Category: Body Politic

'Accountability' without consequences is not accountability

Here’s a snippet from an interview with the Director General of RTE after being asked should those involved in the Fr. Reynolds scandal remain on while investigations are ongoing (Six One News).

I wasn’t directly involved in the decisions that led up to the broadcast of the programme.

But you’re editor in chief of RTE?

Absolutely, and I absolutely take absolute responsibility in that regard.

Here’s a snippet from Kevin Cardiff when he appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee of European Affairs.

My role as accounting officer is to take responsibility for these things, to deal with them when they arise, to rectify them as best I can, to account for them to this committee, to account for them to the Minister.

Brian Cowen and other politicians gave similar replies when asked about their responsibility for the financial catastrophe visited upon the nation.

This saying of the words, I accept full responsibility, without accepting the consequences of that accountability is a typical and uniquely Irish attitude among Western nations.

These people are more than happy to accept the power, privilege and enormous salaries that come as part of their jobs but absolutely refuse to accept any consequences when they make mistakes.

This inability or refusal to accept actual responsibility rather than just saying the words is a common feature of all failed states.

Politicians: stupid; arrogant – or both?

It seems that our rulers, despite warnings from Leo Varadkar, have quietly introduced legislation that allows ministers to drive in bus lanes.

I sometimes wonder whether it’s arrogance that makes politicians stupid or stupidity that makes them arrogant.

Most of the self awarded perks and advantages enjoyed by politicians are usually, after some brief anger, quickly forgotten.

But this perk, as ministers speed by on ‘important’ government business, will act as a constant reminder to the peasants of their lowly place in the great scheme of things.

Copy to:

Fine Gael
Labour

Pensions for deceased ministers children – An outrage

Army pensions were the topic of discussion on Liveline yesterday. Army wives and some ex soldiers were reacting to the generous pension arrangements for politicians in comparison to the poor pension provisions for army personnel.

Joe Duffy read out some details on the provisions for widows and children of deceased ministers.

Wife of deceased office holder is eligible for a pension equal to one half of the office holders pension entitlement.

If the deceased had less than three years pensionable service, i.e. was a minister for less than three years, the spouses pension is calculated as if the deceased had served for three years.

The child of a deceased minister may receive a pension up to the age of twenty one. Children’ pensions are flat rate amounts but are revised in line with pay movements. The rates as of November 2008 are €2,996 per child per year.

That every child of a deceased minister is entitled to any monies whatsoever, never mind a pension up to the age of twenty one, is an outrage.

As I have said on many previous occasions – it is long past time that the people of Ireland united to bring our corrupt political system crashing down.

Note to Marian Finucane: Flirting with reality can be embarrassing

Journalist and Fianna Fail supporter, Noel Whelan, was on the Marian Finucane Show (Saturday) discussing his new book – Fianna Fail, A biography of the Party.

He was joined in the discussion by former PD leader, Des O’Malley and historian and broadcaster, John Bowman.

None of the participants had any notion whatsoever of what they were talking about.

Any Irish citizen who engages in a discussion on the history of Fianna Fail for over thirty minutes without once mentioning the word ‘corruption’ is either clinically brain dead or is living in a parallel universe.

The criminal Haughey, for example, was only mentioned briefly on a number of occasions with no reference whatsoever to his long criminal career in politics.

It seems that this vastly experienced and professional group of people, deeply involved, for decades, in Irish politics and journalism, sees no connection between the most corrupt political party in the land, its former leader, the criminal Haughey, and the ultimate destruction of the nation.

Marian referred to those who are still proud to be a member of Fianna Fail, specifically referring to the recent rant by Fail TD, Robert Troy, who seems to resent being treated like something one would walk on, on the streets.

John Bowman’s response was incredible:

And so they should be, Fianna Fail has a fantastic record. It has changed this country, it has modernised this country. During the war it held the country together on a policy of neutrality when other parties were much more fragmented so it has a lot to be proud of.

Before I go any further let’s take a brief look at Bowman’s record.

He has a PhD in Political Science. He chaired Questions and Answers for 21 years where he dealt with the avalanche of political and business corruption that came down upon the people of Ireland during those years.

He has written several books on Irish politics/history.

You will not find many people in Ireland, and not one person in the media, willing to criticise this icon of the Irish state and yet he’s obviously a complete ignoramus on the subject of Fianna Fail and the major part played by that party in the destruction of Ireland.

We witness a hint of Bowman’s ignorance when he has to go back 72 years to Fianna Fail’s policy of neutrality in World War II for an example of the party’s so called good leadership.

He goes on to tell the nation where it all went wrong for Fianna Fail.

People were voting for Fianna Fail because they were economically competent. “Don’t much like them but they know how to run the country.”

They were trading on economic competence and because they were economically incompetent in the last government that’s where it all melted away.

