Brendan O'Connor and the bollox Fintan O'Toole

From the Attic Archives

Some quotes from an article by Brendan O’Connor (Sunday Independent, July 20 1997) on the concept of zero tolerance and the criminal Haughey’s appearance at the McCracken Tribunal.

I wonder if Charlie wouldn’t have preferred to go to prison with his honour intact rather than watch the self-righteous mob led by Fintan O’Toole don the war paint and dance around the bonfire gloating.

Charlie may have been a bollox, but no more than any of us are bolloxes.

Bolloxes on a smaller stage maybe but flawed, greedy bollixes all the same.

Sometimes I lie awake at night and I wonder if even Fintan O’Toole is flawed. Maybe even Fintan is a bollox like all the rest of us.

The new so-called Financial Regulator is just as incompetent as the previous so-called Financial Regulator

Once again AIB has ‘accidentally’ overcharged customers.

After investigating itself the bank concluded that the whole affair was just a minor incident, an accident.

The standard apology was issued and customers were assured that nobody would be out of pocket.

Happy days.

Except for the inconvenient fact that AIB is one of the most corrupt financial institutions in the state with a long record of criminality, which saw the theft of countless millions from customers, and the State.

Since the economic collapse in 2008 citizens have been constantly assured by politicians, government officials and bankers that a new dawn in financial regulation has arrived.

Going forward, we were told, the Financial Regulator would regulate with an iron fist, immediate and searching investigations would be conducted at the slightest hint of wrong doing, the law would be forcibly applied without mercy to protect the consumer.

With this in mind I rang the so-called new Financial Regulator this afternoon to ask about its involvement in this latest ‘accident’ by AIB.

No, (The Financial Regulator is not involved) AIB is investigating the matter and when completed and everything is resolved there would be no reason for the Financial Regulator to intervene.

We don’t’ know exactly what the situation is, it may be just a computer glitch, we don’t have a lot of information on exactly what the situation is.

We are aware that some people have been overcharged but no doubt they will be reimbursed.

So here’s the reality. The so-called ‘new’ Financial Regulator is operating in exactly the same manner as the previous regulator. That is, it’s not actually regulating at all.

The banks are still allowed to investigate themselves and if that results in the theft of millions, well tough shit, customers will just have to suck it up.

Copy to:
Central Bank

Enda Kenny: Uno duce; una voce

Enda Kenny’s adoption of the criminal Haughey’s dictum Uno duce, una voce puts the final nail in the coffin of his so-called democratic revolution.

Expressing an opinion in public is now, apparently, forbidden by ‘the great leader’.

His assertion that the Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan deserved absolute respect is laughable. In a functional democracy Callinan would have been sacked long ago.

So not only is the so-called democratic revolution over, but Fine Gael are fast morphing into a clone of Fianna Fail, the most corrupt political party in the country.

Copy to:
Enda Kenny

Garda corruption: The elephant in the room must be ignored

Despite the best efforts of the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, the Government and others it has now been established that there was widespread corruption within the Gardai in relation to the handling of the penalty points system.

Alan Shatter and Martin Callinan are also guilty of attempting to cover up the corruption. In a functional democracy such behaviour would result in immediate dismissals, a proper police investigation and likely prosecutions.

Let me repeat that:

In a functional democracy Alan Shatter and Martin Callinan would be immediately dismissed from office and become the focus of a police investigation.

In a functional democracy those police officers that acted corruptly would also find themselves out of a job and under investigation.

But because Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state, that is, a state that actively tolerates, facilitates and protects the corrupt, no action whatsoever will be taken.

The response to this latest incidence of corruption is exactly the same response to every other incidence of corruption over the past several decades.

Our Prime Minister:

The Taoiseach expressed confidence in the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice. He claims that the dysfunctionality and inefficiency in the force is now being addressed.

This is to completely ignore the fact that corruption has occurred.

The Garda Inspectorate, Robert Olsen:

It’s a very minor piece of the huge remit that the Garda Siochana has and it kind of slipped by the wayside.

This is to completely ignore the fact that corruption has occurred.

The Opposition:

Various opposition spokespersons have called for apologies and resignations but nobody has called for a criminal investigation

This is to completely ignore the fact that corruption has occurred.

Lobbyists: The corrupt political system will continue to protect them

Once again there’s debate about how to control lobbyists. Once again we have politicians and commentators telling us, this needs to be done; that needs to be done. We need legislation; we need transparency and accountability blah, blah, blah.

There will, of course, be no effective action taken to control lobbyists, as any such move would seriously damage the interests of very powerful people.

And the current corrupt political system will never allow that to happen.

The ‘we have to regulate lobbyists’ debate was also a hot topic in 2000 (14 years ago) as a result of Frank Dunlop’s corrupt activities.

The following letter was published in the Irish Times 21 April 2000.

Sir,

Once again the politicians have set up a committee in response to the latest seepage of corruption from the body politic.

