Category: Fianna Fail

Fianna Fail mafia

Fianna Fail extremist Brendan O’Connor, writing in last Sunday’s Independent, issued the following hilarious warning:

“If Bertie Ahern is effectively hounded out of office anytime soon, just let me warn you now that the country is going to feel a massive sense of collective shame and regret.”

This piece of idiocy was immediately followed by an even more hilarious mafia style threat:

“And when the hangover kicks in we will look for people to blame. And it won’t be Bertie’s own loyal backbenchers or Brian Cowan. Maybe Enda Kenny and Frank Connolly should organise to be out of the country that week.”

O’Connor is right in one respect; Fianna Fail is a family. He writes about the great tradition of loyalty to the leader, about the (Fianna Fail) family putting on a united face.

Brian Cowen, speaking recently in defence of Bertie the ‘ward boss’ said that loyalty (to the leader/party) was the greatest virtue.

Mary Hanafin, speaking on Today FM last Sunday spoke passionately about how members of the ‘family’ look after each other, how loyal they were to the party. A panel member remarked that it sounded like she was talking about the Sopranos. And of course that’s exactly what Fianna Fail is; a mafia.

Public Affairs Consultant, Peter White was in no doubt when he spoke on the Marian Finucane Show last Sunday.

“There’s only one human quality that Fianna Fail espouses and that’s loyalty to the brotherhood, the party and there’s only one other organisation in Europe that has the same approach – The Mafia.

Forces of law and order waiting for permission

I see Joe Burke, chairman of Dublin Port Company and close friend of Bertie Ahern, is to resume work next week despite being deemed too ill to be questioned by Gardai in a sexual assault investigation (Irish Independent).

Burke has already resumed a full social life but Gardai are still waiting ‘for permission’ from Burke’s medical team before inconveniencing this important man.

It’s reasonable to assume from this timid and respectful approach by the forces of law and order that if Burke’s medical team decides that he can never be questioned then the Gardai will meekly accept that decision.

Unfit for public office

Michael Nugent over at That’s Ireland wrote an excellent piece that gets right to the heart of what Bertiegate is all about. Here’s what he had to say:

At this stage, it doesn’t really matter what findings the Tribunal eventually makes about Bertie Ahern taking bribes from Owen O’Callaghan. Because, even on the basis of Ahern’s own evidence, which is the best spin that he and his supporters can put on things, Bertie Ahern is unfit for public office.

Imagine if Owen O’Callaghan never existed, and the Tribunal had never been established, and yet we somehow became aware of the following behaviour by our Prime Minister. Here’s the situation if Ahern is telling the truth:

• Our Prime Minister took money from businessmen, and put it towards buying a house for himself. He did not pay tax on at least some of this money, which he has described as ‘a political donation for personal use.’

• Our Prime Minister lodged several times his salary into various bank accounts, in his own name, his girlfriend’s name, and his friend Tim Collins name, and he has given varying and unbelievable explanations for these lodgements.

• Our Prime Minister accepted money from friends and businessmen who he appointed to state boards. He said that he appointed them not because they gave him money, but because they were his friends.

• Our Prime Minister was aware for over a decade that political party funds in his constituency had been given to his girlfriend for her to buy a house. This money was not repaid until the Tribunal found out about it.

• Our Prime Minister told our national parliament that he had consulted the tax authorities about certain personal financial transactions of his, when this was not true. He later claimed that ‘the tax authorities’ means his personal tax advisers.

I could go on, but there is more than enough there. Even if he had never met Owen O’Callaghan, Bertie Ahern is unfit for public office. And that is on the basis of Ahern’s own evidence about his personal finances.

Bertie Ahern has corrupted the offices of Finance Minister and Taoiseach, and Fianna Fail, the Green Party and the PDs are corrupting Irish politics by allowing Ahern to stay in office.

PS: Just discovered that Michael Nugent co-wrote the play I Keano with Arthur Mathews and Paul Woodfull. I saw the play recently in Cork Opera House – Absolutely brilliant.

