Between 18 Dec last and 8 Jan this year ‘Independent’ Newspapers published at least 48 articles attacking Sinn Fein in response to the trial and conviction of republican Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy on tax evasion charges.
That’s 9/11, major tsunami, end of the world event reaction – to a tax evasion charge.
Murphy is being sentenced today – in the middle of a general election.
So the question is – will the ‘journalists’ at ‘Independent’ Newspapers manage to remain calm or will they and the entire propaganda office erupt in a cosmic explosion of indignation and outrage at what they see as the most evil, most catastrophic event in human history?
Chief economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs Dan O’Brien penned the following comment in last Sunday’s Sunday Independent.
The early days of the election campaign have been marked by the absence of auction politics.
The comment does very serious damage to Mr. O’Brien’s credibility as a serious commentator/analyst because even the most disinterested, most uninformed citizen knows that, apart from gangland crime, there has been nothing else but auction politics during, and for a considerable time prior, to the election campaign getting underway.
The curious thing about Mr. O’Brien’s thinking is that he knows there is something seriously wrong about the manner in which our country is governed but, in common with most establishment journalist/commentators, he is puzzled as to the exact cause.
In March last year I wrote an article in response to Mr. O’Brien’s puzzlement in the hope that it might trigger a different line of thought but, judging from his latest contribution, my efforts were in vain.
Mr. O’Brien’s thinking is exclusively confined within the establishment stockade that has just one message – old regime stability or new politics chaos.
The old regime consists of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour, the parties that, over the decades, honed political corruption to a fine art ultimately leading to the economic and social catastrophe of 2008.
New politics consists of a mass of independents, new parties like Renua, Social Democrats, Independent Alliance and the rise of Sinn Fein.
These individuals and parties exist and are becoming increasingly more popular and powerful as a direct result of the political corruption practiced by the old regime parties.
Their mission is as simple as it is crucial for the future of Ireland and its people- to remove the old corrupt regime from the levers of power and build, for the first time ever, a functional, truly democratic republic.
It is likely that Mr. O’Brien will dismiss my views out of hand so I will end by repeating my concluding comments regarding the political blindness of another establishment journalist, Alison O’Connor.
He fails to see that the people of Ireland do not see the economy as the most important issue, that they do not fear political instability if it means an end to political corruption, that they are no longer afraid of the state, of government, of change.
It is fascinating to observe commentators like Mr. O’Brien analyse the election and politics in general as if the dramatic and historic transition taking place in Irish politics since 2008 was not happening.
Political corruption is the single most important issue for the people of Ireland in this election.
Political corruption is the reason the people of Ireland destroyed Fianna Fail in the last election.
The hope that political corruption would be acknowledged and dealt with is the reason Fine Gael and Labour were elected in 2011.
And yet, political corruption is the rampaging elephant in the room that is studiously ignored, not just by the main political parties, but also by the great bulk of establishment journalists.
These journalists confine themselves strictly to analysing the current fluid political landscape created by political corruption but never, ever actually mention the elephant in the room.
They write about Fianna Fail as if corruption within that party was not principally responsible for the economic and social catastrophe of 2008.
They write about Fine Gael and Labour as if these parties were not willing participants in infecting the body politic and wider society with the disease of corruption.
It’s akin to analysing and opinionating on the fallout following the sinking of the Titanic but at the same time, pretending that the ship was still afloat.
Take journalist Alison O’Connor for example. In an article in last Friday’s Irish Examiner she tells us that Fine Gael won the 2011 election because Fianna Fail mishandled the economy.
Wrong.
Fine Gael won the election on the back of a promise to change the way politics was done in Ireland. In other words, to root out the political corruption that has blighted Ireland for decades.
Ms. O’Connor, in common with all other establishment journalists, seems to be totally unaware that Ireland is going through a dramatic and historic transition whereby the people are rejecting the old corrupt regime in favour of those who want to create a genuinely democratic republic.
