth generating fabulous wealth there are still 400,000 Irish citizens who cannot read or write. (4th item)

Waffler abuse

Conor Lenihan, Minister of Justice, Equality and Law Reform Minister for Integration got very tetchy on Saturday View. He was not at all happy that citizens were allowed to express their views on national radio.

He was very upset that the majority of listeners disagreed with his view that Bertie Ahern had done nothing wrong.

He attacked the media, RTE and the programme presenter personally, accusing him of, horror upon horror, conducting a Joe Duffy/Liveline like show which wasn’t proper current affairs.

Bizarrely for a Fianna Fail politician, Lenihan warned the presenter

‘to be careful with the truth’.

When a man in his fifties said that the long line of Lenihan wafflers made him feel like he was doomed to Groundhog Day forever, Conor lost it and accused RTE of abuse.

Imagine, accusing a Fianna Fail politician of being a waffler, the very idea.

SIPO: Powerless and ineffective

Today, I finally received a decision from the Standards in Public Office Commission regarding my complaint about Bertie Ahern.

Dear Mr. Sheridan,

I refer to your email of 10th of October 2006 to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Standards Commission) concerning a complaint about An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Having considered your complaint, along with observations on the matter which it received from Mr. Ahern, the Standards Commission has decided that there is no basis on which to initiate an investigation under the Ethics in Public Office Acts 1995 and 2001.

The Standards Commission may examine the matter again if additional evidence emerges from the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments.

Yours sincerely

Not for a moment did I think the decision would be otherwise. Neither does it surprise me that it took a year (short of three weeks) to process what should be a simple matter

As I wrote before concerning a complaint about another dodgy politician, Pat the Cope Gallagher;

Part of the reason for making these complaints is to challenge government agencies, to expose the fact that they are practically powerless (no accident) and the little power they do have is almost never used – Deliberate policy?

Touche

I’ve been away for a few days and a lot has happened since.

On Saturday View, Justice Minister, Brian Lenihan was doing what he (and his father before him) does best – defending the indefensible. We had the usual pathetic excuses regarding Ahern’s unbelievable financial shenanigans.

It’s the media’s fault; it’s the tribunal’s fault; it was a vulnerable and traumatic time for poor Bertie, blah, blah, blah.

When a caller described the whole thing as media frenzy, Lenihan got a little carried away.

Lenihan:

“There’s an awful lot of people turning off their radio sets this week, I met an incredible number and they weren’t all Fianna Fail supporters.”

Dave O’Connell (Presenter, in surprise):

“Turning off their radios?”

Lenihan:

“They’re not interested.”

O’Connell:

“Isn’t that a terrible indictment when you have the leader of a country being questioned and the public are not interested as to whether he did or didn’t get money?”

Touché

Facing the appalling vista

The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe has resigned after less than a year in office following a series of financial scandals involving some of his cabinet ministers.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, RTEs Charlie Bird expressed the following opinion on the latest episode of Bertigate.

“The public in a sense have already made their verdict on Bertie Ahern in the election. They knew all about this, they voted for him. Now what is at stake for Bertie Ahern is his legacy.”

The possibility of Ahern resigning is such a remote possibility that it doesn’t even enter the consciousness of our most experienced and professional broadcasters.

Over the next week or so Ahern’s financial fantasy world will receive wall to wall coverage and analysis but the question of resignation will hardly be mentioned, if at all.

Everybody knows what the reality is but nobody will actually talk about it. Everybody knows that such low standards are not tolerated in any other Western democracy. Deep down, every Irish citizen knows what we are but very few are prepared to face the appalling vista.

Pure Ballymagash

I nearly fell off my seat laughing on reading the attached report in the Irish Times.

Even in a corrupt country like Ireland, where denial of reality is an integral part of our culture, this takes some beating.

Apparently, everyone concerned is going to pretend that Cllr. Fahy was never jailed for fraud but ‘in reality’ his absence from the council was due to illness.

If this story was broadcast as a comedy sketch there would be immediate complaints for portraying the Irish as stupid.

Pure Ballymagash.

Jailed Galway councillor to retain seat

Lorna Siggins Western Correspondent

Wed, Sep 12, 2007

Independent Galway county councillor Michael “Stroke” Fahy has secured unanimous support from colleagues for retention of his local authority seat while serving a jail sentence.
The former Fianna Fáil representative, who is appealing a 12-month conviction and fine for misappropriation of local authority funds, is in Castlerea prison, Co Roscommon.
The county council was loath to disqualify him under the provisions of the 2001 Local Government Act, on the basis that an appeal of his case was pending. However, the same legislation says a councillor is deemed to have resigned if he or she fails to attend local authority meetings for a continuous six-month period.
A meeting of the council yesterday heard a request from Cllr Fahy for colleagues to accept that his absence from meetings was due to “illness and his attendance in Dublin”. He is not due to be released from prison until January 2008, although his appeal may be heard this November.
Cllr Fahy was sentenced on March 22nd last and given a fortnight to make arrangements for his elderly mother, with whom he had been living in south Galway. On the night before he was due to start his jail term – April 3rd – he was admitted to University College Hospital, Galway, and had a cardiac operation.
The councillor had resigned from Fianna Fáil when a Garda investigation was initiated into misappropriation of funds, following a freedom of information request to the local authority. Councillors are allowed up to 18 months leave of absence if colleagues agree on extenuating circumstances.

© 2007 The Irish Times

Death bus letter

I received a very nice letter from Noel Brett, CEO of the Road Safety Authority today in response to a recent post (The post was emailed to the RSA).

The letter outlined how the RSA responded to the complaint of a bus driver recklessly driving his vehicle with his elbows as he counted his takings. The complainant, Mr. Murphy, was also (rightly) commended for his actions but there was no hint that the RSA would be taking any follow up action to ensure that the driver is made accountable.

What are the chances that the safety of passengers will be protected by making this dangerous driver accountable? About the same, I would say, as getting a straight answer from Bertie Ahern.