So, this ‘great’ intellectual and so called political scientist labours under the delusion that Fianna Fail was, until very recent times, an economically competent party, a party who knew how to run the country?

Even Marian Finucane couldn’t handle this level of ignorance.

Mind you, given the amount of time they were in power in the 85 years, it was like cyclical that they were incompetent. If you take the emigration of the 50s, the disaster of the 80s and the current situation, they were running the show?

Finucane’s deadly and very accurate assessment of reality was followed by an embarrassed silence caused, I suspect, by what Bowman saw as an impertinent challenge to his usually unchallenged political analysis.

He began to splutter.

Mmm…yeah….but…well emigration was driven not necessarily…I mean there’s an assumption in your question that if only the politicians could get the policy right we’d have no emigration.

Finucane wasn’t talking about emigration; she was exposing Bowman’s ridiculous analysis of recent Irish history.

Before any more embarrassment could be inflicted on Bowman, Noel Whelan interrupted and changed the subject.

Finucane should really be more careful about straying from the parallel universe in which most of the Irish media enjoy a comfortable existence with their political friends.

Flirting with reality can be embarrassing.

Italians light years ahead of the Irish in recognising corrupt and traitorous politicians

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has resigned amid jeers from hundreds of protesters shouting buffoon, clown and Mafiosi.

What an uncivilised lot.

Here in our banana republic when the criminal Haughey was forced to resign in disgrace he was warmly praised by most of our gombeen party leaders.

Most of the media elevated the criminal to the status of national statesman excusing his crimes by arguing that he had done more good than bad.

When the scumbag Ahern was also forced to resign in disgrace he too was elevated to the status of national hero by the body politic.

When the then leader of the Opposition, Enda Kenny, suggested that perhaps there should be an election he was roundly condemned, not just by Ahern’s confederates in treason, but also by the same section of the media who agreed with Ahern’s description of the criminal Haughey as being a patriot to his fingertips.

The Italians are light years ahead of the Irish when it comes to recognising and reacting to corrupt and traitorous politicians.

Gallagher: Clinically incapable of telling the truth

Journalist, barrister and Fianna Fail supporter Noel Whelan talking about his good friend Sean Gallagher on the Marian Finucane Show last Sunday.

He cannot be caught unless something catastrophic happens to his campaign in the remaining four or five days.

Gallagher’s problem is simple.

He, in common with all Irish politicians, is clinically incapable of telling the truth.

Pakistan/Ireland: Little difference

Reforming Pakistani politician Imran Khan was interviewed by Pay Kenny today and what he had to say was very interesting when compared to the political situation in Ireland.

For me there was a realisation in the 1990s that unless people who were clean came into politics we were condemned to be ruled by criminals and corruption was the number one issue in the country.

Ireland is still waiting for someone clean to come into politics, someone who will actually dismantle the corrupt system that has destroyed the country.

Pakistan is ahead of Ireland in that corruption is recognised as a major issue that has to be tackled if the country is to progress in any meaningful way.

While individual incidences of political and business corruption are reported and analysed in Ireland there has been no acknowledgement whatsoever of the fact that corruption is at the centre of everything that is rotten in the country.

Pakistani politicians use politics to benefit themselves, to make money out of politics. I decided to form my own party and become an anti-status quo party to bring about genuine democracy as opposed to a kleptocracy.

Ireland is well on the way to becoming a kleptocracy. Rampant theft and fraud within the financial sector, for example, is actively facilitated by politicians and government officials.

Politicians have honed the theft of expenses into a fine art, even managing to enact laws that allow them to legally rob the state.

Nobody is held accountable because both main parties who are responsible for massive corruption take turns in ruling and therefore do not hold each other accountable (paraphrased).

The same situation pertains in Ireland. The interests of all the major parties are dependent on protecting the corrupt system that allows them to gain power and influence.

It is only when a (revolutionary) party or individual smashes that cosy political cartel of corruption that we will see real reform in Ireland.

They (political parties) could not allow institutions that would hold them accountable.

Criminal politicians like Haughey were allowed to live out long corrupt careers without the slightest worry that they might be held to account by any state agency.

No state authority, not even the police; is allowed (or willing) to act independently of the political system when it comes to political or white collar crime.

Corruption and crime is rampant within large sectors of the financial, legal and business sectors in Ireland yet no so called regulatory authority has ever made any serious attempt to root out the criminality.

No bank or bank official, for example, has ever been prosecuted for fraud or corruption despite the theft of countless millions from consumers over the decades.

The reason we have to beg is that the rich don’t pay tax in Pakistan the political leadership doesn’t pay taxes so the entire tax burden falls on the common man so the poor subsidise the rich.

Part of the reason why Ireland has to ‘beg’ from the EU/IMF is because those with power and influence only pay minimum taxes.