All such political transitions throughout history involve a degree of instability as the old regime fights to retain its corrupt power in the face of rejection by ordinary people.
As an establishment journalist Ms. O’Connor does not see the driving force that is dramatically changing the Irish political landscape. She still operates in the old regime mindset, refusing to believe that the ship is sinking.
Her concern for an election outcome that would see a hung Dail confirms her old regime mindset.
We need to reflect long and hard on that (a hung Dail) and what it would mean for a country that still has its economic stabilisers on.
She fails to see that the people of Ireland do not see the economy as the most important issue, that they do not fear political instability if it means an end to political corruption, that they are no longer afraid of the state, of government, of change.
It is fascinating to observe journalists like Ms. O’Connor analyse the election and politics in general as if the dramatic and historic transition taking place in Irish politics since 2008 was not happening.
On the assumption that the ‘we’ Mr. Finlay speaks of includes me I want to make my position crystal clear.
I am in no way responsible for the horrors inflicted on this woman by the state.
I strongly believe, however, that Mr. Finlay is responsible, at least to some extent, for what happened to her and that he should indeed hang his head in shame for the part he has played in her suffering.
I am in no way responsible because I have been campaigning against political/administrative corruption in Ireland since 1982 when I first realised that I lived in an intrinsically corrupt state.
If influential political operators/opinion makers like Mr. Finlay arrived at the same conclusion at the same time it is highly likely that this woman would never have suffered because she would have been living in a functional democracy where justice and accountability were an ingrained aspect of governance.
But this woman did not and does not live in a functional democracy.
She lives in a state where politicians can be filmed openly asking for bribes and not only are they not arrested and charged but are allowed to continue in office. Political corruption is to blame for this.
She lives in a country where corrupt politicians are allowed to sit in our parliament as if they were individuals of principle and integrity. Political corruption is to blame for this.
She lives in a country where politicians regularly manipulate the law to help their friends or spy on journalists and ordinary citizens to protect their own corrupt interests. Political corruption is to blame for this.
She lives in a country where bankers, property developers and other powerful groups receive massive financial, political and legal support at the expense of the state and its people. Political corruption is to blame for this.
But most of all she lives in a country where the state frequently intervenes, sometimes illegally, to protect the powerful and the corrupt. Political corruption is to blame for this.
Mr. Finlay is, of course, in no way corrupt himself. Indeed, he is a man of passionate anger when it comes to the many injustices that are frequently exposed in our state. But in addition to anger Mr. Finlay frequently expresses puzzlement about the endless stream of corruption that has blighted our country since independence.
Here’s why he is puzzled.
Mr. Finlay lives in Plato’s cave of shadows. He firmly believes that the mainstream political parties are real. Trapped within his cave he does not see that they are merely shadows masquerading as democratic entities.
He does not see that Ireland, unique among Western democracies, is ruled by a single political class made up principally of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour. He does not see that these fake entities play a game of election musical chairs as each in turn, or together in coalition, plunder the nation’s resources.
He does not see that this corrupt political class has spread the disease of corruption throughout the land but particularly within the civil and public service where loyalty to the state and its people has been, largely, abandoned.
He does not seem to be aware that since the catastrophe of 2008 this corrupt political regime has been engaged in a life or death struggle with a significant and growing percentage of the population who have been politically radicalised and are determined to rid their country of the disease of political corruption.
Mr. Finlay does not see all this because he lives in the cave with the shadows. All he sees are shadows posing as democratic politicians, shadows that pose as law enforcement agencies, shadows that pose as accountable government departments but in reality are nothing more than obedient lapdogs to their corrupt political masters.
Blinding flashes of truth from outside the cave increasingly encroach on Mr. Finlay’s comfortable existence in the cave of shadows. His anger and puzzlement continues to grow as he witnesses the ever increasing incidence of abuse and corruption
The recent brutal treatment of Grace by the state is just one of countless cases of abuse and corruption that has triggered his anger over many, many years.
