Category: Fianna Fail

Mad Gaybo tries to enforce law

It’s only now that the nation is beginning to recover from one of its most traumatic crises in recent years. It all started off innocently enough with the launch of the new Road Safety Strategy.

Nobody seriously believed that this strategy would be any different from its predecessors. It was launched in the usual glorious blaze of back slapping publicity for politicians and the Road Safety Authority. Everybody knew it wouldn’t make any difference to the grim work of slaughter on the roads.

This time, however, somebody put a spanner in the works by insisting that a new law contained in the strategy was actually enforced. This new law required holders of a second provisional licence to be accompanied at all times by a fully licensed driver.

What? Enforcing a law? What’s going on? We don’t mind enacting laws but since when did we start enforcing them? This is outrageous, it’s certainly not the Irish way of doing things and we simply won’t stand for it. Somebody has to pay for exposing us to this dose of reality.

And somebody did pay: Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey a man who was only doing what hypocritical and incompetent Irish politicians have been doing for decades, was forced into a humiliating climb down. He was forced to revert to the status quo which is as follows:

303,354 learner drivers are forbidden by law to drive without being accompanied by a driver with a full licence. However, under the all powerful, all pervasive Irish cultural law of ‘wink wink nod nod, these drivers are effectively allowed to break the law.

The remaining 121,871 learner drivers are legally allowed to drive without a qualified driver and so have no need of the ‘wink wink, nod nod’ law – yet.

This arrangement is convenient for an overstretched and under resourced police force. It is also convenient for a lazy and incompetent body politic and civil service.

The price for this ‘convenience’ is countless thousands of dead and injured on Irish roads over recent decades and until very recent times, judging by the inaction of officialdom, an acceptable price.

And then along comes Gay Byrne. Yes, good old Gaybo is the man responsible for daring to afflict a dose of reality on our ‘wink wink, nod nod’ culture.

When he first took up his job in the RSA, he made it clear that he wouldn’t be a patsy for anybody; he wasn’t going to be a fall guy for inept politicians, he was going to take his job seriously.

What Gaybo didn’t reckon on was the power of the ‘wink wink, nod nod’ culture, he didn’t realise how deeply dependent Irish society is on a culture that allows it to exist at several removes from reality.

The crisis was only brought to an end when this life saving law was deferred until next June on the pretext that the 121,871 drivers affected needed the time to apply for and sit their test.

Noel Dempsey has assured us that all the problems associated with learner drivers will be resolved by next June and that all laws relating to such drivers will be strictly enforced. Noel may be physically living on planet Earth but it has yet to be established what planet his brain is on.

No, the real reason for this lead in period is to allow Irish society time to recover from the trauma caused by Gaybo’s mad attempt to actually enforce a law.

An imbecilic people

In response (5th item) to the claim that his latest pay rise would see his salary rise above that of the leaders of France, Britain and America, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said;

“I’m glad I don’t own Chequers and I don’t have No. 10, I don’t have the Elysee Palace, if you want to build those in then you would know what the figures would be and I certainly don’t want the White House.”

Only an imbecile would suggest that the leaders of France, Britain and America actually own the buildings where they work and that such ownership adds substantially to their wealth.

Only an imbecilic people would accept such a sneering and arrogant excuse from their Prime Minister.

A disgraceful decision

In a functional democracy former Fianna Fail TD, Michael Collins would be facing at least five years in jail with fines and penalties running into millions.

In Ireland, he was let off with a 12 month suspended sentence and a pathetic €25,000 fine.

Judge Carroll Moran said that what Mr. Collins did was very serious, TD’s after all, he said make the laws of the land, including the tax laws and Mr. Collins had violated those laws.

The crimes committed by Collins are indeed serious but it is obvious that the judge is of the opinion that a man of Collins’ ‘calibre’ should not have to actually suffer the indignity of paying for his crimes.

Here are the excuses accepted and given by the judge. (My comments are in brackets).

Collins had settled his liabilities with the Revenue Commissioners.

(This was after Collins had turned his nose up at two amnesties in 1993 and 2001. Failure to comply with the 1993 amnesty carried a mandatory jail sentence. The word ‘mandatory’ is still not understood in Ireland).

He had suffered public disgrace, the humiliation of the court proceedings which had effectively ended his political career.

(Every citizen hauled before the courts suffers disgrace and humiliation. This excuse is invariably accepted by judges, when it involves a white collar criminal).

He also added that this was a severe punishment for a man in Mr. Collins’ position.