The untouchable golden circle

Sometimes it’s just some small unexpected comment or story that tells us what kind of a country we live in.

An angry caller to last Friday’s Liveline was wondering why people like Bertie Ahern never seem to come under the same scrutiny as ‘ordinary’ citizens.

“One time I had a small business and I had a tax audit. I said to the tax inspectors, why are you hassling the small businesses’? They told me straight out:

‘we’re not allowed go after the big guys.’

They said it reflects badly on Irish business in general, that they have too many smart accountants and smart solicitors and they have friends in high places.

You can ask anyone who has ever worked in Revenue and they will back me up on that. That’s how it is, there’s an untouchable golden circle.”

Joe Duffy – A Bertie man?

Strict balance and the ability to act fairly as devils advocate are the hallmarks of a good broadcaster. Professional broadcasters must also be very careful to keep their own personal views and prejudices out of any discussion.

Few could seriously argue that Joe Duffy doesn’t live up to these laudable standards. But even the most professional of broadcasters can, at times, stray from the straight and narrow.

On last Friday’s show, during discussion about Ahern’s latest fantasies at the tribunal Joe strongly defended Bertie – The ‘loan’ to Celia was not Fianna Fail money per se, it’s in the name of trustees; Bertie works extraordinarily hard, seven days a week morning to night, he can’t remember everything.

Joe was very critical of the overall cost of the tribunal, the length of time it was taking and the fees paid to barristers and even brought up judge Mahon’s tax settlement with Revenue. Generally, he allowed pro Bertie callers to speak without interruption but frequently challenged anti Bertie callers.

At one point towards the end of the programme an anti Bertie caller named Mairead struggled to make her points in the face of an onslaught by Joe, a pro Bertie caller named Mary and Fianna Fail fanatic Jimmy Guerin.

It’s rare to witness someone as professional as Joe Duffy allow his own views to become part of a discussion but it is interesting to note that he is a Bertie man and strongly disapproves of the Mahon Tribunal.

Copy to:
Liveline

Government in hiding

What emerged at the Mahon Tribunal yesterday would cause a major political crisis in a functional democracy. In Ireland, not a single Government Minister or representative, to my knowledge, featured on the national airwaves to tell the people what was going on. All we got was wall to wall talk between journalists.

Morning Ireland – Journalist Brian Dowling. No public representative

Today with Pat Kenny – Journalist Fergal Keane and Michael Clifford. Defence Minister, Willie O’Dea was on talking about Irish troops going to Chad and was only briefly asked about the tribunal.

News at One – Journalist John Kilraine – No public representative.

Drivetime – Journalists Fergal Keane, Brian Dowling, Harry McGee, Justine McCarthy, Terry Prone and Noel Whelan – No public representative.

Six One News – Journalist John Kilraine and Brian Dowling – No public representative.

Nine News – Journalist Brian Dowling – No public representative.

Primetime – Journalists Michael Clifford and Sam Smyth – No public representative.

The Late Debate – Journalists Fionn Sheehan and Fergal Keane. At last, in the middle of the night, two lightweight politicians, Fianna Fail TD Frank Fahy and Fine Gael Senator Eugene O’Regan.

Perhaps they’ll come out of hiding over the weekend.

Different countries – different standards

Today with Pat Kenny (Thursday 21st Feb.).

Report from a real democracy where citizens and public figures are aware of the importance of accountability.

Country – United Kingdom.

Politician – Ian Paisley Jnr.

“There is a perception out there that he is careless in ways and he doesn’t always give enough attention to the correct detail…I have to say, no smoking gun has yet been produced either of him or the developer with whom he’s been aligned or linked.

But the perception out there is what he was doing was bordering on the sharp practice and that’s what militated against him and forced his resignation. And the word sleaze is now endemic within his own party ranks and they feel the party will be tainted because of the perception associated with him in terms of his association with developers.”

Report from a corrupt country where almost all citizens are totally ignorant of the very serious consequences that follow when public figures are not made accountable.

