Because you’re the injured party…

A current advertisement warning against insurance fraud goes as follows:

Joe had an accident but when he exaggerated his injuries to get more compensation he put his hand in your pocket and took your money.

Every day in Ireland false and exaggerated insurance claims are driving your premiums up.

Protect yourself, report suspect claims; because you’re the injured party.

A similar advertisement can equally serve as a warning against alleged fraud by politicians:

Politician X receives unvouched expenses but when he exaggerated his claims to enrich himself he put his hand into your pocket and took your money.

Everyday in Ireland false and exaggerated claims by politicians are driving up already high levels of cynicism and contempt for the State.

Protect yourself; throw these people out of public office, because you’re the injured party.

Expenses scandal confirms political system is still rotten to the core

We are constantly told by politicians that things are different now. We’re told that the (corrupt) political system has been reformed, that the system is now transparent and accountable.

The ongoing expenses scandal gives the lie to all such assertions.

There’s not even a need to make an argument on the matter, the words of the politicians themselves are sufficient to confirm that the system is still rotten to the core.

Michael D Higgins: (Labour TD)

I think it’s important that we acknowledge the new system is there and hope that people will realise that people like Ivor Callely are exceptional and allow the rest of us to address the really serious issues.

I would worry about my own sanity if I regarded it as politically important.

I do insist that presenting this exotic behaviour as anything typical would be quite irresponsible.

Clearly, Higgins does not think that alleged fraud by an Irish politician is a serious issue or politically important.

This attitude displays a disturbing ignorance of reality.

All corruption in Ireland ultimately originates from the corruption of the political system but people like Higgins have yet to even notice that fact never mind actually act against the disease.

He’s happy to wallow in ignorance and denial while blaming the media for everything.

Dr. John Doyle (DCU)

Irish politicians have very few supports in staff and other facilities compared to other EU parliaments…the broader picture is that Irish politicians are not on the gravy train compared to the Europeans and North Americans.

Lise Hand (Columnist with Irish Independent) when asked to respond to Doyle’s comments.

Just picking my jaw up off the floor here.

Mary O’Rourke (Fianna Fail TD)

Apparently he (Callely) is hunting for a get out clause. I think it’s all very nauseating and awfully bad for the body politic and it’s wrong, wrong, wrong.

This is the politician who believed Bertie Ahern’s lies were quite reasonable explanations and was/is a great admirer of the criminal Haughey.

After Haughey died O’Rourke described his long and destructive record of criminality as ‘a few bumps on the road.’

Mary Hanafin (Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism)

The answers that have come forward to date are not very clear. Senator Callely has to explain the situation to the Senate Committee.

There are certainly serious questions being asked and I believe he should be absolutely up front and clear about it.

Answers not very clear? Callely should be up front and clear. Is this the same politician who regularly stated, without embarrassment, that she believed every convoluted word from the mouth of the chancer Bertie Ahern?

The reason for this rank hypocrisy from O’Rourke and Hanafin is simple. Callely is not important; in fact he’s not even liked within Fianna Fail. He’s not a Fianna Fail mafia don so he can be discarded,

Senator Regan (Fine Gael)

I think this is an important issue, an issue of fraud by a member of this house.

Regan was told to withdraw the remark and did so immediately. Fraud by an Irish politician – the very idea?

Senator Dearey (Green Party)

Dearey was asked what should happen next (regarding Callely)

Well, you’ll appreciate I’m the newest kid on the block in there. I was appointed in the last couple of days in February so the intricacies of Oireachtas procedures are not something I would claim to be an expert on yet.

So, this politician needs to become an expert on the intricacies of Oireachtas procedures before he can give an opinion on the difference between right and wrong.

Senator Mullen (Independent) (From Galway but lives in Dublin)

On being asked what advice he received from a fellow politician in relation to claiming expenses when he first entered the Senate in 2007.

You could claim your expenses from Ahascragh (Galway) and if you’re here long enough you’ll have a house out of it.

