Category: Government

Labour Senator John Whelan: "Bord Gais made their pitch to establish Irish Water under false pretences."

On Wednesday 5 November last, during a discussion on the RTE current affairs programme Late Debate, Labour Senator John Whelan stated that Bord Gais had made their pitch to establish Irish Water under false pretences.

RTE decided to censor the comments of Senator Whelan by removing the relevant comments. I believe this was a mistake.

The presenter of the programme, Cormac O’hEadhra, made it crystal clear that RTE was disassociating itself from the comments of Senator Whelan and that, I believe, was more than sufficient to protect the station from legal action.

I believe that by deciding to censor the relevant section RTE was killing a major story that was of crucial importance to the people of Ireland.

Senator Whelan had divulged new, extremely important information and any news agency worth its salt would ensure that that information was broadcast so that people would be properly informed. The importance of the story should have overridden any fear of legal action.

I have managed to obtain a transcript of the relevant section censored by RTE. I have made some small changes for ease of reading and omitted non-relevant dialogue.

Labour Senator John Whelan: It would be the act of supreme political cowardice of me to come here tonight and try and wash my hands of Irish Water and say it’s nothing to do with me as the minister who set it up has done, I think that’s appalling.

Cormac O’hEadhra (Presenter): Did you vote against the Irish Water?

Senator Whelan: No, no, I’m going to say….interrupted.

O’hEadhra: So you voted for it?

strong>Senator Whelan: I’m in favour of water charges and I’m in favour of a water company that provides clean, safe water.

O’hEadhra: Let me clarify this, did you vote for the bill or not?

Senator Whelan: I did but…interrupted.

O’hEadhra: So all of the things you outlined, you voted for?

Senator Whelan: No, no, that’s not true. The thing is, we were misled.

O’hEadhra: By whom?

Senator Whelan: I believe that Bord Gais sold the Government a pup when it said that it had the capacity, the resources, the personnel and the skill set. I argued for it to be awarded to Bord na Mona and that’s on the record.

O’hEadhra: Wait now, you say, you as a parliamentarian, when you voted on the Bill, you were misled?

Senator Whelan: Absolutely, by Bord Gais who tendered for the franchise.

O’hEadhra: And all of your colleagues were misled?

Senator Whelan: I believe we were sold a pup and that’s why…interrupted.

O’hEadhra: Are you saying then that the Government was voting on the Irish Water bill on a false premise?

Senator Whelan: I believe the contract should have been awarded, the record will show, to Bord na Mona. I believe that Bord Gais, and this is why the Government has gone in, Alan Kelly has gone in and stripped it back, the board has to be reconfigured, reconstituted and…interrupted.

O’hEadhra: Wait now, this is very serious John. What you’re saying this evening, surely, does that not render the validity of the Bill, the Act all null and void?

Senator Whelan: No, what I’m saying is this. Bord Gais through the process of New Era and the line minister at the time made a pitch to establish Irish Water and I believe they did so under false pretences and they haven’t delivered.

Non-relevant dialogue.

O’hEadhra: Can I just return to the somewhat dramatic vista that John Whelan has presented us with about the Irish Water Bill saying that Irish parliamentarians were voting on a false premise.

Dearbhaill McDonald (Legal Editor at Irish Independent): Yes, that they were misled. I think sometimes politicians forget that when they’re not in the Seanad or Dail that they don’t have privilege.

If I were a member of that tendering team or a senior member of Bord Gais I might be calling my libel lawyer tonight with a view to responding to the allegation that Bord Gais misled them. I think that is a very, very serious charge from a senior member of government to suggest that Bord Gais misled them.

O’hEadhra: Unless you have evidence to back it up.

Senator Whelan: The evidence is that the thing is a shambles, it doesn’t work.

O’hEadhra: But that’s not good enough, you’re saying they misled.

Senator Whelan: Don’t put words in my mouth, what I’m saying is, they made a tendering pitch saying that they could deliver and they didn’t.

Non-relevant dialogue.

O’hEadhra: Hold on a second. You made a very, very serious allegation.

Senator Whelan: And I stand over it.

O’hEadhra: I am asking, if you do, this programme requires evidence to substantiate that allegation, otherwise you have to withdraw it.

Senator Whelan: No I won’t. Is the evidence not clear to you all around you? Irish Water is not functioning, it’s a shambles, it’s not fit for purpose and that’s why we have to go back in and put things right.

