Author: Anthony

Maintaining the illusion

In a real democracy the revelations of the mafia type scams engaged in by estate agents and mortgage brokers as exposed on last Monday’s Prime Time would provoke immediate and effective police action.

In this corrupt state no effective action is ever taken. It is however, very important to maintain the illusion that Ireland is an accountable democracy. Here are some examples of great Irish illusionists.

Bertie Ahern, our Prime Minister declared that legislation to deal with such corruption is due to come before the Oireachtas shortly. This is a standard response by politicians, it means nothing. There are dozens of urgent bills ‘due any day now’.

Billy Hawkes, The Data Protection Commissioner has sent in a team of inspectors to investigate the two companies highlighted in the Prime Time programme. He has also said his office will be carrying out random inspections of mortgage brokers over the next couple of weeks.

The suspicion here is that this idea of actually inspecting companies has only just occurred to the commissioner. In any case the commissioner’s office is, like all Irish ‘enforcement’ authorities, a toothless tiger.

Paul Appleby, Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement has launched a consultation paper to address the very dodgy activities surrounding many estate management companies covered by the Prime Time programme.

Submissions from interested parties should be on Mr. Appleby’s desk by next March. No sense of urgency there. Doesn’t matter really because Mr. Appleby’s office is also a toothless tiger.

The so called Financial Regulator is also going to investigate the mafia type operations of estate agents, developers and estate management companies as a result of the programme.

Don’t expect much here as this organization is the must useless of all Irish ‘enforcement’ authorities.

Despite the millions that have been robbed from consumers by financial institutions over recent years, the FR has never taken action against any of them. In any case, consumers will never know the result of the investigation because the FR treats all such information as a state secret.

Barry Andrews, Fianna Fail backbencher was wheeled out to waffle about how the Government was going to take action. He (rashly) stated that he would see to it that action would be taken before the upcoming general election. His promises mean nothing as he is a powerless non entity.

Irish consumers can be sure of only one thing – the State will take no effective action against these cowboys.

National self respect?

I see the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has died. Right up to his death the Chileans pursed him on human rights, fraud and corruption charges.

In contrast, our corrupt ‘little dictator’ Haughey, was well looked after by the State. He was allowed to live out his final days in luxury with the full support and loyalty of our current Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern.

When Haughey died he was given a State funeral at which Ahern delivered a glowing oration for the corrupt politician.

The Chileans could teach us something about national self respect.

Failing to make connections

Last night’s ‘Prime Time Investigates’ revealed evidence of massive corruption in the Irish housing market. Estate agents, developers and estate management company’s are ripping off house buyers in scams that would make the mafia blush. The few laws governing this area are broken with impunity.

In recent times this excellent programme has exposed similar corruption in the legal, health, banking and motor industry. Here are a few questions.

Why is it that a television crew can go out any day, pick any industry, and uncover serious criminal activity? There are dozens of so called regulators in Ireland, yet they never uncover this type of corruption.

Why is it that no action has been taken against these criminals? The evidence is there on file and film, just waiting for a police investigation. Nothing ever happens.

Why is it that the Irish people never get angry when they see that the State protects the criminals at the expense of the consumers?

A hint of an answer can be derived from the recent polls carried out after our Prime Minister was found to have accepted ‘loans’ and ‘gifts’ from friends. A majority of people felt that his actions were wrong but that he should not be held accountable.

In other words, Irish people are unable to make a connection between a rampantly corrupt society and the dodgy behavior of politicians. They fail to see that the corrupt take their cue from the actions of the body politic.

For so long as they fail to make this connection, they will continue to be robbed.

New depths of stupidity

We witnessed a good example of Irish political stupidity on last Monday’s Primetime special on RTE 1. Junior Health Minister Tim O’Malley was being interviewed about the lack of psychiatric care for children.

Here’s some brief background; there are only 13 psychiatric beds for children in Ireland. Norway, with a similar population has 30 times as many. Many reports have been commissioned and allowed gather dust over the last 40 years. After each report politicians promise that action will be taken and then break their promise by doing nothing.

There are now more than 3,000 children on a waiting list just to get their first psychiatric assessment, never mind actual treatment. As a result of this political incompetence and neglect, thousands of children and their families are condemned to endless suffering.

This situation is not unique. Incompetence, neglect and corruption are rampant at practically every level of Irish society and in particular within the public and civil service.