Senator Mullen’s response to this advice:

We all deal in our own way with bad suggestions like that. You don’t necessarily give the person a lecture on ethics and propriety on the spot.

Senator Mullen is a deeply conservative Catholic who constantly lecturers Irish citizens on ethical matters.

It would appear that ethics in politics, if that’s not an oxymoron, do not feature in this Senator’s sense of morality.

Senator Butler (Fianna Fail)

Gets paid €20,000 more in travel expenses because he says he’s moved home to county Carlow although his home address is listed as Foxrock in Dublin.

Senator Doherty (Sinn Fein, Donegal)

Senator Doherty questions why Fine Gael TD Dinny McGinley, who lives in the same town land as Doherty, claims substantially more travel expenses.

McGinley claims that he was advised by security people back in the troubles to stay within the state. Fear that he might become a war casualty results in him having to take a longer route to and from Dublin.

Apparently, nobody has informed the TD that the war ended about 20 years ago.

Senator Regan (Fine Gael) who angrily accused Callely of fraud said that McGinley’s claims were a minor matter but Senator Doherty responded that they amounted to tens of thousands of Euros.

Senator Doherty believes that politicians are grossly overpaid on expenses.

It doesn’t cost me €466 to get from Donegal to Dublin. I have a car over a four year loan period. Repayments are €310 per month and I get €466 per return journey.

Senator Regan (Fine Gael) on being asked why politicians do not use public transport.

There’s an efficiency problem with that. Coming from Donegal might not work for a local TD who needs to get back to his constituency to attend particular events. Some have to go back mid week so there’s a practicality to it.

Bullshit is the only possible response to this view.

Senator O’Brolchain (Green Party)

Asked did he think people (politicians) were going by train and claiming mileage for it?

Well, I’m absolutely certain of it. I know of many instances of that, there are many instances where people are abusing the system.

Senator White (Fianna Fail) The following comments are a mixture of insult, paternalism and lies.

I’m very conscious listening to the discussion so far that the Irish public is listening out there very, very worried and probably incensed.

They’re not understanding some of the language that’s being used -vouched, unvouched etc and I think it’s very confusing.

First of all I would like to reassure the Irish people that a new regime has just being brought in. It’s a radical change over what has gone on forever as far as I’m concerned.

It is highly transparent system now and to be honest when I first came to the Senate in 2002 I was amazed at the lack of transparency and the lack of having to produce vouched receipts.

I am acutely conscious that it’s taxpayers’ money that I am being paid and accountable for every day.

But I would really like to reassure the people that we now have a highly transparent system.

This stupid politician, who, by the way wants to be President, didn’t say if she intends educating a ‘confused’ and ‘ignorant’ Irish public on the meaning of such ‘complex’ words like vouched and unvouched.

Senator Labhras O’Murchu (Fianna Fail) (Based in Tipperary)

When O’Murchu was asked about his expenses he said that when in Dublin he stays at Comthlas headquarters for about €50 per night. He claims that he uses the balance of money to pay for the rest of his daily expenses.

O’Murchu is Director General of Comthlas. Comthlas has refused to make any comment on the matter.

Jackie Healy-Rae (Fianna Fail independent)

Healy Rae admitted that up until recently he has been driving to the Dail from his Kerry constituency in the company of another Oireachtas member. He refused to name the other politician or whether both of them have claimed expenses.

When pressed on the matter he responded:

I know my own business and I won’t be declaring it to you or anybody else.

In other words this backwoodsman is telling the media and the people of Ireland to take a hike.

His ignorant and arrogant attitude is a clear indication that nothing has changed in this country and as I have said on many occasions nothing will ever change until these traitors are thrown out of public office and the entire corrupt system under which they enrich themselves is brought crashing down.

