Fianna Fail – Page 23 – Public Inquiry

Lee – Now part of the system

On 19th May last I wrote about the passion and honesty of Fine Gael’s new TD George Lee after he suggested Seanad Eireann should be abolished.

Keeping in mind that Fine Gael, in common with all political parties, sees the Senate as a very rich gravy train I warned that it was only a matter of time before George was taken to one side and indoctrinated into the realities of Irish political life. Here’s some of what I wrote:

It’s only a matter of time before George is hauled down into the dark, damp pit of Irish politics where all new arrivals on the political scene are strapped into a seat, have a very bright light shone in their faces and ruthlessly indoctrinated into the realities of Irish political life.

And judging from a report on Newstalk 106 it seems that George has had his first session in the pit. He has denied that he called for the Seanad to be scrapped saying he meant it needed reform.

We can see from Lee’s response to the O’Donoghue expenses scandal (Irish Independent) that he is by now almost totally integrated into the mostly corrupt Irish political system.

After first expressing the usual but meaningless outrage Lee goes on to mouth the standard waffle we have come to expect from politicians who want to give the impression that action is about to be taken on an issue.

I’m going to raise a parliamentary question about this matter, it’s unacceptable behaviour in the present climate, it’s time to tighten up on the rules and I’ll be asking if there are any reforms planned in this area. This is all pure truth avoiding, playing for time waffle – Express outrage, promise reform and hope that, in time, people will forget.

According to the report in the Irish Independent:

Mr Lee said he was more interested in finding out if there had been a culture of over-spending by ministers during the reign of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern rather than pursuing an explanatory statement from Mr O’Donoghue.

This is the usual cynical strategy, put the focus on the past and restrict your comments to a narrow range of politicians, ministers in this case from a previous Fianna Fail administration.

This sly strategy allows politicians to avoid mentioning the elephant in the room – that practically all parties, including George Lee’s party, have been for decades, feeding out of the same expenses trough at huge cost to the taxpayer. Much of this greedy and unregulated feeding is nothing less than straightforward theft.

John O'Donaghue and other traitors

Minister of State, Conor Lenihan, was on the Marian Finucane Show (Sunday) parroting the same dishonest arguments made by his aunt, Mary O’Rourke, in defence of John O’Donoghue’s disgraceful abuse of taxpayer’s money. Lenihan did, however, add some twists to his own particular waffle.

Starting off with the usual ‘John is a good friend of mine’, Lenihan said he wouldn’t put pressure on him to explain his actions because that might lead to an inquiry that would involve everything that has happened in the last ten years.

Like his aunt Lenihan then blamed the civil servants:

John O’Donoghue had no hand, act or part in booking reservations; they were all made by civil servants.

He immediately added that he wasn’t blaming the civil servants and later said it was just the administrative system but he wasn’t blaming the system either. Actually, this makes perfect sense in our corrupt state – When bad things happen nobody is ever to blame.

John O’Donoghue is, according to Lenihan, a hard working politician who isn’t interested in a lavish lifestyle but if people want him to properly represent Ireland a price has to be paid. A good example of the price paid by Irish taxpayer’s is revealed in yesterday’s Sunday Tribune.

O’Donoghue spent €472 on a limousine to take him from Terminal 3 in Heathrow airport to Terminal 1 – a journey which would have taken three minutes on the airport’s free shuttle service.

This, according to Linehan, is not lavish?

Like his aunt, Lenihan claimed that O’Donoghue couldn’t make a public statement on the scandal because it might bring the office of Ceann Comhairle into disrepute but he went further by suggesting that the office of Ceann Comhairle was on a par with that of the President and therefore not even a government minister has the right to demand accountability.

That’s a matter for the Ceann Comhairle (accountability), I have an obligation as a Government Minister not to criticise the President. The Ceann Comhairle is in a similar enough position. It’s not really appropriate for a Government minister to go around telling or ordering the Ceann Comhairle or the President of this country what they should or shouldn’t do and I’m not going to start doing that on this programme.

This, of course, is a ridiculous statement and Lenihan should have been nailed by the RTE presenter, Rachel English. She should have forced him to state on what basis he was making such a claim but yet again RTE simply accepted the word of a politician as gospel.

The response to this latest scandal by O’Rourke, Lenihan and politicians in general is as predictable as it is cowardly. They have little interest in the welfare of Irish citizens or the good of the country. They’re only interested in their own enrichment, the enrichment of their fellow politicians and the interests of those who fund and support them.

