Category: Mahon Tribunal

Reaction to the good news

Reaction to the good news. (My comments in brackets)

Bertie Ahern – “I want to re-focus the political dynamic of this country. Recent developments have not motivated my decision. It’s nothing to do with the tribunal.”

(So, why is he resigning? Because the political dynamic of the country needs to be re-focused. And why does it need to be re-focused? Because of Ahern’s troubles at the tribunal – But…..)

Senator Eoghan Harris – “You have only to look at his face on television to see an honest face.”

“This became an extraordinary symbiosis of frenzy between a certain section of the media intent on building circulation and the Mahon Tribunal intent on justifying itself.”

(It is believed that Senator Harris was speaking from the Third Quadrant of the Intergalactic just to the left of Mars. It is not known whether he plans returning to Earth anytime soon).

Noel Whelan; journalist and Fianna Fail supporter – “His career doesn’t end in failure, it ends under pressure.”

Michael Kennedy; Fianna Fail TD – “It’s trial by media. Most of this story has been driven by the media looking for stories.” (Michael is a backwoodsman).

Brian Dobson – (RTE presenter covering the event, losing the run of himself for a moment while interviewing Fine Gael TD, Leo Varadkar.

“You accused the Taoiseach of lying in the strongest possible charge, I think, that can be laid against anybody and you might be persuaded to withdraw that term.”

Leo Varadkar; (Replies, referring to Dobson’s infamous ‘weepy’ interview with Ahern).

“You asked him did he receive any other payments and he said; ‘there were no other payments’. We know that not to be the truth, so he certainly peddled untruths to you.”

(My goodness, is there no stopping that cheeky young buck from saying nasty things about his betters?)

Noel Whelan – (Responding after a visibly angry Dobson asked – Is this the kind of thing we can expect from the Opposition?)

“The epitaph of Bertie Ahern’s political career will not be written by the Leo Varadkar’s of this world and that’s for sure.”

Margaret Conlon; Fianna Fail TD – “I do not agree with the way he was tried by the media. For all of us living in a democracy that is a sad place we have come.” (Margaret is a backwoodswoman).

Mary Hanafin; Fianna Fail TD and Minister for Education –

“He certainly didn’t have to go because of anything that came out of the tribunal.”

(This politician is ruthless and ethically blind. The good of the country and its people are way down her list of priorities – a woman to be watched).

Breaking news – Bertie Ahern is not dead

Breaking news – Bertie Ahern is not dead. He’s just the latest in a long line of Fianna Fail politicians who have been forced to resign because of their dodgy activities.

Some, however, see the event as a death. Here are some excerpts from an interview with Senator Harris on The Last Word today.

Matt Cooper – How do you feel about this?

Harris – I feel sick, I’m going through the death thing, denial first and then anger. I think the public is going to go through the same series of shocks. There’s going to be a lot of grief about Bertie Ahern.

A few days ago when I spoke about him here there was an extraordinary amount of vitriolic texts and this has been par for the course across the media.

I don’t know whether put in by Fine Gael or a group of sour heads in Sinn Fein. There’s a virulent group of people out there helping this campaign, especially on the internet, the blogs reached an incredible level of abuse in the last ten to fifteen days, and I mean really bad stuff.

I think we should stand back for a minute now…I’m not here as a priest delivering a funeral oration, he’s not out yet. I see myself more as a detective, I want to know how he was murdered I want to know what was done to bring a man like that to the point where he felt he had to step down.

Cooper – Why do you think the media would bring him down?

Well, that’s very simple. The most vindictive section of the media campaign began around 2006 with a series of systematic leaks to and by Frank Connolly who has very strong republican and radical sympathies. They were crucial in creating a climate.

I think the media were shocked when Ahern won the election; they have a vested interest in proving that there was something wrong.

Michael Clifford of Sunday Tribune joins the discussion

Cooper to Clifford – Has the media hounded Ahern out of office?

Clifford. Well, in the first instance Matt, you and Mr. Harris there referred to the media.

Harris – Senator Harris, like, you know.

Clifford – Excuse me.

Harris – No, that’s the kind of degrading kind of thing, you know. You did it to Bertie Ahern but I’m not Bertie Ahern, I can answer you back and I will to.