Copy to:

Fianna Fail
Fine Gael
Labour
Green Party
Senator Mullen
Seanad Eireann
Dail Eireann

Information clamp down on Senator O’Murchu’s sleeping arrangements

It didn’t really surprise me that the promised press release from Comhaltas never materialised so I rang the organisation again yesterday and was told by the same spokesperson:

At the moment we have an official statement in relation to the allegations made in the Daily Mail and that statement is at present being circulated to our membership and our relevant authority structures.

I wasn’t aware that there was a Daily Mail story on the matter so that’s something I’ll have to check out.

I pressed the spokesperson on whether a press release would be released at all and was told that at the moment there’s no plan to do so and no more questions would be answered.

It gets more curious by the day.

Comhaltas seems to be a dead end so I think some questions to the Committee on Members Interests in Seanad Eireann will be my next move.

Gavin Hewitt – A Fianna Fail ‘corner man’?

Although Gavin Hewitt is an experienced news reporter it’s clear his knowledge of Ireland is somewhat lacking.

Reporting on the protest strikes in Spain he was asked why there were no such protests in Ireland.

I think in Ireland they realised that the Celtic Tiger was no more. I think they embraced the idea that they had to make quick cuts there in the hope they would be on the road to recovery before other countries.

What’s really affecting these countries (Spain, Greece and Italy) is the understanding that there may be several years ahead of big cuts.

I think there’s an understanding in some of these countries that they are in the midst of what could be a cultural revolution; that their way of life as they understand it is going to be changed.

So, Ireland’s crisis is over. All necessary cuts are made and, unlike other countries, we will not have to endure many years of hardship?

Is this reporter a Fianna Fail ‘corner’ man?

It’s likely the countries in question will indeed go through a cultural revolution and be the better for it. Sadly, there’s no sign of any revolution in Ireland – yet.

Senator O’Murchu’s curious sleeping arrangements

During a discussion about the ongoing expenses scandal Fianna Fail Senator, Labhras O Murchu, made what I thought was a very curious remark (Marian Finucane Show, Sat).

He explained that when he was in Dublin he stayed at Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann headquarters for €50 per night.

I checked this out and, according to Wikipedia, Senator O’Murchu is the Director General of Comhaltas.

I phoned the organisation this morning with a list of questions but was informed by a spokesperson that a press release on the matter would be released later today.

The spokesperson was clearly under pressure so I’m obviously not the only person asking questions about this curious arrangement.

Seanad Eireann: An elaborate cash-dispensing machine

It is now seven days since the Sunday Independent exposed Senator Ivor Callely’s dodgy expenses claims. Seven days and not a policeman in sight to investigate what are, in effect, serious allegations of fraud.

Liam Fay writes a hard hitting and accurate analysis of the scandal in today’s Sunday Times. Some quotes from is article.

The notion that Callely has “duties” in the sense that he provides a service or function is absurd. As one of the taoiseach’s appointees, he’s a professional placeman, a chair warmer.

Unelected and therefore unaccountable, he represents nobody but himself and has nothing to offer but his trademark self-importance.

Similarly, Callely is more emblematic of the culture of the Seanad than most senators will admit.

After all, the whole expenses system is a joke, an elaborate cash-dispensing machine that rewards senators for simply turning up to perform a part-time job of no discernible usefulness for which they are already overpaid in the first place.

As we are discovering, Callely isn’t the only senator to claim travel expenses from a distant address that is not officially listed as his home.

If the Callely affair proves anything, it’s the case for the abolition of the Seanad, a talking shop designed solely for the aggrandisement of a political elite.

Turning corners or a circle of disaster?

Halleluiah, praise the lord, wonder of wonders, we have – yet again – turned a corner.

I say ‘a’ corner because I’m not sure whether Brian Cowen’s corner is the same as Brian Lenihan’s or indeed the same as the many other corners we constantly seem to be turning.

I’m not an economist, just an angry observer so the following ramble may be a complete misinterpretation of what’s going on.

We have just handed over another two billion to Anglo Irish Bank. The handing over of this money to this bankrupt bank is, quite literally, no different from throwing it into a furnace.

