Category: Government

Politicians, expenses and trust

Irish politicians are not required to produce receipts for expenses. No checks are made; the whole system is operated on the basis that they are honest and will not cheat the taxpayer.

A caller to Liveline today tells us how Irish taxpayers paid €1,650 per night to Seamus Brennan to stay at an apartment in Rome last year.

The caller was puzzled as to why Brennan couldn’t have stayed at the luxurious five stars Westin Excelsior hotel in the centre of Rome for a mere €355 per night. This hotel regularly caters for statesmen from all over the world. Stayed there myself for a week once and was very impressed.

The caller told us that taxpayers paid Junior Minister Mary Wallace €1,000 for VIP services at Dublin airport on a trip to Vienna. Just to repeat that – She collected €1,000 for VIP services at Dublin airport!!!

What the feck did she get for that – was she transported from her flight to her Mercedes in a mobile Jacuzzi, sipping the worlds most expensive champagne while being serenaded by the Vienna Boys Choir? This woman is a mere junior minister for something or other.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Mary Coughlin spent €75 per hour for 17 hours on car hire during a trip to the USA last year.

Irish politicians are not required to produce receipts for expenses. No checks are made; the whole system is operated on the basis that they are honest and will not cheat the taxpayer.

Declan Lynch – A dangerously stupid individual

Sunday Independent journalist Declan Lynch is a dangerously stupid individual. I don’t make this serious charge from a personal point of view; I’ve never met the man. All I know about him is that he is a journalist and, I believe, a playwright.

I make the charge on the basis that he actually wrote and takes full responsibility for the article that appeared under his name in last Sunday’s newspaper.

In the article Lynch strongly defends the activities of Bertie Ahern and the corrupt Haughey. He believes it is ridiculous that Irish people should demand high standards from their politicians.

He describes those who do demand high standards from our politicians as;

Frothing-at-the-mouth pundits, pious people who blather platitudes about standards in public life, people who live in a very small world totally obsessed with the doings of the Fianna Fail family, self important people who appear on the panel and in the audience of Questions & Answers, people who have a warped sense of morality.

Lynch claims that although at some deep intuitive level Irish people know very well that politicians are dodgy they do not think that this is important.

He goes on to make the incredibly stupid claim that while there is always ‘something of the night’ about politics, we should tolerate that situation because it has no bearing on how our children are looked after or how serious illness is treated.

In case there is any doubt about my interpretation of what this man is saying let me quote his words verbatim.

“We understand quite well that in politics at any level, there is always “something of the night”. Which we would not tolerate for a moment if, say, these people were looking after our children, or treating us for some serious illness. But of course they are not looking after our children, or treating us for some serious illness. They are in politics.”

Lynch’s understanding of the relationship between political power and society is so infantile that it renders him incapable of seeing that the Health Service Executive is a monster created by political incompetence and corruption. He cannot see how that incompetence and corruption has a direct and devastating impact on countless thousands of Irish citizens.

Clearly, this ignorant man has never suffered the trauma of receiving a phone call telling him that his cancer tests were misdiagnosed and that his chances of survival were now very much reduced.

Clearly, this ignorant man has never had to arrange the funeral of a loved one who died because they couldn’t afford to buy into a two tier health system.

Clearly, this ignorant man has never buried a young son or daughter who died from Cystic Fibrosis ten years before their time because of a lack of the most basic isolation facilities.

Clearly, this ignorant man has never experienced the horror of seeing a loved one die on a hospital trolley while family members desperately pleaded for help.

Safe within his world of delusion Mr. Lynch probably believes that there is no connection between political power and white collar crime.

He probably believes that the massive damage done to people’s lives and the environment by widespread planning corruption has nothing to do with politicians or political decisions.

He probably believes that the theft of countless millions from customers by Irish financial institutions is normal and legitimate business activity. He probably believes this because, effectively, it’s the view held by most politicians.

He probably believes that it is normal for law enforcement authorities to do nothing when a prominent businessman is found guilty by the highest court in the land of insider trading involving sums of up to €50 million. He probably doesn’t think it the least bit odd that not a single Government minister has the courage to stand up and say that there’s something seriously wrong here.