They are, in a word, traitors.

Copy to:
Conor Lenihan
John O’Donoghue
Marian Finucane Show

(Marie Antoinette) O'Rourke defends her friend John O'Donoghue

The people of Ireland, as they struggle with the disastrous consequences of political incompetence and corruption, can take solace in the knowledge that Fianna Fail TD Mary O’Rourke, the Marie Antoinette of Irish politics, understands their anger.

Speaking in defence of John O’Donoghue’s extravagant expenses on Newstalk’s Lunchtime (Wed 19th), O’Rourke said she could understand people’s anger as they struggled to cope with the economic crisis but didn’t think it was her place to criticise O’Donoghue.

This is not Fianna Fail propaganda but I wouldn’t put pressure on him to explain, why should I, he’s a minister and I’m a back bencher and we each live our lives according to ourselves and I would think he would be best positioned whether he should go public or not.

Civil servants, she said, were to blame for the expensive hotels, nothing to do with politicians.

Questioned on the need for O’Donoghue to spend a full week in Cheltenham at taxpayer’s expense she replied:

Agencies like Horse Racing Ireland would always want a front of house person to add a bit of glitz and colour.

On the angry public reaction to the scandal she said:

It’s 2009 and things are extremely difficult so we’re judging what happened some years ago in a land of plenty, at a time of plenty. We’re judging them by today’s much more rigorous and much more stringent circumstances and of course that gives an added patina of dissatisfaction and envy.

She goes on:

That kind of atavistic spirit which is so evident now and I can understand it being evident because times are very tight and people are wondering how to get school books and clothes on the back of kids. At a time like that sentiments of that kind of atavistic nature can produce themselves and can lead to anger.

I checked out the definition of ‘atavistic’. Pertaining to, or characterized by atavism; reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type.

On O’Donoghue’s refusal to provide an explanation.

Maybe he sees that in his present position of Ceann Comhairle that he doesn’t want to go public explaining things of three or four years ago, I mean what does he want (need) to explain?

On the practice of taking along partners on trips:

There are men and women who feel better and can perform better if they have a partner with them I don’t see anything wrong in that.

Here’s my interpretation of O’Rourke’s mindset.

I absolutely refuse to make any criticism of my fellow party colleague. I do, however, think he’s a brilliant servant of the State and its people. Civil servants are to blame for any extravagance and my colleague has no responsibility in the matter whatsoever.

Some citizens are, of course, angry but this is because they are too stupid to see that all this happened a long time ago and we now live in different times. This has resulted in a reversion to primitive instincts among the peasant class making them resentful and envious.

My good friend John may at some point decide to briefly lower himself to peasant level to explain, in simple terms, the intricacies of wielding great power but he must take care not to become too familiar with ordinary folk as this could have a detrimental affect on the prestige and respect due to him as holder of the illustrious office of Ceann Comhairle.

A lazy, uninformed and largely captured media

The O’Donoghue expenses scandal was discussed recently on Today FM’s Sunday Supplement (9th August) where columnists Fiona Looney, Sarah Carey and Hugh Linehan of the Irish Times ‘enlightened’ the nation on the matter.

To his credit, Hugh Linehan, got it just about right when he said that the expenses were hugely excessive and such abuses were properly still going on.

Sarah Carey and Fiona Looney, however, thought it was all a bit of a joke.

According to Looney this all happened a long time ago – between 2005 and 2007. We can take from this that Looney would regard 1997 as ancient history when, effectively, the present regime, came to power and began the process that has brought the country to the brink of ruin.

Expressing sympathy for O’Donaghue, Looney said that different rules applied then. Sadly, she didn’t enlighten listeners as to what exactly the ‘rules’ were at the time or how they have changed in the last two years.

Sarah Carey thought the whole thing was a bit of a side show but did express puzzlement about the silence from the Opposition on the matter. She suggested that perhaps they too may have abused their expense accounts when they were last in power and were afraid that this might be exposed if they complained too much.

Here’s the reality.

The greed and arrogance of John O’Donoghue is exactly what can be expected in a corrupt state. The ignorant and mealy mouthed analysis by journalists is exactly what is to be expected from a media operating in a corrupt state.

The silence from the Opposition is exactly what is to be expected in a corrupt state. The entire political expenses system in Ireland is corrupt to the core.

Millions are robbed from taxpayers every year by ruthless and greedy politicians operating within a system designed by politicians for the sole benefit of politicians.