This money immediately becomes part of the national debt so, for many decades to come, Irish citizens will be paying back every cent in successive budgets.

And remember, the Government is standing by with at least another 8 billion to throw into Sean Fitzpatrick’s furnace.

With hardly a murmur of comment the guts of a billion was spent last week to recapitalise (nationalise) EBS.

The cost of just these two events completely wipes out the savings planned in the next budget. The Government is scrapping the bottom of the barrel looking for ways to squeeze more and more out of taxpayers who have little left to give.

The gap between what the state spends and what it takes in is over 18 billion and increasing by about a billion every month. For me, the figures just do not add up.

The Government is getting great praise from abroad for its slash and burn policies and politicians and naive commentators are lapping it up but how much more can the Irish people take?

I believe that if Irish citizens continue to allow themselves be stripped of everything they own they will be reduced to a quality of life similar to that of the 1940/50s.

Even that would be a manageable situation if the country was led by honest, courageous and visionary politicians. But the political system is corrupt and rudderless, there’s billions owed on personal loans and credit cards and at least 70 billion owed as a result of the bank bailout.

It seems to me that for this government’s polices to work Irish citizens will have to accept living in absolute, grinding poverty for generations to come – how likely is that?

I don’t believe we’re turning corners, it’s more like we’re going around in a circle and that circle is sinking rapidly.

But then again I could have slipped into a parallel universe two years ago and am now living under the delusion that catastrophe is staring us in the face.

Hopefully my escape from this delusional world is – just around the corner.

Pat Kenny unnerved by Hitchens challenge

During an interview on yesterday’s show Pat Kenny asked author and outspoken atheist, Christopher Hitchens, for his views on the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.

Hitchens didn’t mince his words when it came to how Irish authorities were dealing with the matter.

Hitchens:

What’s happening in your country, don’t you have a department of public prosecutions?

Kenny:

We do.

Hitchens:

What are your police for? If there are men who have admitted forcing children to sign untruthful statements and forcing them to shut up. These men are walking around free, why is that may I ask, why should a private citizen be left to point this out.

What are your forces of law and order doing?

Kenny:

Well, it is a matter, as you can well imagine, of robust debate here and has been for quite some time.

Hitchens:

Yes, I know, I follow it and I’ve been very impressed with the tenacity of the Irish survivors and their friends and representatives but again as I say it’s been left to victims and their friends to seek justice.

Why do the organs of justice not decide to take a hand and when will they do so, I’ll leave you with the question.

Kenny seemed unnerved by Hitchens’ challenge regarding the lack of action by the forces of law and order.

He seemed puzzled that Hitchens didn’t understand how these things are dealt with in Ireland – by endless talk.

ODCE: Still trying defend the indefensible

The Director of Corporate Enforcement, Paul Appleby, is still desperately trying to convince anyone willing to listen that his office served the public interest in the DCC/Flavin fraud case.

The point of a High Court inspection is to get to the bottom of things. That was achieved with the inspectors’ report.

He essentially concluded that there was no deliberate wish to evade the law.

We obviously accept that. We felt, and still feel, that we discharged a valuable public-interest role in uncovering many of the events and issues.

The Supreme Court had already found that DCC had engaged in serious fraud but this finding was essentially dismissed by a mere High Court inspector who effectively apologised to Flavin and DCC for any inconvenience caused.

Appleby also pointed out that the High Court inspector found that DCC had made a ‘costly error’ when illegally dealing in Fyffes shares in 2000.

Isn’t it incredible that one of the most senior law enforcement officers in the state can casually state that the ‘illegal’ trading of stocks was nothing more than a costly ‘error’?

The word ‘illegal’ has two different meanings in Ireland.

When the state is using the word in relation to cases like the DCC fraud it is just a series of letters beginning with ‘i’ and ending in ‘l’, it has no other meaning and therefore no further action is necessary.

For ordinary citizens the word always means police, arrest, courts and frequently – jail.