Journalist Michael Clifford: In praise of Pat Hickey

 

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By Anthony Sheridan

Establishment journalist Michael Clifford was full of admiration for (recently arrested) Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey in this morning’s edition of the Irish Examiner.

In common with most mainstream journalists Clifford seems more interested in slagging off the Minister for Sports Shane Ross rather than actually addressing very serious allegations of corruption.

The following comments by Clifford give us a good insight into the mindset of mainstream media to allegations of corruption.

On Minister Ross’s attempt to get answers from Hickey:

Mr Ross discovered, as many before him had, that Mr Hickey is a wily old dog who can bite as well as others might bark.

On Hickey’s refusal to cooperate with Ross:

Take a hike, minister, this is my baby, the long-standing OCI president conveyed.

On Hickey’s patronising dinner invite to Ross

Say what you like about Pat Hickey, but you gotta love his chutzpah.

On Ross’s intention to seek the advice of the Attorney General.

You can imagine the sheer delight Marie Whelan would enjoy if told that Shane Ross was on the line.

Just a few short weeks ago, Miss Whelan was subjected to acute embarrassment at the cabinet table when Mr Ross rejected her advice on the abortion issue as “just an opinion”.

Now the same minister plans to run to her seeking some form of advice that might save his ego from abrupt deflation.

On Ross’s poor handling of the scandal:

Perhaps Mr Ross should take up the invitation to dine with Pat Hickey. The latter would undoubtedly be able to tell the politician a thing or two about politics.

The question Irish citizens have for establishment journalists like Clifford is:

When are you going to address the rampant political corruption that has destroyed our country?

Copy to:

Michael Clifford

Shane Ross: Breaking the rules of his own political class

 

 

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By Anthony Sheridan

The first rule of Irish mainstream media when it comes to corruption is – under no circumstances whatsoever should the issue be actually addressed, analysed or even mentioned.

So we had the usual conservative pro-establishment packed panel on the Marian Finucane Show last Sunday discussing the Olympic ticket corruption scandal.

But, sticking strictly to the rule, the issued of corruption was completely ignored as the panel focused on attacking the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross over his handling of the scandal.

The reason for such attacks on Ross is clear. Although he is an establishment insider himself, he has been breaking another golden rule of the ruling elite – he actually investigates and reports on the rampant corruption within his own political/media class.

This is an unforgiveable sin and attracts vicious rants laced with lies from people like former Labour minister for State Aodhan O’Riordan.

The issue here is that anybody who shared the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) with Shane Ross over the last five years know exactly the way he operates. There is no reputation that he is not happy to have a complete go at in order to get five minutes publicity out of, this is the way he has operated for a long time.

Copy to:

Marian Finucane Show

Aodhan O’Riordan

Shane Ross

Minister Donovan: A political moron

 

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By Anthony Sheridan

Every Irish politician has a simple decision to make when speaking about allegations of corruption.
Speak the truth or sacrifice self-respect by assuming that Irish citizens are idiots.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Patrick Donovan chose to assume that Irish citizens are idiots in this interview about the Olympic ticket scandal.
RTE Presenter Richard Crowley: Have you got the facts yet? (A week after the scandal broke).
Donovan: No, we still don’t know what happened. That’s why I asked senior officials in the Dept to write to the Olympic Council of Ireland to seek clarification.
Crowley: What can you tell us about the number of tickets seized by the Brazilian police?
Donovan: I don’t have the exact details. I wouldn’t like to comment on the case specifically.
This is the standard bullshit we get from moronic Irish politicians – I can’t make comment as it might prejudice a court case.
Crowley: Can you tell us how many tickets the international authorities allocate to Ireland?
Donovan: Well this is something we’re also trying to find out.
Any minister for sport who does not know this basic information is a moron.
Crowley: Have the Olympic Council of Ireland not told you that yet?
Donovan: No, what we’ve done is, we’ve written to the Olympic Council of Ireland….blah, blah, blah.
Crowley: Did the Minister (Shane Ross) not ask about these things?
Donovan: I presume he’s trying to establish an open line of communication between the Olympic Council and the Dept which is important because of the reputational damage….blah, blah, blah.
A week after the scandal broke and the moron expects us to believe that he, his senior minister Shane Ross and his Dept. are still trying to establish communications between the Dept. and the Olympic Council of Ireland.
Crowley: But we’re ten days into this and you don’t even have the basic information.
Donovan: No, and the reason we don’t have the basic information is the way investigations are operated in Brazil is different to how they operate in Ireland.
The moron seems to be suggesting that the Brazilians are somehow incompetent when it comes to investigating criminality when in fact it is Irish authorities that are incompetent/corrupt when it comes to investigating these kinds of scandals.
Crowley: You could get this information yourself directly from the Olympic Council of Ireland.
Donovan: That’s why we’ve written to the Olympic Council.
And so, we’re back to writing letters again.  
Crowley: More than a week after the scandal broke?
Donovan: Well in the first instance Richard I was there when the scandal broke and I reacted on behalf of the Government in Rio to what was happening…blah, blah, blah.
The moron did nothing.
Crowley: An inquiry by the Olympic Council of Ireland is entirely unsatisfactory. Can you force them to put an independent person on the inquiry team?
Donovan: No, we can’t but….reputation of Ireland Inc…blah, blah, blah.
Crowley: Is there room for an independent judicial inquiry?
Donovan: It’s too early to say. I was a member of the Oireachtas Committee that looked in detail at the London games…blah, blah, blah.
Just two years ago there were serious problems with the allocation of tickets for the FIFA World Cup held in Brazil
The brazilians, also worried about their country’s reputation, took immediate action that resulted in strict laws governing the allocation of tickets for major events. It was under this law that the Irish corruption was exposed.
To sum up the moron:
I know nothing.
I’m saying nothing