The Opposition is keeping quiet because they also benefit enormously from the same corrupt system, not just when they’re in power as Ms. Carey suggests, but every day, even while in opposition.

One of the principal reasons that allows greedy and ruthless politicians like O’Donoghue to abuse the system with absolute impunity is that Ireland is blighted by a lazy, uninformed and largely captured media.

O'Brien and O'Donoghue – Irish royalty?

Recently, I tuned into the Wide Angle on Newstalk. Dick Roche was on the panel with a couple of journalists.

When the subject of Denis O’Brien and the Moriarty Tribunal came up the presenter informed listeners that the station was owned by O’Brien. There then followed a withering criticism of the tribunal by everybody including the presenter.

The usual attack, too expensive, going on too long, making unsubstantiated claims, should be closed down, not a word of criticism of O’Brien.

O’Brien must be proud that ‘his’ presenter, the journalists and the politician are all in full agreement with him that the tribunal is conducting a personal vendetta against him to justify their existence.

The discussion then turned to the O’Donoghue expenses scandal and among the usual waffle surrounding this scandal we heard what has now become the standard excuse mouthed by dishonest politicians and lazy journalists – It was a different time, different rules (apparently) applied then.

Effectively, we are being told that when there’s lots of money sloshing around it’s perfectly ok for our politicians to spend as if they were royalty.

The big NAMA question

The critical question surrounding the National Assets Management Authority (NAMA) project is – What price is the Government, on behalf of the taxpayer, going to place on the assets of the various financial institutions?

Here’s how Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan answered the question (Morning Ireland, 1st report, 3rd item).

That is the absolutely fundamental question and we’re working on the valuation of these properties and I will announce on behalf of the Government the approximated, estimated figure for how much state bond will be required in the Dail debate in September…I haven’t finalised the figure yet and of course the announcement of that figure is one of considerable market sensitivity.

Here’s my translation:

I’m not going to answer that question now and if I’m forced to do so in September I will only give an ‘approximated, estimated figure’. I’ll refuse to answer any awkward questions at that time by simply saying that the exact figures are of ‘considerable market sensitivity’.

I agree with the Labour Party’s suggestion that the banks should be temporarily nationalised, a strategy that would cost about €5 billion. That would still leave the taxpayer responsible for billions of bad loans currently held by the banks but at least we would know the risks we are facing and have some degree of control over events.

And that’s exactly what the Government is working to avoid. The Government strategy is actually very simple. It wants to transfer the massive liabilities currently bringing down the financial institutions onto to the shoulders of the taxpayer while at the same time ensuring that those institutions remain, to the greatest extent possible, in private ownership.

Private ownership protects profits and ensures continued state protection, principally by the Financial Regulator, for the widespread criminality that has long infected the Irish financal sector.

The hope is that when the dust settles the banks can return to what they do best – squeezing massive profits out of unprotected consumers. The burden of cleaning up the mess created by the reckless and greedy bankers will be left to generations of future taxpayers.

There is, however, one potentially serious obstacle in the way of this cosy strategy between politicians and their banking masters. Ordinary Irish citizens might not wear it; they might, for the first time in modern history, actually rebel.

An editorial in yesterday’s Sunday Independent on the NAMA question refers to a poll in the same newspaper in which a clear majority were in favour of nationalising the banks. The editorial concluded:

The poll reveals a truly worrying level of cynicism about the beneficiaries of public policy, and that cynicism is poisonous to society.

The Government has a duty to rebuild public faith in the political system and it must start by debating its policy decisions openly and honestly. There cannot be the faintest hint of favouritism or cronyism in a decision that could impoverish a generation and it demands justification on a grand scale.

The Government is gambling the future: the people need to know why, and they need to know who benefits.

Public faith in the political system? Openness and honesty in debating public policy? An end to cronyism?

The present corrupt system of administration in this country will never allow such enlightened policies to emerge; only an actual rebellion will do that.

Time to bring the whole rotten system tumbling down

Vomit inducing is the immediate reaction on reading the extravagance of yet another of our low grade politicians who live in a parallel universe where they think they’re royalty (Sunday Tribune).

Former minister John O’Donoghue, his wife Kate Ann, and his private secretary Therese O’Connor ran up a travel bill of over €126,000 in the space of just two years. Among the expenditure were a series of €900-a-night hotels, €7,591 on airport pick-ups during a two-day trip to London, €120 for hat rental, €250 for water taxis and €80 to Indians for moving the luggage.