Over the decades a privileged golden circle, which still exists, was allowed to grow rich off the fat of the land without making any contribution whatsoever.

I accept that the degree and depth of corruption in Pakistan is more serious but Ireland is on the same road.

It is, essentially, governed under the same principles of greed, corruption and injustice as Pakistan.

Nothing will change until the corrupt political system is destroyed

A caller to today’s Liveline provides us with a good example of the ruthlessness and greed of the banking sector.

The caller, an elderly lady, used her entire life savings to pay €100,000 off her son’s mortgage when he found himself in deep trouble.

The bank, the EBS, must have been rubbing its hands in glee as this part of the mortgage was on a tracker contract and so its payment would save the bank a substantial amount of money.

The woman then asked the EBS to come to an agreement for the rest of the mortgage (€50,000) which was on a fixed contract.

Not a chance lady, if you want to pay this part of the mortgage off we will impose a substantial penalty.

It’s the law she was told, it’s policy she was told.

You do us a favour, we screw you.

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, took time our from her busy schedule organising a no holds barred crackdown on alleged social welfare fraudsters to gently ask the banks to go a bit easy on the increasingly desperate peasants.

I actually would like to see the banks becoming active in reaching out to the citizens who have become embroiled in debt because of the recession, losing their job, losing their business.

The critical thing, said the Minister, is that people should engage with their lender.

We can see from the above example what happens to people when they ‘engage’ with their ruthless lenders.

Fergus Finlay has a good article in today’s Irish Examiner on the mortgage crisis in which he brings up the subject of revolution.

In my opinion the big picture is very simple.

The corrupt political system allowed the banks and others destroy our country.

The corrupt political system continues to protect the banks and others who destroyed our country.

Nothing will change until the people destroy the corrupt political system.

Dr Ed Walsh: An intellectual idiot who should be confined to a nunnery

I have always had my hair cut short and last week I took the ultimate step of getting a complete head shave.

But having a billiard ball hairstyle didn’t stop me from going through the motions of pulling my hair out as I listened to the founding president of the University of Limerick, Dr. Ed Walsh, spouting pure bullshit at Beal na mBlath last Sunday.

According to this fool Ireland should never have joined the eurozone because:

Had Ireland remained outside the euro, its bankers would not have gained access to the euro zone’s vast and low-interest borrowing opportunities.

Without the outlandish credit available within the euro zone, the building bubble, the resultant government tax windfalls and Ahern’s, McCreevy’s and Cowen’s spending splurge would have been impossible. The country would not now be in receivership.

Irish banks, he said, were guilty of nothing more than some foolish borrowing. German and French banks, on the other hand, were reckless to lend to Irish banks. The European Central Bank failed in its duty to properly regulate all this activity.

Let’s just paraphrase this idiot’s opinion.

If Ireland had not joined the Eurozone the greedy vermin who inhabit the financial sector would have had no opportunity to carry out their crimes.

If Ireland had not joined the eurozone the political scumbags who made it possible for the bankers and developers to gamble away the wealth of the country would have found themselves with no other choice but to govern in a responsible, accountable and transparent manner.

If Ireland had not joined the eurozone Irish regulators would have been capable of dealing with the minor and very rare instances of financial crime and not overwhelmed by the massive wave of fraud brought on by those nasty loans from Europe.

In a sentence – If Ireland had not joined the eurozone our country would still be a nirvana of political, financial and regulatory stability and happiness.

The man is a complete idiot. His views confirm the old adage that education is no guarantor of intelligence.

By now, even the most ignorant dunderhead must be aware of the following facts:

The Irish political system is corrupt to its very core. If our political system was isolated on a planet billions of miles from the nearest German bank Ireland would still be a political/financial basket case. The political system would still operate with just one aim – to enrich the few at the expense of the many.

The Irish financial sector is infested with ruthless vermin who are free to rob and plunder as they wish with no fear whatsoever of being brought to justice.

The Irish regulatory system does not, in fact, regulate. It is not a case of light regulation, there is no regulation whatsoever. In many cases the so called regulators assist, defend and protect the vermin in their crimes.

This fool then goes on to compare Michael Collins, a true patriot, with the lying traitor Brian Lenihan. Collins, we are told, would have recognised Lenihan’s unrelenting commitments to Ireland.

Bullshit.

Collins would have recognised Lenihan for what he was; a gombeen lying traitor who worked tirelessly to protect the interests of a powerful and ruthless ruling elite.

Collins would have thrown Lenihan and his fellow scumbag traitors in jail for destroying the hopes of the Irish people, for destroying the independence that he, Collins and his fellow patriots, had fought and died for.

As for idiot intellectuals, I think Collins would have been charitable and confined them to a nunnery where they could do little harm.