I’ll treat treat Irish citizens like idiots because I don’t have to courage to speak the truth.

I’m waiting for the postman to bring answers – any day now.
Copy to:
Donovan

 

 

The evil that is martyrdom

 

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By Anthony Sheridan

According to militant Catholic David Quinn, Fr. Jacques Hamel, the Catholic priest who was murdered recently in France, is a martyr.

This is a questionable claim when we look at the definition of the word martyr.

One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.

The key word here is ‘chooses’.

I don’t know what went on in that church in the lead up to Fr. Hamel’s murder but I suspect that he was not given the choice of living or dying for his faith.

If that is the case then he is not a martyr but simply another victim of religious fanaticism that is responsible for the deaths of countless millions down through the centuries.

The two religious fanatics who murdered Fr. Hamel are, however, most certainly martyrs. While planning the attack on the church they must have known that they too were almost certainly going to die. In other words, they chose to die fighting Christian infidels in defence of their particular god.

It is a measure of the irrationality of religion that martyrdom can be seen as a positive/holy act.

Any person, who chooses to die for his particular god, whether as a result of murdering or being murdered, is doing so from a mind that has been damaged by the disease of religion.

If a person has become so religiously fanatical as to allow his own body to be murdered in the name of his particular god then in all likelihood he is also capable of murdering others for the same reason.

We only have to look at history to confirm this truth.

Copy to:

David Quinn

Irish Olympic cheaters are heroes: Russian Olympic cheaters are evil

 

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By Anthony Sheridan

I have always believed that nationalism is as dangerous as religion on the basis that both mindsets operate only in the realm of the irrational.

Take for example this Irish Independent editorial written in response to the news that Irish boxer Michael O’Reilly had failed a dope test.

The headline gives us the first hint of the irrational.

Our heroic boxers don’t deserve cloud of scandal

Well, whatever about the rest of the boxing team Michael O’Reilly most certainly does deserve the cloud of scandal hovering over him on the rational fact that he did indeed fail a doping test.

The author makes it clear that our ‘heroic’ boxers are the greatest warriors to walk the face of earth while those nasty Russians are evil incarnate. (I exaggerate only very slightly here).

The cloud of scandal hanging over Irish boxers is not just unfair but monumentally so, the author thunders.

And why is it unfair?

Well, because this particular group of athletes has brought more glory and displayed more guts than any other in history.

This is where we enter the dangerous realm of the irrational where honesty and logic is twisted to suit the mindset of nationalism.

According to the author the doping finding for the Irish boxer is unfair because our boxers are glorious and gutsy.

But the Russians deserve to be severely punished because –

So many Games have been marred by the fact that cheaters have taken to the winners’ podium. This goes against everything that honest competition is about.

There must be no ambiguity; no athlete should ever get as far as the Olympics unless they are clean.

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Irish Independent

Breaking: The truth behind Melania Trump’s plagiarism

 

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By Anthony Sheridan

 

There can be only two reasons for the plagiarising of Michelle Obama’s speech by Melania Trump.

One:

The person who wrote it is so stupid he (all the suspects are male) didn’t have the intelligence to realise it would be instantly found out given the widespread availability of modern technology in the hands of political heads and snoopy/cynical journalists.

Didn’t have the intelligence to make the simple but critical changes necessary to make it different enough. Only the most clueless students lack such crucial savvy.

Didn’t have the intelligence to write his own completely original speech given that such speeches are simplicity itself for even the most mundane writer. They consist of nothing more than platitudes and clichés with a generous sprinkling of nationalist/party fervour topped off with a personal quote/opinion from the speaker – job done.

Two:

He’s a Democrat mole.

So….well done man.

Sean Fleming’s PAC: A game of make-believe cowboys

 

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By Anthony Sheridan

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is, and has always been, a powerless talking shop, this is no accident. Those who wield the real power in our country would never allow any entity, political or regulatory, to put their interests at risk.