Clifford – Oh, I’m very sorry for not applying your correct title.

Yes, the media had more interest in this story than the general public did and to my mind there’s a very good reason for that.

First of all, the story was very complicated, therefore people tuned out, secondly,, there was an awful lot of spin going on around the story much of which we’ve just heard for the last 15 minutes and thirdly the media has a public interest element in it.

If anybody is suggesting that there was not a public interest in a serving Minister for Finance receiving in one year, two and a half times his salary and over two years in excess of three times his salary and then coming into an inquiry and presenting what the majority of the public according to opinion polls believes was implausible evidence.]

If Senator Harris is suggesting that there’s not a major public interest in covering that story then I don’t know what the public interest is then.

Harris – I regard you as one of the leading scurrilous journalists in the campaign to hound Ahern. I’m not going to deign to answer your constant quotation marks over my title but I’ll tell you something you are going to have to find a real job as a real reporter soon because you’ve run out of road on this one.

Clifford – Senator Harris, on the Late Late Show, said he believes Mr. Ahern is telling the truth – as he sees it. That’s the strangest definition of giving evidence under oath that I have heard. Could you explain what that means?

Harris – I can explain it by the image of a car crash. Anyone who has ever seen two cars crash on the road knows that six witnesses will each see their own truth.

Clifford (Speaking about Ahern’s evidence) – I would challenge anybody to look at the facts and say that they believe him because the main defence both from Senator Harris and other people who have defended the Taoiseach, they begin each defence with the words – I don’t know much about the tribunal but… In other words it is not the facts that they’re interested in, it’s Mr. Ahern’s reputation.

Harris – I think that when somebody is giving evidence about their private affairs before a tribunal and when they’re convinced as Bertie Ahern is convinced that he wasn’t corrupt, I think they don’t give a full picture and I don’t thing they have any obligation to give a full picture of all the details of their finance.

Greens: How high do you want us to jump Bertie?

It really is incredible that RTE has yet to realise the gravity of what happened at the Mahon Tribunal last week. The station seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that a sitting Taoiseach has apparently lied.

Even if we allow that the station is ultra conservative; that it is cautious to the point of panic in case it offends its political masters, it still doesn’t explain why the most important and serious political event in decades is being effectively ignored by the broadcaster.

There has, of course, been plenty of peripheral discussion surrounding the fact that the Taoiseach apparently lied under oath but no mention of perjury, alleged perjury or possible perjury, not even an explanation of what perjury is – Nothing.

Saturday View serves as a good example of how frightened RTE is of facing the reality of the situation (My comments are in brackets).

Politicians on the panel were Fianna Fail TD, oops; I mean Green Party TD, Mary White and Fine Gael TD Leo Varadkar.

The RTE presenter, Rodney Rice started off by moaning,

“Once again we cannot avoid examining the Taoiseach’s travails.”

His first couple of questions left listeners in no doubt that RTEs policy of studiously ignoring the reality of the situation was going to continue.

White was asked the totally irrelevant question – Were the Greens forced into making comment on Ahern? This was followed up by an even less relevant question to Varadkar – why haven’t we heard from your leader (Enda Kenny)?

Varadkar – to his credit, wasn’t going to be sidetracked.

“It’s not good enough (for the Taoiseach) to give clarification, the Taoiseach swore an oath in the tribunal that the monies lodged in his building society account were salary cheques and swore on oath that he never dealt in sterling.”

Rice quickly jumped to the Taoiseach’s defence.

“But the one place he can do that again is back in the tribunal and he will do that presumably.

(The obvious question here is; how many times does the Taoiseach have to apparently lie before RTE accepts the reality?)

Varadkar – “What he can do, perhaps for the first time, is come in and tell people the truth… The fact is he swore under oath at the tribunal that the money was salary cheques and he didn’t deal in sterling so he has to come into the Dail now and admit that he perjured himself in the tribunal.”

(No doubt in Varadkar’s mind as to what has occurred).

“If he does not do that then anything he says in the Dail has to be unacceptable and I want to know from the Greens…if what he says in the Dail contradicts what he said under sworn oath in the tribunal will that be acceptable to the Green Party?”