(This is an outrageous statement for a professional judge to make. It effectively confirms what many have often suspected, that there is one law for the rich and powerful and another for the poor).

Had there been no case he most likely would have stood for Fianna Fail in Limerick West and probably would have won.

(Again, this is an outrageous view to take. Are we to take it that a hardened criminal will also escape justice if he pleads that if it wasn’t for his crimes he would probable have joined the priesthood?).

He had severe health difficulties, diabetes, high blood pressure and severe anxiety. His doctor said that it could lead to a stroke if he was agitated and given a prison sentence.

(This excuse has the same credibility as the infantile ‘dog ate my homework’ plea. Again, this ridiculous excuse is almost always accepted when made by a white collar criminal. Neither does the judge explain how a man, with health problems so severe that he was in danger of a stroke, could fight a gruelling election campaign).

This case once again demonstrates that judges have little understanding of the damage done to society by corrupt politicians and even less understanding of the greater damage done when the legal system fails to properly punish white collar crime.

Gunfight at OK Corral

What exactly happened in Limerick last Saturday night between Minister for Defence and Shannon airport campaigners, John Fahy and Geraldine Morrissey?

Here’s the story as related on RTEs Today with Pat Kenny (Thursday), Drivetime and on Today FM, The Last Word with Matt Cooper.

Fahy/Morrissey version.

Minister O’Dea stopped at their table with his two minders.

Morrissey:

Minister, why didn’t you take part in the Dail debate on Aer Lingus last Thursday?

O’Dea:

I was in McKee barracks.

Morrissey:

That was Wednesday you were in McKee barracks, you were in the Dail on Thursday, why didn’t you take part in the debate?

O’Dea:

I am the Minister for Defence.

Fahy;

Well, you didn’t defend the people of the West of Ireland very well.

O’Dea:

Who’s this big prick?

Fahy:

Excuse me.

O’Dea:

I would like to hit you.

Fahy:

Well, if you were a little bigger maybe I might let you.

O’Dea: (Speaking close to Morrissey’s face)

I don’t give a fuck about you.

O’Dea’s minders then took him away

O’Dea’s version on Today with Pat Kenny.

What happened here was, I listen to people, I try to explain my position, I was shouted down and in the end I will admit I was dismissive and said sod off or words to that effect and walked away. I did not use the word prick.

I might have used the words feck off at the end, I’m not quite sure. I think I said sod off or get lost or feck off…of that I’m absolutely clear in my mind.

O’Dea’s version on The Last Word.

Two people approached me in a very, very aggressive manner shouting about Shannon. I attempted to explain myself and I wasn’t allowed to and basically I told them to hump off and walked away and there was a number of people with me who can testify to that and that is all that happened.

There are a couple of curious aspects to the incident.

Why did O’Dea feel it necessary to escort Minister for Finance Brian Cowen to his car? Perhaps, given Limerick’s reputation, Willie felt that Cowen’s minders needed some extra muscle power. Or perhaps, Willie is keeping very well in with the ‘anointed one’?

The “very, very aggressive” attack on Willie took place while on his way back to his wife and after he left the (Big strong) minister. Could it be a case of Willie being caught in the open without enough minders?

On a more serious note, the media seem to have missed the clear attempt by the Minister’s spokesperson to smear the reputation of Fahy and Morrissey by accusing them of trying to sell their story to several newspapers.

It’s possible that this spokesperson is a private citizen but it is more likely that he/she is a civil servant. If that is the case then such tactics are indeed disturbing but, alas, not at all surprising.

Cowen the Great and a starry eyed journalist

“A magnificent, spontaneous, and from-the-heart contribution, we witnessed an immense force, an outburst of deeply impressive moral authority that is rare in an age like this.”

Impressive words; who could Irish Examiner journalist Harry McGee be writing about? The revered Nelson Mandela or perhaps the heroic Aung San Suu Kyi fighting for democracy in Burma?

No, these heroic words were penned in praise of our very own Finance Minister, Brian Cowen. What, you may ask, could Cowen the Great have done to deserve such high praise?

Well, he made a five minute speech in our national parliament in which he strongly defended the indefensible activities of our Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Ahern accepted large wads of cash from businessmen and ‘friends’ while he was Minister for Finance. Despite numerous opportunities he has failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the payments.

His ‘stories’ have become so bizarre that only a gullible fool, a fanatical Fianna Failer or perhaps a starry eyed journalist could believe them.

For McGee, the crowning moment came when Cowen the Great declared;

“I know right from wrong.”

