Category: Labour Party

Joan Burton: A genuinely principled individual or a typical gombeen hypocrite

Here’s what Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton had to say on the Jean McConville murder (Newstalk).

It’s a case I’ve followed down the years and I want to say this; if what happened to Jean McConville and her family had happened in any other country it would be treated properly as a war crime.

Referring to Sinn Fein’s reaction she said that there are certain standards in relation to war crimes that they have to acknowledge and address and I think Mr. Adams has to address those issues as well.

I would like to see all those involved in that war crime brought to justice.

Fair enough as far as it goes but Ms. Burton, as a result of her very strong intervention, now has an obligation to act on her convictions.

At a minimum she should immediately follow up on her criticism of the UK government and demand that that government treat the murder as a war crime.

She should also declare that she would have no more contact whatsoever with Gerry Adams or any member of Sinn Fein until those involved are brought to justice.

She should also demand that fellow Labour Party members, including the leader, adopt and support her strategy in this matter.

If she doesn’t do this, if she fails to follow up on her comments then we can reasonably conclude that she’s doing nothing more than acting like a typical gombeen hypocrite in the run-up to an election.

Over to you Ms. Burton…

Ruairi Quinn: Loyalty to party and leader above all?

One of the reasons why people have little faith in our political system is the order of priorities adopted by politicians.

Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, defending his party leader, provides us with a typical example of how the good of the country comes in a poor third after loyalty to the leader and the party.

In the following interview Minister Quinn seems to be completely unaware of the hypocrisy of claiming that a party should have a public face and a private face. Neither does he seem to be aware of the dangers of absolute loyalty to a party leader, no matter what happens.

Quinn: When parties start to argue in public about leaders and start to have heaves against leaders they lose votes like snow off a ditch.

Fine Gael is the classic example; they shot themselves in the foot in relation to the leadership. There has to be a public face and a private face in any organisation and loyalty to the leader.

We have a leader who’s track record is unparalleled, his achievements are brilliant.

Interviewer: But that was then.

Quinn: No, this is now and we’re weeks off mid term elections and in those circumstances you don’t think out loud.

Interviewer: So no matter how badly Labour do, if you get no MEPs, if you lose half your councillors, you would still say the same thing?

Quinn: There is no vacancy. Eamon Gilmore will lead us into the next general election.

Interviewer: Irrespective of how bad it is.

Quinn: Yes, as far as I’m concerned.

Prendergast: Living in a parallel universe

It’s hilarious to see Labour MEP Phil Prendergast call for the replacement of Eamon Gilmore with Joan Burton.

Prendergast, in common with almost every TD in the body politic, operates in a parallel universe where she believes that replacing one conservative, non-visionary leader with another conservative, non-visionary leader will, somehow, stop the corrupt political/administrative system from screwing ordinary citizens into the ground.

Stroke politics still the preferred option of our politicians

Ireland is not a democratic state.

It is a state governed under the rules and very low standards of gombeenism and stroke politics.

Every politician/political party must decide, on coming to power, whether to cooperate with the rotten system to further their own interests or challenge the system in the interests of the Irish people.

Here’s some examples from recent times of decisions made that support the rotten system.

Former Progressive Democrats TD, Fiona O’Malley.

It’s something that has always annoyed me, that the PDs are watchdogs. We have our own standards. Every other political party is responsible for their own standards within their own party. We are not watchdogs for any other party.

Green Party leader and then Minister for the Environment John Gormley.

We never assigned ourselves that role because it’s a role which you cannot fulfull properly and do your work as well. We’re not the moral watchdog of any political party…we look after our probity and our standards…we cannot be responsible for events that took place before our entry into government.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton effectively rejecting the ethical standards of Roisin Shortall in favour of Minister Reilly’s stroke politics.

The fortunes of individual politicians and political parties comes after the issue of restoring the fortunes and the businesses and the employment that’s been lost in this country, and that’s our objective.

Fionnan Sheahan: Roisin Shortall is a frustrated, disappointed, petulant politician who foolishly put herself out in the cold on the unimportant matter of standing by her principles

An article on Minister Shortall’s resignation by journalist Fionnan Sheahan in today’s Irish Independent could have been written by James Reilly himself.

The title of the article gives the first hint that Sheahan is not impressed with Ms. Shortall’s decision to resign on principle.

What did she hope to achieve by this?

Some more quotes from the article:

She’s now out in the cold.

She had ambitions to be a cabinet minister.

Her disappointment at being overlooked…was evident.

She felt frustrated at not being able to wield influence inside of Government.

Still, she was appointed to a reasonable junior ministry.

Her colleagues in Government were none too impressed by her petulant speech.

(The speech where she was critical of the Minister for Health).

Teeing it up as a point of principle on an issue her colleagues had moved on from.

There were few tears being shed within the coalition.

Ms Shortall merely joins the ranks of the disaffected Labour TDs.

Clearly, Mr. Sheahan is one of those journalists who have gone over to the dark side.

He, like most of the politicians he mixes with, has lost his understanding of the concept of principle.

Holding power at any cost is all that matters.

Shorthall resignation: Is it a glimmer of hope for Irish citizens?