These people are so far up their own rectums that they are beyond redemption. It is not enough that we have an election to get rid of the current government. That will simply see the replacement of one swarm of parasites with another.

It is long past time that the people of this country brought the whole rotten system tumbling down.

Corruption, accountability and political ignorance

An article in yesterday’s Irish Times by Peter Murtagh relates the story of Seán, a man who, in normal circumstances, wouldn’t say boo to a goose but was now gripped by naked rage because of his financial loss as a result of the banking collapse.

Seán, who voted Fianna Fail all his life, had some colourful language for Fianna Fail, Bertie Ahern and Anglo Irish Bank.

According to Murtagh the principal reason for Seán’s anger was the lack of accountability for the banking fiasco.

This is a misinterpretation of Seán’s anger. Seán is not the slightest bit interested in accountability, his anger stems entirely from the fact that he personally lost money.

If his money hadn’t been invested in Anglo Irish Bank, if it was still secure in some other scheme he wouldn’t have featured in Peter Murtagh’s article.

In other words, he would still be, as Murtagh describes him – a nice quiet man, a gentleman. He would still vote Fianna Fail at the next election as he has done all his life and the financial devastation inflicted on Ireland and its people would only be of passing interest to him as he looked forward to his retirement.

If Seán was genuinely interested in accountability, rather than his own selfish interests, he would not have blindly and consistently voted for the most corrupt political party in the history of the state.

It was only when the disease of corruption infected him personally that he suddenly realized that somebody should be made accountable.

It is this extremely narrow outlook that lies at the root of most of Ireland’s problems. People like Seán do not vote in the national interest, they vote strictly for their own interests and it is this political ignorance that creates the perfect environment for corrupt politicians to buy votes in order to obtain power.

At the end of the article Murtagh suggests that perhaps things are changing.

Maybe the anger of all the Seáns out there will translate into our “betters” being held to account by the Garda, the DPP and the corporate enforcer.

Like Seán, Murtagh is living in a very narrow world completely unaware of the reality of what Ireland has become.

Every single action by the Government and State authorities since the economy collapsed and exposed Ireland as a corrupt state has been to protect and maintain that corrupt system while at the same time trying to convince the international community that we are a normal democratic country.

The Garda, DPP, Corporate Enforcer, and all other so called regulatory agencies are a major part of the problem and the problem will not be resolved until all of these agencies are radically reformed or replaced altogether.

But nothing, absolutely nothing will change until the present corrupt political system is completely destroyed and replaced with a genuine, accountable, democratic system.

That’s how radical we need to be and quoting meaningless sentiments from a Bob Dylan song, as Murtagh does, will certainly make no difference to the forces of corruption that have infested every level of Irish society.

Copy to:
Peter Murtagh

Ned O'Keeffe: Let them eat cake

This seems to have gone below the radar but is a fascinating insight into the minds of TDs, or perhaps more specifically Fianna Fail TDs.

And it goes to the heart of local politics in Ireland – back scratching, vote-buying, cute hoorism and backwoodsman bollocks.

Today’s Evening Echo (Cork) reports:

East Cork TD Ned O’Keeffe has said Rathcormac National School should not be a priority for funding and that it has a “fabulous” layout of Portakabins.

Rathcormac NS has more than 200 pupils and there are nine prefabs in use, at a cost of €83,000 per year.

But it gets worse:

A site alongside the existing school has been identified and architectural designs have been drawn up. The local community has campaigned for a new school for the past decade.

Deputy O’Keeffe insisted, however, that the school was not a priority for him, as Rathcormac was not a place where he gained many votes.

He told the Evening Echo:

“There is a fabulous layout of Portakabins there. There are many other schools that need the funding first. Rathcormac NS will get a new building when funds become available, simple as that.”

Deputy O’Keeffe said he was being honest with the parents’ council of Rathcormac NS when he said he would not lobby the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe.

He explained that he had not received votes in the area when he ran for election to the Dail in 2007.

“I was contacted by a representative for the parents’ council and told her straight out my position. Des O’Malley used to do the same. All things being equal, I asked her why I should look after the people of Rathcormac if they didn’t look after me? I told her there was no funding available.”

Because you’re a fucking elected representative perhaps, Ned, who gets paid by those taxpayers in Rathcormac?

But, there you have it.

Fuck you Rathcormac if you don’t vote for me. And fuck you and your children in their Portakabins.