Apparently he thinks that robbing millions through tax evasion, operating offshore accounts, robbing large amounts from State funds, accepting large wads of cash from ‘friends’ and businessmen while holding senior ministerial positions, appointing friends to State boards and not bothering too much about paying taxes are all activities that have no consequences for the greater good of society and should therefore be tolerated.

If this man held such views as an ordinary citizen he could be described as just a stupid individual. The fact that he holds such views but also has access to a major media outlet makes him a dangerously stupid individual.

Copy to:

Declan Lynch

Tighter budgetary situation…for some

It has long been accepted that there is a direct correlation between the number of students in a class and the quality of education that those students receive. For example, a class of ten students is more likely to achieve better results than a class of forty. The reason for this is obvious; students in small classes receive a more personal, direct and therefore better quality tutoring from their teachers.

It is because of this obvious fact that teachers, parents and associated organisations have been campaigning for decades to reduce class sizes in Ireland, which currently has the second highest teacher/pupil ratio in the EU. `They have largely failed in their efforts principally due to the consistent refusal by successive governments to provide the necessary funds.

Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin was on RTE (3rd item) last Friday mouthing the most recent excuse for not providing these critical funds.

“I think everybody recognises that there is a tighter budgetary situation this year and everything in our Programme for Government is in fact predicated on strong economic growth and it’s our major responsibility as a government to make sure that we keep the economy strong.”

Obviously, Ms. Hanafin believes that a pay increase of €38,000 for Bertie Ahern and €25,000 for her and her fellow ministers should not be considered within the ‘tighter budgetary situation’.

When she was finally pinned down on the matter she made the astonishing claim:

“There is no relationship at all, on any international study, to the quality of education and to the numbers in the class.”

If that’s the case, she was asked, why worry about class sizes at all? She replied as all Irish politicians do – with waffle.

The truth – In chilling words

We know by now that corruption, incompetence, hypocrisy and cowardice are endemic among those who mismanage this country so the reaction of Minister for Health Mary Harney to the latest cancer scandal is to be expected. It is, however, worth putting her weasel words on record.

We had the usual waffle from her last Wednesday (News at One, 1st item) when the reports were published.

“The issue was always to ensure the patients came first…(yet another) apology to the victims…we must learn the lessons…must ensure it doesn’t happen again…what’s important now is the future…the media caused untold anxiety.”

Her solutions were nothing short of revolutionary –

We’ve got to have somebody in charge at a national level…very basic management tools have now got to be put in place.

She strongly rejected that suggestion that the HSE had become a monster that she and her colleagues had created. Given the level of her incompetence it’s difficult to tell whether she believes that the eleven old health boards were actually abolished and replaced with the HSE (See here for what really happened).

Everybody in the real world knows that the eleven health boards are still there, still fully staffed, still sucking countless millions out of the health system. Everybody knows that the creation of the HSE, the twelfth health board, was the moment the health system went out of control, the moment when the bureaucrats took over, the moment when the system became more important than the patients, the moment when it began to kill people.

In words that were never meant to be publicly aired, Harney told the truth to Rebecca O’Malley, a woman who was nearly killed by the system (Nine News, 1st item, 2nd report).

“You do know, don’t you; that it isn’t safe to go into any of our hospitals.”

Millions being robbed as State stands idly by

In absolute desperation, Paul Hansard chairman of SIPTUs Dublin Construction Branch; put his life at risk by climbing to the top of a 52 metre crane in order to highlight the pension rights of builders. Hansard is alleging that his employer, Gmac Scaffolding, is breaking the law by not paying pension contributions (Six One News, 9th item).

Hansard displayed a pay slip from a previous employer that had detailed all deductions and compared it with a pay slip from Gmac that did not itemise deductions or carry any mention of mandatory pension contributions.

“How could anyone expect the chairman of Dublin’s construction branch (SIPTU) to work for a non compliant contractor on a Government project? What chance have ordinary workers out there got? So I had to make a stand.”

His stand cost him his job and for good measure, Gmac also sacked his son.

This might seem like a minor industrial dispute and indeed it was treated as such by the media, especially RTE. But in fact what’s happening here is criminality on a massive scale. Criminality that politicians, police, unions and so called regulatory agencies are all aware of but do little or nothing to stop, criminality that has been going on since the 1960s.