And yet, Mr. Finlay has never once stopped to take a hard look at the shadows and ask the most obvious question – are they real, have I been wasting my entire life shouting at shadows?
I have never lived in the cave of shadows. That’s why I could see I was living in an intrinsically corrupt state in 1982. That’s why I’m not to blame for the horror visited upon Grace by the state.
My anger is, and has always been, directed at the true source of Grace’s suffering, the corrupt political/administrative system that continues to inflict so much damage and suffering on the people of our state.
I’m sure Mr. Finlay will strongly disagree with my analysis but to do so with any credibility he must answer the following question.
Why is it that decade after decade after decade we witness the same horrors, the same corruption originating from the same political/administrative system without ever witnessing accountability or justice?
How many more Grace’s have to suffer unspeakable cruelty before Mr. Finlay walks out of the cave of shadows into the light of reality?
In my previous article regarding the illegal erection of posters by Fine Gael candidate Stephanie Regan I said:
Sad to say but politicians are justified in their contempt for the law because not one of my complaints has ever resulted in action being taken against a member of the political class.
And so it is in this case. Once again a so-called state law enforcement agency has turned a blind eye to law breaking by a member of the political class.
Before publishing the disgraceful decision by Fingal County Council I want to outline the stark facts of this case.
The case was published on a national online newspaper complete with photographs of the illegal posters. To my knowledge the law-breaker, Stephanie Regan did not dispute any of the facts in the report.
She openly admitted that she was the person who erected the illegal posters.
She openly admitted that she knew her actions were against the law.
So, after investigating the matter, here’s the conclusion of Fingal County Council.
Dear Sir,
I refer to your email dated 24th January 2016 in relation to the above matter.
This matter was investigated at the time and the Litter Warden found no evidence of the alleged breach.
Under these circumstance the matter is deemed closed.
Regards
The person/s who made this decision is a public/civil servant. When they began their career they promised to serve the public, to serve the people of Ireland. In return the people of Ireland pay their salaries and will pay their pensions and other benefits into their old age.
The people of Ireland have to trust that the public/civil servants will faithfully act in the best interests of the people, the country and the local community.
In this case, as in so many others, that trust has been betrayed with the subsequent damage to public trust in politicians and public/civil servants.
On 30 December last it was reported in the The Journal that Fine Gael election candidate Stephanie Regan had erected up to 15 posters without permission in the Fingal County Council area.
Under the Litter Pollution Acts it is illegal to erect such posters without permission but obeying the law is obviously not an important priority for this aspiring politician.
Indeed quotes attributed to Ms. Regan clearly indicate that she is very familiar with the dismissive/arrogant attitude to the law regularly demonstrated by Irish politicians.
Christmas holidays “did not allow” her to seek permission from Fingal County Council to erect them.
Regan said… “I didn’t feel I was going too far … I don’t think it was an enormous breach.”
This is an individual who wants to become a member of our parliament where she will draft and bring into force laws that ordinary citizens must obey but, judging from her actions, will be optional for politicians.
Over the years I have made numerous formal complaints against politicians who clearly believe that obedience to the law is strictly for the little people.
Sad to say but politicians are justified in their contempt for the law because not one of my complaints has ever resulted in action being taken against a member of the political class.
But I’m an eternal optimist and am hopeful that someday law enforcement agencies will apply the law equally to politicians (and aspiring politicians) with as much enthusiasm as they apply it to the little people.
Copy to:
Stephanie Regan
Fingal County Council
To:
Fingal County Council
Environment Department
24 January 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
I hereby submit this formal complaint against Fine Gael election candidate Stephanie Regan for an alleged breach of the Litter Pollution Acts 1997-2003/2009
On 30 December 2015 it was reported in the online newspaper, The Journal, that Stephanie Regan had erected up to 15 posters without permission in the Fingal County Council area.
Quotes (see below) attributed to Ms. Regan in the Journal article appear to confirm that she was responsible for the erection of the posters and that she was aware that her actions were in breach of the law.