From time to time, however, some members of PAC get a bit uppity, start to stray beyond the limits of the strict rules under which they are forced to operate.

Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness, Sinn Fein TD Mary Lou McDonald and Independent TD Shane Ross are recent examples of this dangerous tendency to actually make the corrupt accountable.

But those who wield real power in our country can rest easy again under the ‘leadership’ of the new chairman of PAC, Fianna Fail TD, Sean Fleming.

Fleming is obediently conforming to strict new rules designed to put his committee firmly back in its box.

Satire is sometimes the only way of responding to such shameful acquiescence.

Here’s my take:

Sean Fleming TD is the new sheriff in town and he’s a mean dude who means business. Sean the Sheriff is the new chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) so watch out all you corrupt bankers, property developers, crooked police officers and misspending civil servants, Sean the Sherriff is a comin ta get ya.

As a member of Fianna Fail, the most notorious criminal gang in the Wild West of Irish politics, Sean will have the lowdown on any critter that tries to put one over on the good folks of his town.

Yessiree, Sean the Sheriff ain’t gonna take any prisoners when it comes to dealing with nasty varmints who try to infect his town with corruption, fraud and gombeenism.

In this report Sean the Sheriff is described as:

An experienced, cautious and eagle-eyed (sheriff) politician.

Will he have any problems speaking up, he was asked.

I guarantee that won’t be a problem. There will be no punches pulled at all.

And to make the point Sean the Sheriff pulled out his massive six-gun and pointed it in a threatening but most impressive manner.

But wait, that’s not a six-gun, it’s…it’s…a water pistol.

Yes, I know, said Sean the Sheriff, despondently. I don’t really have any (fire) power at all; it’s just a game of  make-believe cowboys.

But what about the previous sheriff, John McGuiness? Didn’t he have a cap gun, which, while totally ineffective, did make a bang?

Yes, but he banged (his mouth off) too much which annoyed some very important people so they’ve taken it away and replaced it with this totally silent water pistol.

But surely they should be giving PAC more powers, not less, to fight the ruthlessly corrupt who are armed with such lethal weapons as corrupt politicians, bent lawyers and crooked accountants?

Sean the Sheriff could only reply, as instructed, with this incredibly stupid statement.

Use the powers you have to the best ability without having to use the powers you don’t have.

And so, as Sean the sheriff reloads his water pistol, the townspeople continue to cower in fear of the corrupt, still waiting for a sheriff with a real gun to ride into town and chase out the baddies.

It could be a long wait.

Coy  to:

All PAC members

John McGuinness

Shane Ross

 

Young Irish citizens: Time for revolution

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By Anthony Sheridan

 

Lorraine Courtney is not happy about how the State treats young people.

We are owed a place in society, a voice in politics and the media; jobs created for us; houses built for us and wages that we can live on.

Young people are not apathetic, but we are disaffected. Everyone I talk to has a thousand opinions on the political and economic situation. That’s not apathy. But changing things at a top level seems so unrealistic that we go back to the ground, and it’s impossible to try to change things from there.

So, she lists her entitlements and then states that, really, there’s not much we (young people) can do about the situation.

It’s impossible to try to change things.

Here’s a mad idea.

Do what students/young people have been doing for decades in practically every other Western country when they come up against rotten/corrupt administrations.

Get off your butt. Demand that student unions give up engaging in polite protests against fee hikes and unites to form a radical movement to lead the youth (or even the nation) in a campaign against political corruption.

Come out from your colleges and your parent’s comfortable homes and join the water protesters (made up mostly of children, middle aged and elderly citizens) who have already set the revolution ball rolling.

Then, and only then, will the young and every other citizen get real democracy, accountability and a decent society.

Copy to:

Lorraine Courtney

Breaking: Sinn Fein responsible for melting Ice Caps

Global Warming.
Global Warming.

By Anthony Sheridan

Denis O’Brien ‘journalists’ just can’t help themselves when it comes to attacking Sinn Fein.

Paul Williams starts out in this article with a reasonable line on how Angelia Kerins may have been unfairly treated by the Public Accounts Committee.

But as always with most Irish ‘Independent’ journalists his real target is Sinn Fein.

PAC member Mary Lou McDonald, who, like her leader Gerry Adams, sneers on the fence claiming corruption and cover-ups at every turn while ignoring the vast amount of corruption and cover-ups (including murder, child abuse and racketeering) in the republican family.

No, really, this is an extract from the same article allegedly in support of Angelia Kerins, a matter that has nothing whatsoever to do with Sinn Fein.

And just last week Williams wrote about the connection between Sinn Fein and the melting of the Polar Ice Caps.

Ah no, only joking on that one but give him time, give him time.

Copy to:

Paul Williams