By law, all building firms must register workers in the Construction Federation Operatives Pension Scheme (CFOPS) and pay pension and sickness contributions. The company share of the pension contribution is just over €6 per week. For this employees receive sickness benefits and a €65,000 mortality lump sum, payable to their families in the event of death.

The scheme is allegedly policed by the Construction Industry Monitoring Agency, the Pensions Board and the Pensions Ombudsman Paul Kenny.

So why did Paul Hansard feel the need to risk his life and livelihood in order to obtain his most basic rights when all these so called enforcement agencies are supposed to be working on his behalf?

The answer is simple – Ireland is a rotten and corrupt state where law enforcement is for the little people, where white collar crime has yet to be recognised never mind tackled.

Government agencies like the Pensions Board and the Pensions Ombudsman do a lot of talking but make very little effort to protect workers from white collar criminals.

Here’s a list of media reports that prove the point (My emphasis).

2004/13th January – Irish Examiner.

It is estimated as many as half the country’s 4,000 construction firms have illegally avoided their pension obligations since the scheme began in the 1960s.

An Irish Examiner investigation subsequently named and shamed some of the country’s largest firms and exposed them for ripping off workers. These included some of the country’s leading construction companies with lucrative contracts on major Government infrastructure projects.

2004/ 9th February – Irish Examiner.

Pensions Ombudsman Paul Kenny is to investigate the widespread abuse of pensions law in the construction industry.

Mr. Kenny said he was extremely worried that construction firms were failing to pay pension contributions for workers, with families being deprived of badly needed mortality benefits.

I would say this is an extremely worrying situation that people seem to have been able to ignore legal obligations,” said Mr. Kenny.

Up to 50,000 construction employees are being cheated of their pension and sickness benefits worth an estimated €35m annually.

Mr. Kenny said he was anxious to pursue any company responsible for seeing families lose benefits.

The survivors of anybody who dies on a building site or, indeed, anyone who should have been in that scheme who dies of natural causes are entitled to that benefit,” he said.

Mr. Kenny said he could investigate all cases of companies depriving families of mortality benefits going back six years to April 1996

2005/20th October – Irish Times.

The Ombudsman has signalled a tougher stance against construction industry employers, saying he will refer complaints where the law has been broken so that prosecutions can be taken.

Complaints received include failure to register employees; failure to pay over contributions already deducted from employees’ pay, which Mr. Kenny described as “theft and nothing more”; and unethical practices in which workers are forced to pretend to be self-employed.

Since its establishment in April 2003 up until the end of 2004, the Ombudsman’s office received over 450 official complaints and his office handled over 1,500 telephone queries. In 2004, the Ombudsman made 23 determinations, but only upheld seven complaints. So far this year, he has made 46 determinations, upholding 12 complaints.

A further 43 cases were also settled by mediation last year, with 33 per cent ending in some concession to the complainant.

2006/16th February – Irish Times.

Construction bosses are stealing at least €120 million a year from workers but “not one of them has faced any serious rigour of the law”, Socialist TD Joe Higgins claimed yesterday.

He was referring to the statement by the pensions Ombudsman that between 70,000 and 120,000 construction workers were being denied their legal and mandatory pension rights.

Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern said. It was a long-term issue and “having stronger legislation, a pensions ombudsman and proper investigation of the operation of pension schemes” were hugely beneficial.

2006/14th September – Irish Independent.

The Ombudsman also warns that construction firms which deduct workers’ pension payments and do not remit them to the scheme will be reported to the Garda Fraud Office for investigation.

“There are still depressing numbers of complaints about the failure of construction employers to register employees, or pay contributions or, worst of all, the theft by employers of contributions which have not been remitted.”

He made clear that builders would have to pay any pension arrears owing before new legislation came into force in July – and delay could cost them even more.

State authorities have the power to put an immediate stop to this outrageous abuse, theft and fraud. The legislation is there, the enforcement agencies are there and the State has full knowledge of the crimes being committed.

The obvious question is – Why isn’t the State acting against these criminals?

The answer is obvious to anyone with even the remotest knowledge of how things are done in this country.