White – “Mahon was set up by all parties and we shouldn’t prejudge it and while revelations coming out are certainly getting up people’s noses around the countryside we will await the outcome of the Mahon Tribunal.”

(Pure Fianna Fail speak).

Varadkar – If it’s still your view that we have to wait until the tribunal makes its report what is the purpose of asking the Taoiseach to make a statement?

White – “Well, I think when Ms. Carruth appeared at the tribunal I think the level was lifted up about public interest in the tribunal…and a little bit of clarification would be no harm at this stage…in any coalition it’s good now and again to clear the air and that was the reason for the intervention.”

(So for the Greens this has nothing to do with a Taoiseach lying, nothing to do with ethics in public office, nothing to do with the truth. It’s all about ‘a bit of clarification’, to placate those pesky citizens who are jumping up and down, demanding accountability).

Varadkar – “It’s becoming increasingly clear that what the Taoiseach has said in the tribunal and what he said in the Dail and what he said to the public hasn’t been true.” “There are things that we can be certain of that are separate from the tribunal. We can be certain that the Taoiseach is a liar.”

Rice – (Intervention). “Well, now that’s un-parliamentary language. You would be asked to withdraw that in the Dail so why don’t you withdraw it here and be polite.”

(Clearly, RTE has adopted the truth avoiding strategy so successfully employed in our National Parliament – You can say what you like but straight talking is forbidden).

Varadkar – “I won’t because it’s the truth.”

Rice – “Why won’t you be polite?”

(About the serious matter of a Taoiseach lying under oath).

Varadkar – “Because it’s the truth.”

Rice – “He (Ahern) has said some things that you regard as contradictory and which may or may not be irreconcilable.”

(The evidence is incontrovertible – Ahern’s words are on record under oath, Carruth’s words are on record under oath and the tribunal has produced signed bank receipts that confirms both of them are liars).

Varadkar – “He said he never dealt in sterling, he said he didn’t have any bank accounts, he said that he consulted the tax authorities on his affairs. None of these things are true. If you want me to rephrase I’ll rephrase in parliamentary language; peddling untruths. He’s been peddling untruths; he’s a fraud, he hasn’t paid his taxes and he’s a thief.”

(Again, no ambiguity here).

Rice – “So you want him to go.”

Varadkar – “Of course, if those things are not red lines, what are red lines?”

Rice asks White – “What do you need?”(From Ahern).

White – “We’re not going to grandstand and jump up and down and wave green flags and we’re not going to prejudge what the Taoiseach of our country is going to say on Wednesday. We will listen.”

(Yes, Mary, and when you’re done listening, Ahern will instruct you and your party to jump and the only question remaining will be – How high Bertie, how high do you want us to jump?)

Copy to:

Mary White
Leo Varadkar
Green Party
Fianna Fail
RTE (Saturday View)

Bertie's legal team legs it

When Grainne Carruth’s sensational evidence emerged at the Mahon Tribunal yesterday Bertie Ahern’s legal team said they were reserving any statements until they got an opportunity to talk to Ahern. Clearly, they were rattled.

When Carruth confirmed today that she did indeed lodge Sterling on Ahern’s behalf his legal team were nowhere to be seen.

Could it be that they’re advising him on how to write a letter of resignation?

The noose tightens

I agree with Gavin that the evidence emerging at the Mahon Tribunal is “nothing short of explosive.” It is the smoking gun that is likely to expose Bertie Ahern as a liar.

He has always strongly denied making any significant Sterling transactions. There can be only two reasons for this strong denial – He’s actually telling the truth and didn’t deal in Sterling or, he did, but cannot say so because it would provide a direct link to allegations that he took bribes.

Grainne Carruth, Ahern’s former secretary, has now confirmed that she dealt with large sums of Sterling on Ahern’s behalf.

To date, Ahern has sought to use his failed marriage, his children, his friends and colleagues, businessmen friends who were not actually friends and even dead people in increasingly desperate attempts to explain his activities.

His stories have become progressively more bizarre and unbelievable but low accountability standards in Ireland means that nothing short of a smoking gun is required. It looks like Grainne Carruth’s evidence is that smoking gun.

See here at Gavin’s Blog for the incredible list of transactions made, mostly in Sterling, to Ahern’s account.

