Ireland now a visible banana republic

From 1922 until 1979 Ireland had the potential to go corrupt.

From 1979, when the criminal Haughey came to power, Ireland did go corrupt. The disease spread rapidly throughout the body politic, the public and civil service, the financial sector and the general population.

The administration did, however, manage to preserve, especially on the international stage, the illusion that Ireland was a fully functional, democratic state.

The international financial crisis in 2007/2008 began to expose the rot for the entire world to see and ever since the country has been on a rapid downward spiral to what I call a visible banana republic.

Here’s just one small example of what I mean.

Broadcaster Joe Duffy had the following conversation on Liveline (Friday) with government minister Conor Lenihan on who exactly was the real Justice Minister.

Duffy: Dermot Ahern is saying I’m still Minister for Justice. We were told yesterday that the new Minister for Justice was the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith.

Minister: Well, as I understand it the Taoiseach announced in the Dail yesterday that those powers previously exercised by Dermot Ahern have now been transferred to another minister.

Duffy: It’s bizarre that we don’t know who the Minister for Justice is.

Minister: But we do, it’s certainly not Dermot Ahern, he’s resigned.

Duffy: No, he said he is, his spokesman says it is him, it is still Dermot Ahern. He’s insisting that he he’s still in charge of the Gardai from his hospital bed.

Minister: Good Lord, well that is a surprise to me.

Hanafin: Ruthless, arrogant – and stupid

Fianna Fail TD Mary Hanafin, one of the most ruthless politicians in the country, was challenged on Frontline (Monday, 17th Jan) on who she was backing in the heave.

Pat Kenny: Brian Lenihan has indicated that before the meeting tomorrow night he will indicate his thinking.

Hanafin: And I’ll do the same thing.

Later in the programme a caller made another challenge.

Tell Mary Hanafin to get off the fence…to show some leadership or backbone.

Hanafin put on her most arrogant face and dismissively issued a one word reply.

Amárach.

Hanafin was, of course, lying. She didn’t reveal who she was backing until it was forced out of her by media pressure on Wednesday.

Here’s a flavour of how this ethical/principles free politician responded to media questioning.

I was never going to be part of a heave, if there was going to be a heave I was not going to be party to that.

But you said you would address the parliamentary meeting and reveal your stance, you didn’t do that.

I think it was obvious to people that I would vote according with my views, so I chose to vote in secret.

I was not part of the campaign that was going on. It was a motion of confidence, it wasn’t a leadership contest, it wasn’t about coming out in favour of one person or the other. If it had been then I might have been active and actually canvassing for one person or another but it wasn’t.

So having not expressed confidence in the Taoiseach how can you sit around the Cabinet table over the next two months?

Because it wasn’t about confidence in the Taoiseach, the motion was very specifically about the leader of Fianna Fail.

Do you have confidence in him as Fianna Fail leader?

Yes I do, I’m a party person and I have always said whoever the leader of my party is I am very happy to support that person.

This level of hypocrisy, even by the extremely low standards of Fianna Fail, would be difficult to surpass.

Hanafin’s actions also demonstrate how operating within a corrupt political culture can reduce the political mind to pure stupidity.

Instead of retaining her credibility by openly and honestly challenging Cowen which would have put her in a good position to win leadership of Fianna Fail Hanafin opted for two more months of having her arse ferried around in a state car.

Gombeens in the political pigsty

Deep anger and utter disgust was my reaction to the moronic behavior of our gombeen politicians (from all parties) in our national parliament last Wednesday.

We witnessed a gombeen Taoiseach, supported by his gombeen party, slagging off a gombeen Opposition.

It was all fun and games with laughter all around as if this gombeen body politic had nothing to do with the absolute destruction of our country.

Our idiot of a Taoiseach was so impressed with his performance that he instructed his staff to email an internet link of his moronic behaviour to supporters.

Amid all the pigsty politics the imbecile revealed the contempt in which he holds our national parliament when, having triggered a laugh from his supporters at the expense of Enda Kenny, he declared:

It’s worth coming in here for half an hour.

So let’s be absolutely clear about what’s happening here.

Brian Cowen is a non entity; he’s nothing more than a drunken fool who managed to float to the top of a cesspool political party that operates within a corrupt political system.

His exit from politics will be a non event; the destruction of his corrupt party will be a non event and the succession of Fine Gael and Labour to power will be a non event because it will make little or no difference to what is urgently required before Ireland can become a genuine democracy – the complete destruction of our corrupt political system.

Copy to:
Fianna Fail

Cowen's last fan

For pure entertainment it’s worth listening to the giggling joy and admiration expressed by Sunday Times political reporter Sarah McInereny when asked by Matt Cooper what she thought of Cowen’s performance in the Dail last Wednesday (Today FM, podcast).

Positively exuberant, I mean I think he was just in the best form I think I have ever seen him in the last two and a half years since he became Taoiseach.

I mean everybody was looking at each other, it seems that the relief and tension of the last couple of days was spilling over into this joy really and excellent form really, he was laughing and looking at the press gallery and looking around the room and most relaxed I’ve seen him in a long time.

I think he’s happy to have the last couple of days over with and the tension and stress of the last couple of days.

I think everyone needed a laugh and everyone is willing to join in the laugh and have a bit of a good time.

Yes Sarah, we’re all going to have a laugh and a good time – On 11th March.

Tunisia more democratic than Ireland

A panelist on the Marian Finucane Show last Sunday made some comparisons between Ireland and Tunisia which recently overthrew a corrupt government.

Unemployment is at 14% with youth unemployment at 25%. This is much the same as Ireland.

Public debt is 50% of GDP. Ireland’s public debt is 100% of GDP.

The president was despised for living a life of excess while ordinary Tunisians struggled to survive.

Ireland’s ruling elite are despised for living a life of excess while ordinary citizens struggle for survival.

Then up pops Sean (son and benefactor of the criminal) Haughey with a ‘profound’ contribution.

The big difference is that Ireland is a democracy.

Ireland is a democracy? Only a complete fool would make/believe such a statement.

There is only one difference between Ireland and Tunisia – Irish citizens have not yet taken to the streets to destroy the corrupt political system that operates in the exact same manner as the Tunisian regime did before it was overthrown.

O'Grady's prediction

The Attic Archives

Irish Times, September 8th 2003

O’Grady’s dire prediction

Madam,

About a hundred years ago James Standish O’Grady said:

“Nationalistic aspirations, if realised, will bring about a shabby sordid Irish republic, ruled by knavish corrupt politicians and the ignoble rich.”

Had he a crystal ball?

Yours etc.

George Kennedy
Salthill
Monkstown
Co Dublin

Pathetic Cowen exposes cowardly Martin

I wrote yesterday that I hoped Brian Cowen was successful in his pathetic attempt to remain in power because it would increase the damage to Fianna Fail, I never dreamed that my wish would be granted in spades.

Not only has the drunken fool decided to stay on but he’s also exposed Michael Martin for the cowardly creep that he is.

Martin’s strategy of ‘I’ll resign but I won’t resign’ is an attempt to convince people that he’s a man of courage and principle but who, at the same time, skulks in the bunker instead of bravely taking to the field of battle.

We can add ‘stupid’ to his list of characteristics if he thinks anybody will fall for this stroke save for the most moronic Fianna Fail supporter.

Meanwhile, the whole farce provides yet another excuse for the body politic and media to avoid dealing with the real reason for the destruction of our nation – the all pervading disease of political corruption.