Special passport service to be reviewed

I sent off another email today to the Department of Foreign Affairs asking if they could provide me with a time frame in which I could expect a reply to my original email sent on the 3rd February last regarding the special passport service provided by TDs.

In my original email I asked a series of questions two of which were:

What is the specific reason for this service given that the Passport Office already provides a very efficient service that covers all eventualities?

Given that this special system provided by TDs is a legitimate service involving State employees and State funds it must obviously be open to all citizens. Could you direct me to a source of official information on the service?

I also phoned the Passport Office again to enquire if there was any reply forthcoming to other questions I had asked earlier this month regarding this special service. No answers yet but I was assured that my queries were being dealt with.

Later in the day I spoke to Fine Gael TD, David Stanton, who has tabled a number of questions for me on the matter in the Dail. He informed me that the Minister for Foreign Affairs was conducting a review of the facility including whether it should be continued.

According to a report in today’s Irish Times (Sub. Required) backbench TDs from all parties are expected to oppose any attempt to end the special service.

Fine Gael TD Michael Ring is quoted as saying;

“It is a good system. It doesn’t do any harm. We are not doing any harm, and we are helping.”

I strongly disagree. The service is nothing more than a Tammany Hall scam whereby TDs provide a favour for their constituents in return for a vote.

The service should be discontinued but if it is to remain then details should be available to all citizens on the Passports Office website.

HSE bureaucrats should be locked up

I wrote recently that the Health Executive Service (HSE) was a diseased, out of control monster created by and strongly defended by cowardly and incompetent politicians. My analysis has been confirmed by the incredible events of recent days.

A democratically elected public representative has been banned from entering a hospital by an anonymous HSE manager and that same organisation has launched a campaign, with the full support of cowardly politicians, to silence a media outlet that dares to question its activities.

Labour TD Joe Costello is an extremely rare creature, an Irish politician who actually possesses and acts on conviction. Every Saturday for the last four years he and a group of supporters have maintained a presence outside the Mater Hospital in Dublin in protest over the Third World conditions in the A & E Department (Drivetime, 7th item).

As part of his protest Deputy Costello visits the staff and patients of the A & E Department to monitor and inform himself on the situation. This is a perfectly legitimate and necessary activity in a functional democracy but last week Deputy Costello was officially barred from entering the hospital.

This is an extremely serious situation – a lawfully elected public representative has been barred from associating with a group of citizens by a faceless and unaccountable bureaucrat.

In addition to preventing elected representatives from serving the people the HSE has also become involved in attempts to control the media and, incredibly, telling politicians what media outlet they can or cannot speak on.

The HSE has threatened to withdraw advertising from Newstalk 106 because of the station’s policy of ringing the HSE directly to address what the station describes as “horror stories from victims of health service mismanagement, contempt and incompetence.”(Irish Examiner).

A spokesperson for the HSE said:

“In light of staff members being intimidated, bullied and humiliated by Newstalk live on air we are withdrawing co-operation by not providing ministers, press releases and advertising. We believe this is all down to ratings.”

‘We are not providing ministers’??? The bureaucrats in the HSE have decided that they have the power to control the actions of politicians.

‘We believe this is all down to ratings.’??? Since when did faceless bureaucrats, allegedly in charge of health, give themselves the power to sit in judgement on the activities of media outlets?

In reality, their arrogant confidence is justified. It seems that Government ministers are only too happy to allow these faceless and arrogant bureaucrats to trample all over the most basic principles of a functional democracy. The undemocratic imposition of draconian restrictions on free speech means that these cowardly politicians don’t have to answer questions themselves.

While Deputy Costello’s actions deserve the highest praise his handling of the matter requires some comment. He was approached by an unidentified and hostile woman who told him he shouldn’t be in the hospital. He didn’t demand identification and quietly left the hospital.

Apparently, this woman was head of operations at the hospital or represented that office. He has said he intends continuing his protest and has written to head of HSE, Prof. Drumm, expressing his disappointment with the attitude of head of operations at the hospital.

Here’s what should have happened. Deputy Costello should have demanded that this hostile woman identify herself. He should have refused to leave the hospital until he was good and ready.

He should have informed this hostile bureaucrat that as an elected representative of the people he far outranks any official or public servant.