Regan said the posters were “a last minute idea” and Christmas holidays “did not allow” her to seek permission from Fingal County Council to erect them.
Regan said… “I didn’t feel I was going too far … I don’t think it was an enormous breach.”
Nauseating is the only appropriate word to describe the response to the death of PJ Mara.
Before continuing I want to make comment on one of the most ridiculous, most hypocritical of Irish cultural myths – the demand that we should never speak ill of the dead.
In the vast majority of cases this is a laudable principle. Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes in life; we all do some wrong. So when an ordinary person dies it is right that their mistakes and wrongs be forgiven and forgotten.
But it is completely different when the person in question is not an ordinary person. When the deceased person’s actions and decisions had a massive impact on the lives of other humans and on their country.
I will use an extreme example to make the point. Nobody in their right mind would suggest that the actions of child killer Robert Black should be put to one side just because he died.
At the other extreme nobody would object to the avalanche of praise and respect afforded to Nobel laureate and poet Seamus Heaney when he passed away in 2013.
My point is obvious; when somebody with a significant public stature dies their lives should be honestly appraised with perhaps an emphasis on the good but certainly never a complete denial of the bad.
And that is one of the great hypocrisies of official Ireland. When a member of their class passes away the truth is immediately locked up and the doors to lies and hypocrisy are opened. Anyone who dares make even a sneaking reference to anything negative is immediately attacked as speaking ill of the dead.
One such individual was Alan Barrett, Director of ESRI on the Marian Finucane Show last Sunday.
Mr. Barrett, tentatively, made some references to the truth regarding Mara’s career but he didn’t get very far before Ms. Finucane interrupted his flow.
I found the coverage quite extraordinary and not wanting to criticise political journalists there’s an element of which it’s terribly self- indulgent by the people who are writing about it. My perspective is that this is a guy that worked with possibly the most corrupt man in Irish history, Charlie Haughey. A man who almost spawned a generation of men who behaved wrongly.
Marian Finucane had heard enough, Barrett was talking truth and that is unacceptable when referring to an honoured member of the political ruling class.
We don’t want to demonise him.
Barrett went on to make his point, all the time being very careful of his words in case he spoke too much truth.
When he suggested that a lot of Mara’s work was nothing more than facilitating access to government ministers Michael O’Regan, parliamentary correspondent for the Irish Times and probably the most captured journalist in Irish media, took him to task.
All parties do it argued O’Regan as if that was justification enough for political corruption.
The discussion, now successfully steered away from truth, reverted to the usual lies and hypocrisy.
O’Regan went on to extol the great achievement of the (corrupt) Haughey aided and abetted by his (henchman) PJ Mara.
As I said, all very nauseating but depressingly predictable.
Irish Independent journalist Niamh Horan tells us that the heroes of 1916 would baulk at the lack of courage shown by Ireland’s leaders of today.
Be that as it may but those 1916 leaders would also baulk at the low standards of journalism operating in the Ireland of 2016.
Ms. Horan is just one of a disturbingly large number of Irish journalists who are chronically uninformed, biased or captured.
In her article Ms. Horan blames global financial interests for the catastrophe visited upon Ireland and its people since 2008. That ‘invasion’ by global interests was, apparently, facilitated by cowardice on the part of Irish politicians.
Ms. Horan then tells us that the (criminal) politician Haughey would never have allowed those nasty financial invaders to damage the interests of Ireland.
I weep for Ireland and its future when I read such tripe.
Here are the facts that Ms. Horan is either ignorant of or chooses to ignore.
Global financial interests have been exploiting the markets since Adam was a boy; there is nothing new about this fact.
The success or otherwise of these global financial sharks depends on the strength of governance of any particular country.
Ireland suffered, and continues to suffer, catastrophic consequences not because global financial interests do what they do but because our political system is irreformably corrupt.
The man who did more than any other to spread the disease of corruption is none other than the man who Ms. Horan so admires, the criminal politician Haughey.