Bertie – "The man totally devoted to bounce."

I genuinely thought it impossible that any Bertie fanatic could surpass the stupidity of Declan Lynch’s defence of the great leader – but I was wrong.

Brendan O’Connor wrote things in last Sunday’s paper that I’m sure, if he has an ounce of self respect, will make him cringe in embarrassment for years to come. The principal point of the piece is that Bertie the great leader was down but now he’s back – with bounce.

Here are some choice quotes.

In his heyday, Bertie used to rival Tom Cruise for bounce.

He became the public man, the man with no personal life, the man totally devoted to public service and to his public, the man totally devoted to bounce.

It was only when the Bertie bounce returned last week that we saw what we’d been missing.

He draws strength and energy from us, and we from him. That’s what being a leader is about. Hence, the bounce of the last week was good for everyone.

Bertie’s never happier than when he’s connected to his people, getting the love.

He looked energised. And he fed off his people and they showed it on the news and we fed off him.

And as much as it’s old fashioned and sexist, we do like to feel that there’s a benevolent but tough patriarch watching over us. And it was difficult to watch the Daddy seeming to lose his power. But it seems like the Daddy is back and we can sleep easy in our beds. He has thrust the darkness to one side.

Come to the light, Bertie. We need you here. And our love will buoy you up.

The man totally devoted to the bounce? We can sleep easy in our beds now because the Daddy is back to thrust the darkness to one side? Come to the light, Bertie. We need you here. And our love will buoy you up?

I mean, is this man serious? Let’s for a moment forget about Bertie, about corruption in Ireland, let’s forget about Ireland altogether.

Let’s imagine that O’Connor is writing about the greatest man that has ever lived, a man that has fed the hungry masses of the world, a man who has persuaded all nations to cease war, a man who has reversed global warming, a man who has saved the world for all generations to come – It would still be cringingly embarrassing to describe such a man in the manner that O’Connor writes about his hero.

And what about O’Connor’s friends and work colleagues? Out of kindness, do they avoid talking about the great leader in case Brendan suddenly launches into a Bertie bounce? Is there really anybody out there, apart from fellow Bertie worshippers Jody Corcoran and Declan Lynch who actually believes in the Bertie love bounce?

Those Fianna Fail propaganda boys have a lot to answer for.

Copy to:
Brendan O’Connor

The madness of O'Connor

Brendan O’Connor, the right wing Sunday Independent journalist is becoming increasingly agitated as the Mahon Tribunal slowly but surely closes in on his hero, Bertie Ahern.

He launched his latest tirade against the tribunal with the demand: “It should be shut down; it should be shut down now.”

From there his article descended into, well, madness really.

The country cannot afford it in financial terms.

It’s paralysing the affairs of state.

It’s preventing us from tackling the economic downturn.

The hounding of Bertie by the media and the Opposition is putting our jobs, homes and children’s future at risk.

People are no longer interested, there’s no appetite for it

Enda Kenny is a lame duck leader obsessed with hounding Bertie while everyone else has moved on.

The Daily Mail is hounding Bertie just to get a foothold in the Irish market.

The media, Opposition and the tribunal are only hounding Bertie because they have nothing else. Without the Bertie campaign many of them stand to lose status, money, work and relevance.

And then there are the lawyers; earning a fortune from the Bertie witch-hunt.

The whole thing has become a self-interested obsessional stalking, a mental illness that is spreading all the time, that has been foisted on the people against their will.

Vast tracts of our political and media establishment have lost touch with reality. Deluded, obsessed, mad people have led us down a cul de sac.

We have seen the greatest minds of our generation destroyed by madness and we have seen the greatest politician of our generation and his government rendered impotent by that madness.

Ah yes, the Tribunal is definitely getting very close.

Frank Dunlop – No regrets, no worries

Frank Dunlop has completed his evidence to the Mahon Tribunal (RTE, 7th item). He has no regrets and only one concern – to get his book published before the tribunal reports.

He was one of the central facilitators in some of the most destructive and blatant planning corruption in the history of the State and he’s not in the least bit worried about any possible consequences.

And he has no need to worry because he lives in a country that accepts corruption as a normal and legitimate aspect of its culture.