Well done to Roisin Shortall. An Irish government minister resigning on a point of principle is a very rare event indeed.

Betrayed Irish citizens can only hope it’s the first glimmer of a change in the corrupt, gombeen culture of Irish politics.

And make no mistake about it; Health Minister James O’Reilly is a gombeen, stroke politician of the lowest order.

As is his fellow gombeen colleague Leo Varadkar who provided us with some hilarity in his attempts to sound ethical while defending gombeenism.

Asked by Sean O’Rourke if O’Reilly had engaged in stroke politics Varadkar replied:

It looks like it but I don’t know if it is or not.

Varadkar likes to see himself as one of the brave new wave of politicians who are going to change the way politics is done in Ireland.

Unfortunately, as he tries to sound honest and ethical he just can’t quite manage to pull away from the gombeen influence that he was weaned on.

And so he ends up being ridiculous by effectively claiming:

Yes, it is stroke politics (The brave new Varadkar).
But no, it’s not stroke politics (The gombeen Varadkar).

In the end politicians like Varadkar will have to make a choice, regress back fully into the mindset of gombeenism or follow the example of politicians like Ms. Shortall and stand on principle, whatever the cost.

Senator Bacik: Principles in deep freeze

The concept of maintaining core principles in the transition from opposition to power is completely foreign to the vast majority of Irish politicians.

Here’s Labour Senator Ivana Bacik commenting on a number of issues on Newstalk yesterday.

On government advisors:

I wouldn’t have been a huge defender of advisors until I see first hand how important it is for ministers to have people who are politically alongside.

On breaching pay caps for government advisors:

I think it’s difficult, I think also that ministers would have people who are advisors who’ve got experience, who’ve got ability but, you know, I’m not defending…interrupted.

On Minister Quinn’s expenses claims:

I heard Minister Ruari Quinn on the radio during the week robustly defending it and saying that other’s are using the car, there’s officials using it.

So I must say having known Ruari Quinn for a long time I think he’s a politician of great integrity. I find it hard to believe there’s anything in this story. No, it’s nothing.

On reform of the expenses system:

It’s all being looked at, there’s a committee in Leinster House looking at that. There’s ongoing reform of the system generally.

At first sight this might sound like pure, unadulterated Fianna Fail speak but in reality it’s the voice of any Irish politician operating within the principles free zone of power.

This principles free zone has just one law:

When in power put all principles that may in any way damage the maintenance of that power into deep freeze.

Principles may be unfrozen and cynically used again only when safely in opposition.

Copy to:

Ivana Bacik

Rabbitte rabbiting on as the country goes down the tubes

Once again we see the greed and arrogance of politicians as they help themselves to even more money from the taxpayer’s pocket as the country goes down the tubes.

Minister for something or other, Pat Rabbitte, was not pleased when questioned about his Labour colleague Jan O’Sullivan pocketing an extra allowance of €17,205 per year on top of her minister’s salary of €130,042 (Morning Ireland, 2nd item).

In a barely tolerant voice at being asked such trivial questions Minister Rabbitte responded:

Well, sometimes our public debate has an unerring instinct for the peripheral. Jan O’Sullivan was promoted to Cabinet and has got the rate that goes with the job…

I mean if this is the level of discussion at a time when the country is virtually bankrupt as a result of the dysfunction of Fianna Fail I really find it very difficult to take it seriously.

When it was suggested that unwarranted expenses should be addressed the Minister became angry and did what all puffed up ministers do when they’re asked hard questions, he wandered off talking about something else.

Well are you suggesting that a tiny island nation that’s trying to trade with the rest of the world shouldn’t promote itself and promote the Taoiseach when he meets foreign leaders and tries to sell Ireland abroad?

I mean this has to be seen in perspective; government has to do its job to the best of its ability to sell this country…

It would be best if this kind of pernicious ad hominem, personal rumours by Sinn Fein were ignored and better that Fianna Fail be ignored given what they’ve done to the country.

Meanwhile, a very angry Pat Kenny, put the following question to Fine Gael TD, Mary Mitchell O’Connor regarding the government levy on personal pensions.

What is the moral basis for putting their hands in people’s pockets and stealing their money?

Pat, you know and I know that there’s no money in the country and we have to take extraordinary measures.

We’re depending on outside agencies, the IMF, EU and ECB to keep the country running.

Tell that to the so-called left wing socialists Rabbitte and O’Sullivan.

Mr. Cardiff's powerful friends

Labour MEP Nessa Childers has claimed she was threatened by a senior politician (presumably from the Labour Party) that she would be expelled from the party if she didn’t keep quiet about the proposed appointment of Kevin Cardiff to the European Court of Auditors.

She further claimed that the Press Officer (presumably the Labour Party Press Officer) told her not to talk about the matter any more.

She was also warned that she could be sued for Mr. Cardiff’s loss of income.

This is heavy stuff and indicates just how powerful Mr. Cardiff’s friends are.

Tanaiste and Leader of the Labour Party, Eamon Gilmore has denied Ms. Childers’ claims.

So, who’s telling the truth and who’s lying through their teeth?

I know who I believe.