Fuck you if you don’t vote Fianna Fail. And if you don’t vote for me next time, I might just stop road repairs, reduce the number of gardai, and give planning permission for a dump next to you, too.

[Disclosure] I work for the group which owns the Evening Echo. The opinions expressed are my own.

Drennan finally sees the light

I’m delighted to see that Sunday Independent journalist and (former?) Haugheyite, John Drennan, has at last realized what kind of a country he lives in.

Here’s some of what Drennan had to say in 2007 in defence of his hero the corrupt Haughey, the man, more than any other, who is responsible for turning Ireland into the banana republic it is today.

Why Haughey was never found to be corrupt:

Mr. Haughey was merely following precedents set by such illustrious figures as O’Connell and Parnell.

Reason for perception that Haughey was corrupt:

Haughey’s ‘corruption’ is the fantastical creation of a petit bourgeoisie of Tim Healy-style hysteria mongers, whose insipid viciousness explains their expertise in the price of everything and their ignorance about the value of anything.

On Haughey’s ‘fiscal probity’:

Mr. Haughey did make money courtesy of some good advice from patriotic sources.

On taking money from businessmen:

Of course Mr. Haughey did take money from Ben Dunne and other public-spirited businessmen. However, this was for life-style as distinct to political purposes.

On Haughey’s ‘insourcing’ of the FF leader’s allowance:

It was in payment for putting his home at Kinsealy at the service of the nation.

On Haughey’s tax problems:

Mr. Haughey did have some minor tax problems. However, unless you are in love with the lifeless technicalities of accountancy it would be easy to believe a gift is not a salary.

On Haughey’s refusal to cooperate with tribunals:

Some would argue that a refusal to obey those semi-legal, amoral instruments of oppression that collude with simpering creeps like Frank Dunlop as both try to save their respective skins was a genuine act of patriotism.

Real reason for hatred of Haughey:

The hatred of Haughey is all about the challenge he posed to a society which was petrified by notions of class…” (Quotes PJ Mara; ‘Haughey’s enemies thought they were ‘the fucking aristocracy.’).

Ireland without Haughey’s type:

…a dandified, foppish, lattefied, hygiene-obsessed, anti-smoking and anti-drinking (unless it’s a glass of red wine for the heart) school of bourgeois… a hissing, pissy, sanctimonious hysterical desert, which could only be invented by the petite bourgeoisie.

Phew – Did this man love Haughey and his standards or what?

Now Drennan, having finally woken up, is talking revolution against the inheritors of the corrupt Haughey’s legacy. Here are some quotes from yesterday’s article.

While the hanging bit is a tad excessive, when it comes to numbers Mr Swift may actually have been too prescriptive — for any bonfire of our Tiger nonentities should include a right good sprinkling of politicians, clerics, regulators, barristers, mandarins and social partners.

Last week, as the IMF unveiled Ireland’s status as a failed political entity, the collective immunity to reason that has gripped our leaders was epitomised by Brian Lenihan’s apparently sincere boast that we were on “the right track”.

What may have far more serious consequences is the apparent belief of our political dullards that, even though the country they created now resembles a pyramid scheme devised by con artists, life should go on as normal.

However, although they are incapable of recognising it, the real truth is that the Ireland created by the “Spoilt Princes” and “Marie Antoinettes” of Fianna Fail is now so damaged that the system needs the sort of revolution where things are busted up and put together again in a radically different way. (This is exactly what needs to be done)

Any transformation in the way this country works needs to start with taking the axe to the top civil service mandarins who have turned this country into an economic tiphead.

we need to select at least six of the top mandarins, line them up against a wall and sack them pour encourager les autres.

The axe need not be confined to our greedy, inept mandarins. It is past time that the salaries of greedy ministers, greedy judges, greedy barristers, greedy university professors and even greedier hospital consultants are halved — and if you people want to revolt, then try your luck in the private sector.

Nothing epitomised the dazed, disengaged incompetent nature of a Cabinet whose capacity to rule is totally compromised by its incestuous relationship with vested interests, more than Dermot Ahern’s recent astonishing claim that he was in politics because it puts money on the table.

So far, the response of the people and our elite to this transformation has been one of dazed stupefaction. However, unless Mr Cowen gets ahead of the people and starts to do the work required to rescue us, he may learn that no amount of sunshine will save him from a revolt by a nation which has been betrayed almost beyond reason by its elite.

Welcome to the Public Inquiry way of thinking Mr. Drennan.