O’hEadhra: John, I’m saying to you that as a programme, we disassociate ourselves from your comments unless you have evidence. You need to present the evidence to substantiate your allegation.

Senator Whelan: I’m going to say to you again that I argued at the time that Bord Na Mona would have been a better fit to establish a water utility.

Non-relevant dialogue.

O’hEadhra: You’re the one making allegations.

Senator Whelan: And I stand over them.

Non-relevant dialogue.

O’hEadhra: Ok, well they’re your allegations, they’re not ours. Obviously we can’t stand over whatever you say, without evidence we can’t even judge it.

Copy to:

RTE Late Debate
Senator Whelan
All political parties

Major Irish Water story surpressed by RTE?

A major news story broke live on RTE’s Late Debate last Wednesday concerning Irish Water.

Unfortunately, the story suffered a quick death, principally I believe, because of the manner in which it was handled by RTE.

Labour Senator John Whelan claimed that Irish Water had misled the Government over the establishment of the organisation.

The presenter of the show, Cormac O’hEadhra, was astonished by the revelation and questioned the senator closely on his claim.

The senator repeated his claim and said he stood by every word. The presenter, clearly aware of the gravity of the claim, uttered the standard RTE response to protect the station against any possible legal action – RTE distances itself from the claims you are making…etc,etc.

In my opinion the presenter/RTE had no need to take such a precaution.

As a member of the Oireachtas and as a member of a government party Senator Whelan was revealing, for the first time, a very important fact (as he believed) about one of the most contentious issues in recent history. It was a major and completely legitimate news story.

Unfortunately, RTE did not see it that way.

The following morning I accessed the Late Debate website to quote Senator Whelan on this blog. To my surprise, the relevant section of the discussion had been removed by RTE. After a week of trying to obtain an explanation I finally made contact today and was told that.

An editorial decision was taken to take the piece down for all concerned. It was decided that there were potential issues that could exasperate something negative.

In my opinion this is total rubbish. I don’t think RTE censored this particular item to protect Irish Water or the Government although, in effect, that was the outcome.

I think the decision was made out of panic either because of a possible but highly unlikely legal action by Irish Water or, more likely, a fear of political revenge on the broadcaster.

I have a habit of occasionally taping programmes so that I can quote back on this blog. Now, because I’ve lost trust in RTEs judgement particularly when it comes to politicians, I will be taping all RTE current affairs programmes to avoid the censor’s scissors.

Copy to:
Late Debate
Senator Whelan

Was Mary Harney protecting Ansbacher account holders?

I often wondered why then minister and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Mary Harney, suddenly shut down the Ansbacher investigation in 2004.

Perhaps the following question, put to Enda Kenny by Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald, explains Harney’s decision.

Do you believe Mr. Ryan (the whistleblower) when he says that his investigation that was shut down by Mary Harney when he uncovered names of senior politicians from the Progressive Democrats, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, that they held offshore accounts, revelations that would have been most uncomfortable for the political establishment?

Economic Management Council and democratic accountability

Letter in yesterday’s Irish Times.

The Economic Management Council is just one of the indications of how our country is gradually losing any democratic accountability.

Economic Management Council

Sir,

Eoghan Murphy TD (“Fine Gael promised political reform, but the Government hasn’t delivered”, Opinion & Analysis, November 5th) and Noel Whelan (“How the Economic Management Council undermines Cabinet and Government”, Opinion & Analysis, November 7th) make some excellent points about the pretentiously named Economic Management Council (EMC), in particular in respect of the gradual expansion of its remit.

In April 2011 shortly after the EMC was established, the Taoiseach told the Dáil that it would deal with “economic planning and budgetary matters, the economic recovery programme including the representation of Ireland internationally in negotiations with the troika, the integration of the work of departments and agencies and the co-ordination of banking policy”.

Can someone explain how water services, an environmental matter previously under the remit of local government, came within this remit? The EMC has apparently been considering this issue since last April, clearly not to much avail.

The primary concern which has been raised is that the EMC acts as a government within a government, coming to conclusions on issues which are then presented to the Cabinet as faits accomplis for rubber-stamping.

This raises the prospect that civil servants and political advisers who attend EMC meetings have more impact on important decisions than the democratically elected members of Cabinet who are excluded from meetings.