McGee writes;

“It was utterly believable and made his case as a natural leader for his party. What we witnessed was a person who was the personification of the heart and soul of his party and what it represents and stands for.”

Unwittingly, McGee is spot on here. Cowen is the personification of what Fianna Fail represents and has represented for many decades now; arrogance, a total disregard for ethical values in public office, an easy acceptance of corruption and a chronic inability to tell right from wrong.

A little light relief

Sometimes, the sheer level of corruption is this country can be a bit depressing. So, to provide a little light relief here’s a brilliant fairy tale as related by journalist Sam Smyth on the Marian Fincuane Show (15th September). My comments are in brackets.

In the early 1990s Bertie Ahern was going through a horrendous marriage breakup. He was cashing his cheques in the local pub and making maintenance payments and all the rest. He was sleeping on a camp bed above the office in Drumcondra. His wife’s family, his own family, even his own mother was deeply angry at him.

(What did Bertie do to generate all this anger?)

(Things were really looking bad for one of the best paid men in the country. Ahern, as Finance Minister, was earning about £80,000 per annum. Banks and building societies would have trampled over each other to give him any amount he wanted. Any citizen on his wage at that time could easily have afforded a substantial mortgage/property).

Smyth goes on:

Then Albert Reynolds got into trouble and it looked like his government was going to collapse. (It looked like our hero Bertie was about to become Taoiseach)

Bertie’s friends were saying, You have to have a house Bertie, you can’t be Taoiseach with no fixed address and so because it’s so easy for a Minister for Finance to raise funds by hosting (awful) dinners, every accountant and business in the country will gladly pay two, three, four grand for a table. I think this is how a lot of money was raised, probably in the name of Bertie’s O’Donovan Rossa Cumainn.

(Cleary, Sam Smyth is a citizen/journalist who sees nothing wrong with a serving Minister for Finance prostituting his office to raise funds for his local Cumainn or even to raise a couple of bob for himself)

(Marian Fincuane asked, isn’t that money supposed to go to the party? Smyth conceded that it probably was but immediately slipped into Fianna Fail speak and justified the possibility that Bertie might be stealing party funds by citing all the great things he (Bertie) had done for Drumcondra – Remember, in fairy tales all explanations are acceptable).

Anyway, Sam continues:

Bertie’s friends said ‘how can we buy this house, there’s the whole marriage thing, this could really open up things again in the family courts, people will ask, where did Bertie get the money to buy that and all the rest, these things happen in family law cases.’

So, it may well have been decided that he needed somebody to buy the house in trust. Therefore, his name is not on the deeds which would suggest that if you buy a house in trust for somebody you also have to leave it to them in the will in case you die and it goes on to your next of kin, so that’s what I think happened there.

Sometime later, relations with Miriam, (Bertie’s ex wife) and his own family warmed. He got a mortgage and took over the house.

(Ahhh, a truly happy ending to a great story but wait what does this say about the character of our hero Bertie? If Smyth’s theory is true then the much praised/compassionate/tearful Bertie is nothing more than a scheming chancer who wanted to do his ex wife out of her just desserts.

In other words, Bertie is actually a baddie. Anyway, nobody would ever have known this if the big bad wolf, in the guise of Tom Gilmartin, hadn’t appeared on the scene).

(Here Smyth, in an angry and outraged tone, described the outrageous allegations made by the evil Gilmartin against poor Bertie. And while Sam clearly doesn’t believe a word of what Gilmartin says he does concede that the allegations led (the Tribunal) onto the trail).

Somebody then came up with a ‘dog ate my homework’ excuse. They had to explain the difference between gifts and loans; there were tax implications.

The problem now is that poor Bertie cannot give the ‘simple’ story. He’s more likely to be done at the end of the day for the cover up than he ever would be for the money.

So, according to Smyth, Bertie’s story is simple. When he was holding down one of the most powerful and best paid jobs in the country he was unable to deal with the financial implications of a marriage breakdown in the same way that countless thousands of ‘ordinary’ citizens have done.

Instead of being honest with his wife and children he conspired with friends to weave a web of lies and deceit in order to keep as much money as possible for himself.

Part of this conspiracy included the prostitution of the office of Minister for Finance and the diversion of money properly belonging to Fianna Fail into Bertie’s own account. (I’m getting Haughey flashbacks here).

Tune in next week to hear another amazing story from a guy called Occam who alleges that Bertie actually took bribes. With razor sharp logic he claims that;

“All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one,”

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.

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?