He should not be timidly writing to Prof. Drumm expressing disappointment, he should be writing in passionate anger outlining to the Prof. his plans for dramatically stepping up his campaign outside the hospital.

In effect, the Irish health service has been taken over by unaccountable arrogant and grossly overpaid bureaucrats and public relations companies. Politicians have lost control; they are literally standing outside hospitals waiting for permission to enter.

This grotesque and bizarre state of affairs is bordering on how things are done in Zimbabwe and is resulting in massive suffering for Irish people, in some case even death.

It is long past time that these people were taken out and if necessary put in handcuffs.

Copy to:

All political parties
HSE
Newstalk 106
Joe Costello TD
Mary Harney
Prof. Drumm

Great patriots or corrupt politicians

RTEs Washington correspondent Robert Shortt reported yesterday on a corruption scandal unfolding in the US capital.

The case involves Harriette Walters, a tax assessment manager, who fraudulently approved up to $50 million in improper tax refunds over a period of 20 years.

What’s interesting about Shortt’s report is his attitude to those involved and his use of language.

His headline “Corruption scandal unravels in US capital.” leaves the reader in no doubt that this is a story about corruption.

Shortt and indeed the American people would be astonished if it was suggested that the word corruption couldn’t be used until a court case or a ten year tribunal had completed its work.

There’s a completely different culture here in Ireland. On Morning Ireland (1st item) last Friday, RTEs Cathal MacCoille, challenged Fine Gael spokesperson on Justice Eugene Regan on his description of Bertie Ahern as a tax dodger.

“You have used the phrase in relation to the Taoiseach which is a serious phrase, indeed in many circumstances it would be a libelous phrase, calling him a tax dodger.”

If Ahern was an American politician we wouldn’t be witnessing media sources timidly suggesting to opposition politicians that they should be careful about their language. Instead, we would be getting reports of Ahern being hauled before the courts in handcuffs to face justice.

Shortt goes on to tell us that the Walters case “Puts the extent of planning corruption in Dublin almost literally in the halfpenny place.” It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Short is not actually Irish or that he has been in Washington for a very long time because, clearly, he has no idea of the extent of the planning corruption that has occurred in Dublin over the decades. The Walters case involves a mere $50 million; planning corruption in Dublin is several multiples of that.

Later, he breathlessly informs us that the most amazing aspect of this story is that it went on for 20 years without anyone noticing. If he was reporting in Ireland he would be in danger of suffocation:

Just a few examples, National Irish Bank and Allied Irish Banks robbed the State and their customers for years and nobody noticed. The Ansbacher and DIRT scams operated for decades and nobody apparently noticed. Planning corruption in Ireland is widespread and barely concealed but apparently nobody notices.

He tells us that it was a diligent bank employee who noticed something wrong and reported it to the authorities. Once the corruption was uncovered, US authorities immediately swung into action. 40 people are under investigation by the FBI, homes have been searched and Walters is in jail. Remember, this is just the initial reaction to the corruption.

This does not happen in Ireland. Reports of corruption from diligent officials are invariably covered up or, if they become public, are side tracked into never ending and powerless tribunals or in some cases, simply ignored.

We had the recent case of Jim Flavin of DCC. Last July, the Supreme Court found that he was guilty of insider trading involving sums of up to €50 million – Nothing has happened.

Flavin is still walking around a free man, still at the helm of DCC, still enjoying all the benefits and respect that all non corrupt citizens are properly due. It can also be said with absolute certainty that Flavin will never be brought to justice; he will never see the inside of a jail.

Because Shortt is working and reporting from a jurisdiction that recognises and acts on corruption he automatically and naturally uses words like rampant corruption, jail, prosecution and embezzlement. Such straight forward and open reporting on corruption is extremely rare in the world of Irish media.

Shortt completes his article by making reference to poverty and corruption. I believe he would be genuinely astonished to learn that most Irish people and a good section of the media are completely ignorant of the direct link between the election of corrupt politicians and the serious consequences such voting habits have on Irish society. If they were so aware we would see corrupt Irish politicians and officials languishing in jail instead of being feted as great patriots.

Copy to:
RTE
Robert Shortt

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.”