This is further compounded by the 50:50 division of the EMC between Fine Gael and Labour Ministers, compared to 2:1 majority in favour of Fine Gael at Cabinet level and a similar division in terms of their respective representation in the Dáil. In other words, the Labour Party has a disproportionate influence over the decisions of the EMC relative to what it ought to be entitled to and, as a result, over the decisions of Government as a whole.

If these impressions about the operations of the EMC are to be dispelled, then the Dáil ought surely be made aware of instances where the Cabinet as a whole has rejected or overturned a recommendation made by the EMC. To date, however, no such instance has been publicly acknowledged.

Yours, etc,

Thomas Ryan, BL
Dublin 6W

Love/Hate fiction more rational than our corrupt body politic

I tuned into RTEs John Murray Show yesterday morning where the discussion centred on some fictional series called Love/Hate.

Murray and his guest were very excited about the horror featured in the show and wondered would there be another series.

Having never watched an episode of the show I got bored and switched over to another channel for the news but, to my amazement, the same fictional series was been seriously reported and analysed as if it was real – on news programmes for feck sake.

And so it was throughout the day, Newstalk, Today FM, RTE, Liveline, Drivetime, News at One, Six One News and many more, all reporting, analysing, debating, anguishing, speculating who will die next, will there be another series.

The producer, actors, RTE’s head of drama and whoever you’re having yourself were all interviewed at length as to their reaction to this fictional programme.

Actors spoke in shock about the horror they felt as they acted, I stress, acted, in the programme, commentators wondered would the actors/viewers need psychological help in dealing with the fiction, I stress, fiction.

In our bizarre state fiction had finally merged with what passes for reality.

I wondered why and, very quickly, the answer came as I listened to reports of the latest political scandal involving allegations of serious tax evasion by senior politicians.

The family of former Fine Gael TD, Attorney General and High Court judge, Declan Costello claimed he had ‘forgotten’ he had a Guinness and Mahon bank account and he never did anything wrong anyway so stop asking question.

Then I heard the Minister for Enterprise and Jobs, Richard Bruton, without the slightest sign of embarrassment, tell the nation that the witness statement he received from the whistle blower, which contained very serious allegations against senior politicians and state agencies like Revenue, the Gardai and the Office of Corporate Enforcement, remained hidden in his office for two full years because someone in the department had retired.

And I thought to myself – No, the nation’s media treating a fictional series as if it was real is not really all that surprising.

In fact, it’s more rational than the horrific reality we suffer every day under the jackboot of our corrupt body politic.

Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy is a political coward

Do you rate Enda Kenny?

Yes, I think he’s done an excellent job for the country.

With this short sentence Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy totally destroyed his credibility.

Murphy was all over the media today telling us how important it was to reform the political system to protect the nation from the terrible prospect of Sinn Fein getting into power.

Before exposing the rank hypocrisy of this politician let’s outline some background to the political system he suddenly sees as needing reform.

The political/administrative system that Murphy supports is 100% responsible for the destruction of our country.

It was this corrupt political/administrative system that drove the country and with it the wealth, dreams and futures of a large percentage of the population over the cliff of despair.

Sinn Fein had absolutely nothing to do with the betrayal of our country; Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour were the chief architects of the catastrophe.

Enda Kenny is the Taoiseach. He announced to the nation that a democratic revolution was in process after the last election, he promised to make the government accountable – He lied.

Deputy Murphy is a political coward because he’s afraid to utter this obvious truth.

Instead, like all of his fellow cowardly colleagues, he makes the arrogant assumption that the people will believe anything and so he tells us that Kenny is too busy to engage in political reform.

Or, to make an analogy – the captain of Titanic is too busy checking accounts to bother about the sinking ship.

On Newstalk (6 min) Murphy told us that this generation of new politicians had a responsibility to reform how politics was done.

He cited the ramming through of legislation establishing Irish Water in just three hours as an example of how undemocratic politics has become.

We should have had the courage of our convictions, to stand up and say, we’re not going to be abused this way.

The problem is that Murphy and his fellow cowards didn’t stand up, they did allow themselves and democracy and the Irish people to be abused by our corrupt political/administrative system just as generations of politicians have done over the decades.

Neither did the coward stand up when the ‘busy’ Taoiseach’ abused democracy with his interference in the bank inquiry.

The coward again failed to stand up for his convictions when the ‘busy’ Taoiseach was abusing democracy over the McNulty scandal.