Country – Republic of Ireland.
Politician – Bertie Ahern.

On the lodgement of a particular £5,000 to his account.

“He believes he got it from an individual in a company but he’s now gone back to those people. The individual is dead, they can’t locate the account. But he said; ‘It was a donation for political purposes, but a political donation for my personal use. He said he felt free to put this political donation into his own account and use it to save up to buy a house. If he was told it was a strictly political donation it would have gone to the party.”

Loyalty to the party is supreme

The parents, friends and supporters of autistic children who packed the public gallery in Dail Eireann last week enthusiastically applauded Fianna Fail TD Mary O’Rourke when she severely criticised the Department of Education for failing to provide adequate education for autistic children (Irish Times, sub req’d).

O’Rourke was speaking on a Fine Gael private members’ motion calling on the Government to provide a badly needed Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) system for autistic children.

Her fine sentiments were quickly exposed as weasel words when she cynically voted against the motion she had just supported. That the motion would be defeated was never in doubt so O’Rourke was voting in her own interests and that of her party rather than any concern for autistic children.

Her cynicism was compounded over the weekend when she featured on a number of radio shows emoting about how she was haunted about the tragic death of a nephew as a result of autism. But even the death of her nephew from autism wasn’t sufficient to shake O’Rourke’s absolute dedication to the party.

Marian Finucane (Sunday) expressed puzzlement about this behaviour, here’s how O’Rourke answered (My emphasis).

O’Rourke – Ah Marian, can you look at me and say ‘you’re puzzled’ that I voted with my party?

Marian – But you tend to be fairly straight about things.

O’Rourke, Well, I am and I’m very straight, I’ve never voted against my party and I don’t intend to do so.

Marian – But straight also includes voting for your convictions

O’Rourke – Oh Marian, actions speak louder than words. I have worked for ABA now for many years, I intend to continue to work.

If I left my party, first of all one vote wouldn’t have made any difference…what influence would I have outside my party to influence party policy…I tell the truth and I speak from knowledge and from my mind…So to those who say why didn’t she vote with the Fine Gael motion? – I will never vote against my own party.

This blind dedication to the party is reminiscent of Soviet style politics. Loyalty to the party and the party leader takes precedence over all other considerations.

What’s truly amazing about this latest episode of political hypocrisy is the revelation that there are still people out there who trust and believe in politicians like O’Rourke. People who still believe that cowardly hypocrites like O’Rourke retain any semblance of integrity or honesty.

Queen of hypocrisy is not amused

There was a curious exchange between Marian Finucane and Fianna Fail TD Mary O’Rourke on last Sunday’s show. The discussion concerned O’Rourke’s hypocritical stance regarding the Fine Gael private members’ motion calling on the Government to provide better resources for autistic children.

Marian referred to the following letter published in the Irish Times on Friday 15th Feb.

Madam,

Can there be anything more illuminating about the “sleeveen” politics of Fianna Fáil than to see Mary O’Rourke TD stand up and play to a packed Dáil public gallery claiming she supported parents having the choice of ABA for their special needs children, only to then go and vote against the Fine Gael motion that would have given those parents exactly the choice Mary O’Rourke claimed to support a short time earlier?

For sheer brass neck and hypocrisy you just can’t beat Fianna Fáil and for sheer stupidity you can’t beat the people who, despite this, will still go out and vote for Fianna Fáil.
Yours, etc,

DESMOND FITZGERALD, Canary Wharf, London.

The discussion continued;

Marian – Did you see the letter in the Irish Times during the week?

O’Rouke – I did and I know that man and I would prefer to say no more because, well, I’ll tell you after…

Marian – He was talking about the ‘sleeveen politics’ of Fianna Fail

O’Rourke – Did you notice the signature?

Marian – Yes, I did

O’Rourke – Yes, indeed.

This ‘Yes, indeed’ was delivered in a sniffy Queen Victoria ‘We are not amused’ tone.

I have no idea what the connection is between the author of the letter and O’Rourke but clearly the Queen of Hypocrisy is not amused by such impertinence.