O’Malley, however, plumbed to new depths of ineptitude when he couldn’t even lie effectively. When he was challenged about the disgraceful waiting lists he blamed the doctors.

He claimed that they deliberately ensure that waiting lists reach into the hundreds because it makes them feel very powerful. There could be no misunderstanding of what O’Malley was saying and what he meant.

Naturally, there was anger and outrage within the medical community, so you would think that even someone as stupid as O’Malley would accept that he was wrong to make such allegations and apologise. Not our Tim, his silly explanation added insult to injury.

“I regret if a couple of sentences, taken from a lengthy interview, gave an impression that I was of any different opinion,”

Fine Gael’s Dr Liam Twomey described O’Malley as a stupid, ignorant, arrogant fool.

That’s just about right.

Blind corruption

The ability to deny reality is a vital necessity when living in a corrupt state. Countless thousands of citizens who regularly rob, cheat, humiliate and otherwise abuse their fellow citizens must have a psychological ability to see their actions as normal. They must be able to compartmentalise their crimes so that they do not conflict with their social and family activities.

Irish bank officials, for example, who robbed millions from their customers over the years, taught their children that stealing was wrong and yet went to work every day and stole from their customers without ever accepting that they were committing the same crime.

We have seen over the years that Irish politicians, solicitors, businessmen, civil servants, policemen and many other sections of Irish society have developed this Jekyll and Hyde ability of acting corruptly while pretending to live normal lives.

This pretence, however, can be upset when questions are asked by somebody from outside the jurisdiction, somebody who has lived, trained and worked in a jurisdiction not infected by the disease of corruption. This was the case in the Neary scandal. Dr. Michael Neary destroyed the lives of scores of healthy women by unnecessarily removing their wombs.

His activities were obviously wrong but nobody asked questions until the arrival of a nurse from the UK, a non corrupt jurisdiction. Despite coming under severe pressure to keep quiet this woman persisted and an investigation was carried out by a group of Dr. Neary’s fellow doctors.

It should come as no surprise that these doctors, who, after all, live and operate within a corrupt state, found that Dr. Neary had no case to answer. In fact, one of them commented that Neary’s patients should consider themselves lucky to have the services of such an accomplished doctor.

When the case was reviewed by another doctor outside our corrupt jurisdiction he immediately concluded that there were grounds for grave concern, finally forcing the Irish Government to conduct an independent inquiry. (This report is well written and worth reading)

As a result of the scandal, a number of the victims made an official complaint to the Irish Medical Council against the doctors who carried out the initial review of Neary’s activities.

Like Irish solicitors and bankers, Irish doctors are allowed to investigate themselves in secret. When a few of the victims made the modest request (13th item) for permission to attend the fitness to practice hearing, they were, of course, denied.

The legal protection enjoyed by The Irish Medical Council is so strong that they could not even confirm that the meeting they held to deny the victims their request actually took place.

Money? – Yes Law? – No

The recent suggestion by Fine Gael Cllr. Michael Fitzgerald that his rural constituents should be exempt from the law on drinking and driving serves as a good example of the irresponsible attitude of the Irish when it comes to law enforcement.

There was another good example on last Wednesday’s Drivetime (Farm News). Irish farmers have been whingeing for years about a proposed EU directive designed to reduce the environmental damage caused by nitrates.

When it comes to EU money, the Irish always plead special case status for more. When it comes to EU law we always plead for less. And so it was with the Nitrate Directive. The farmers finally wore the EU bureaucrats down and got special status. In other words, they are free to continue their environmentally damaging ways.

But the farmers weren’t finished yet. The Irish Farmers Association is insisting that farmers should be given a copy of the check list used by inspectors and also a minimum of 14 notice of any inspection, which, of course completely negates the whole exercise.

Criminal prosecution? Depends on who you are

There was a major raid in Cork last Monday by the Gardai, Criminal Assets Bureau, National Bureau of Investigation and Immigration Bureau. The raid was part of an investigation into human trafficking, money laundering, tax evasion and other serious crimes.

Money laundering and tax evasion are serious crimes in Ireland? That’s certainly news to me.

Anyone observing the activities of financial institutions, politicians, property developers and many other so called pillars of society over the decades could be forgiven for thinking that money laundering and tax evasion were legitimate business activities in this country.

It depends, of course, on who you are. The raid in Cork, which involved over 80 gardai, targeted the sleazy underbelly of the city’s sex industry. No doubt, many of these people will be charged, brought to court and if found guilty, sent to jail. Other citizens, however, can rob millions and get away scot free.