Now, suddenly, with Sinn Fein becoming ever more powerful the coward has begun to grow a pair of balls or, more accurately, a pair of self-protection balls.

I trust Enda Kenny, I trust Joan Burton, I trust all (the current politicians who are in power) but if a new government came in (Sinn Fein) and the Dail could not keep that new government to account I think that would be very worrying.

We have to think about putting protections into our political system for the future.

Murphy’s mindset tells us how warped political thinking has become in our blighted country.

He fully supports Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the current leader of our corrupt political/administrative system, the system that destroyed the country and continues to abuse both democracy and the people.

He agrees that political reform is needed but not for the good of the people, the country or democracy.

No, he wants reform because the corrupt system he supports is in danger of being wiped out by a new political force that may actually tell the truth, may actually work for the good of the country and its people instead of betraying every democratic principle in existence.

Copy to:
Fine Gael
Eoghan Murphy

Irish Examiner: Water protesters to blame for global over-population

I’ve read many silly editorials in my time but the opinion expressed in Tuesday’s Irish Examiner has to be the most absurd, most idiotic of them all.

The subject matter is global over-population but somehow the editor manages to link this problem with the activities of those opposing water charges. Here’s a quote:

As population figures (continue to accelerate) is there any possibility that those who so vehemently oppose water charges might make a connection between the two issues?

What next?

Water charges protesters responsible for Ebola.

Hilarious bullshit.

Is Irish Water the greatest fraud inflicted on Irish citizens?

I believe that the establishment of Irish Water will turn out to be the greatest fraud inflicted on the Irish people since independence.

I suspect that Irish Water has already been sold to private business. There are a number of signals that seem to point to this, which I’ll come back to later.

I strongly suspect that there are forces working behind the scenes, with the Government’s full support, who are pushing an already agreed but secret agenda.

I strongly suspect that today’s bizarre incident where unasked for legal advice was thrown at the Public Accounts Committee warning them that they have no legal right to question Irish Water CEO John Tierney is part of this secret agenda.

I strongly suspect that business interests, who have powerful politicians in their pockets, are calling the shots.

I strongly suspect that senior ministers and even the Taoiseach are receiving direct orders from these business interests directing them in how they should respond to the people’s opposition to water charges.

Labour Senator Aideen Hayden is a traitor

Labour Senator Aideen Hayden is a traitor to Ireland and its people.

Hayden is a traitor because her loyalty is, first and foremost, to herself, to her party and to her government.

By definition, any politician who supports the type of stroke politics surrounding the McNulty scandal is acting against the interests of Ireland and its people.

Three times Hayden was asked to demonstrate her loyalty to her country and three times she chose to give her loyalty to the diseased political system that has brought catastrophe on the Irish people.

Do you think it was a stroke?

Hayden: I’m not in a position to say it was a stroke.

Was she incorrect in appointing him?

Hayden: I’m not going to say whether she was correct or incorrect.

Do we have openness and transparency here?

Hayden: Labour Party ministers when they are appointing members to state boards use the public recruitment process. I would suggest that Fine Gael does the same.

It could be argued that Heyden is not a conscious traitor in the traditional sense but that point is not relevant in Ireland any more.

Catastrophe was visited upon the Irish people in 2008 resulting in massive pain and damage to countless citizens.

Every political party has accepted that the political system played a major role in the disaster, it has been accepted that the system is not fit for purpose, that radical and immediate reform is urgently required.

This government, under the banner of a so-called democratic revolution, promised to implement such reform, to rid the country of stroke politics, once and for all.

This latest scandal give the lie to that promise. Hayden’s support of the lie places her in the camp of the traitors who have betrayed the country once again.

Hayden is not, of course, the only traitor. Taoiseach Enda Kenny is also a traitor and a liar, he lied when he said he would rid the country of gombeen politics.

Every politician who supports or defends this latest political stroke is a traitor. Every politician who fails to challenge this latest attack on democracy place themselves in the traitor’s camp.

The time for political reform in Ireland passed many years ago. The diseased system, peopled by gombeens, cowards and self-serving traitors, is irretrievably corrupt.

No reform will happen, no justice will be forthcoming, no democracy will operate until the rotten system is completely eradicated from our culture and replaced with a functional democratic system peopled by citizens who understand what it means to loyally serve their country.

Copy to:

Senator Hayden
Taoiseach Enda Kenny
Fine Gael
Labour