Take for example the Bailey brothers, building developers and major tax criminals. For decades these criminals robbed millions from the State. Recently, they ‘made an arrangement’ with Revenue in which they paid back €22 million, the largest personal tax settlement in the history of the State (Yes, that figure is correct – €22 million).

There is not the slightest doubt that if these two criminals lived in any other country in the world, they would now be serving a very long jail sentence.

Frank Daly, our esteemed Revenue chairman tells us that a criminal prosecution was not tenable because of the passage of time, difficulty of collecting evidence and the likelihood of getting people to cooperate.

This laughable explanation was immediately followed by the even more farcical claim.

“It is the policy of Revenue to prosecute and then collect money in large tax offence cases.”

No doubt it would also be claimed that the large ‘donations’ made by these criminals over the years to various political parties had no bearing whatsoever on their special treatment.

Thieving solicitors and angry citizens

There was an excellent example today (19th item) of how effective and efficient the legal system can be in our little banana republic.

It seems that a group of people, fed up with being allegedly ripped off and abused by certain members of the legal profession gave vent to their anger on a website – rateyoursolicitor.com. A barrister took exception to remarks made about her and is suing a Mr. Gill, the alleged administrator of the site, for defamation.

A supporter of Mr. Gill apparently ‘snorted’ today in court while the judge was speaking and refused to apologise. The judge fined him €10,000 on the spot for contempt of court.

So, what have we here? A serious dispute between two angry citizens – a barrister and Mr. Gill. The case is dealt with in open court where everybody can see justice being done. The public can attend; the media can attend and report.

Both sides are equally represented and allowed make their case which will be decided in due course. One citizen was found to be in contempt of court and received instant justice in the form of a heavy fine.

All these activities and procedures are normal in any legitimate democracy.

Just over a year ago it was discovered that at least twenty solicitors had robbed tens of thousands of Euros from their clients.

These particular clients had been abused, both physically and sexually, for years by both the State and Church in various institutions. The money robbed was part of a meagre compensation for their years of torture and abuse. Many of them are illiterate and were therefore easy prey for these legal vultures.

None of these thieving solicitors will be brought to a court of law like Mr. Gill and his supporters. Their cases are being judged by fellow solicitors, behind closed doors, in secret by the Irish Law Society.

Only one case has been completed to date and the solicitor in question was completely exonerated by his peers. Despite this outrageous outcome, the money robbed, €11,670, was repaid to the victim who lives in England and survives on benefits of stg£116 per week.

The judge dealing with Mr. Gill and his supporters delivered a stern warning to them on the seriousness of their alleged actions.

“In a civilized society, there were some things you were not permitted to do. Mr. Gill and his members had crossed that line.”

Apparently, there is no line for some members of the legal profession.

Cowboy politics

I see Dessie Stewart of the DUP has been sentenced to four months in jail for electoral fraud. The former lord mayor of Coleraine took 15 postal votes belonging to residents of an elderly care home and cast them for the DUP in last year’s local elections.

How he must envy politicians in our banana republic who regularly involve themselves in electoral fraud but very rarely face a police investigation, never mind actually going to jail.

Take Lorcan Allen of Fianna Fail for example. During the local elections in 2004 he circulated thousands of letters, at taxpayer’s expense, with a forged signature of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

So, did Mr. Allen go to jail? No. Was he even investigated by the police? No. After an ‘investigation’ by his own party’s rules and procedure committee, he was suspended from the party for one year.

He was still allowed to take his seat on the local council that his corruption had helped him secure.

Corruption – Alive and well

There is a belief within a good section of the Irish media that the bad old days of corruption are behind us. Planning corruption, for example, is almost always talked about as if it doesn’t happen any more. But of course, it is still rife, it’s just that the corrupt are a little more careful now in case they end up giving evidence before a tribunal.

Sometimes, we get examples of ‘the good old days’ of blatant corruption. The Irish Times recently reported such a case. Members of North Tipperary County Council convened a special meeting to force county manager Terry O’Niadh to break the law.

They want him to grant planning permission for an unauthorised development to a Mr. Duggan, a businessman who has already being convicted for non-compliance with planning laws.

While Fianna Fail is by far the most corrupt political party in Ireland, this case is a reminder that the disease of corruption has infected all the main political parties.

Fine Gael, the so called party of law and order and the Labour party are also supporting this attempt to break the law.