They seem to be completely unaware that the entire political system is operating from the sewers as far as ordinary citizens are concerned.

This latest committee will consider what legislation is required to control the activities of lobbyists in light of the Frank Dunlop revelations.

Its real purpose, of course, is to give the impression that action is being taken until the controversy has blown over.

Remember the Denis Foley committee?

All forgotten now.

Yours etc.,

Anthony Sheridan
Cobh

Garda Inspectorate: Not to be trusted?

I laughed last week when I turned on the radio and heard somebody say (yet again) that the country/economy had turned a corner.

I laughed even more when I listened to the Garda Inspectorate, Robert Olsen; tell the nation that the recent ‘problems’ within our police force was nothing more than a ‘systems failure’. (Morning Ireland, Thursday 13 March).

Clearly, Mr. Olsen is a newcomer to Ireland and is therefore completely unaware of how obnoxious that particular phrase is to the people of Ireland.

For decades we’ve heard the phrase trotted out to explain the rampant corruption within practically every department of government.

We’ve heard it used to cover up and facilitate the widespread (and still ongoing) theft by banks and other financial institutions of countless millions from the State and customers.

We’ve heard it used to explain away the child abuse holocaust and subsequent cover up perpetrated by the Catholic Church.

And now, Mr. Olsen wants us to believe that the widespread corruption within our police force is nothing more than a ‘systems failure’.

In common with all those who have used this obnoxious and insulting excuse in the past, Mr. Olsen is talking bullshit.

And although Mr. Olsen is only new to our corrupt culture it seems he has already become adept at defending those who operate within that corrupt culture.

Here’s a portion of the interview he gave on Morning Ireland in which he was clearly caught out but still managed, in the great Irish tradition of calling a spade a shovel, to wriggle out of an awkward situation.

Your report says it was mismanagement (not corruption) how did you arrive at that conclusion.

The Garda Inspectorate’s remit is not about investigating wrong doing. We did an inspection of the processes and we didn’t go into and it’s not our role to do investigations of individual incidents that may or may not have been more than mismanagement.

If it’s not your job to find out whether there was corruption or not, how can you say that there wasn’t corruption?

Well I can say it because that’s not what we had looked for.

You’re saying it’s not your job to look for it?

It was a systems failure.

If it wasn’t corruption, was it incompetence?

Well, I think it’s mismanagement, we’re very clear on mismanagement and you can take that wherever you want.

So lets’ just focus on one particular answer give my Mr. Ollsen to see if there’s any logic whatsoever to his reply

Question: If it’s not your job to find out whether there was corruption or not, how can you say that there wasn’t corruption?

Answer: Well I can say it because that’s not what we had looked for.

No, not a shred of logic to that answer; does not make sense in any manner or form. So it seems that Mr. Olsen has cottoned on to another great Irish tradition – whatever you say, say nothing and, of course, that’s exactly what Mr. Olen was saying – nothing.

And when somebody like Mr. Olsen says nothing he is, effectively, supporting his boss the Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan.

And in supporting these men, who clearly have many questions to answer, Mr. Olsen is in danger of placing himself and his office in the same place as every other so-called regulatory/advisory agency in this country – on the side of the system rather than the side of objective analysis.

Mr. Olsen’s loyalty to his boss was confirmed at the end of the interview when he was asked did he think the whistleblowers were vindicated.

He refused to give a straight answer. Now let’s be clear here, there is absolutely no problem with Mr. Olsen simply expressing what is a clear fact, what every reasonable person believes – that these brave whistleblowers are indeed vindicated men.

The fact that he refused to give a straight answer suggests that Mr. Olsen is reluctant to cause any offence to his boss, the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter.

By refusing to give a straight answer it seems that Mr. Olsen is faithful to another great Irish tradition – loyalty to the boss, to the system, above all else.

Mr. Olsen is new to his job, he’s new to this country but Irish citizens should not rest easy in their minds that he is loyal to their interests.

His use of the discredited ‘systems failure’ excuse and his loyalty to his boss make him, at the very least, suspect.

Copy to:

Robert Olsen
Alan Shatter
Martin Callinan

Noonan: As ruthless as ever

The liquidators of the Irish Nationwide/Anglo Irish Bank mortgage book, Kieran Wallace and Eamonn Richardson of KPMG, are only doing their jobs when they push for maximum profit from any deal.

This from KPMG:

We can only do the best we can in the circumstances. Be aware of the fact that our ultimate objective is to get the best price we can for the assets of the bank.

The Minisiter for Finance Michael Noonan, does, however, have a responsibility towards the thousands of mortgage holders who are likely to find themselves at the mercy of ruthless vulture capitalists in the near future.

Indeed as a public representative and senior minister he posses the power, given to him by the people, to decide the ultimate fate of these desperate citizens.

But Mr. Noonan is a ruthless and callous individual and, to date, he has given no indication that he’s going to help.

Indeed, it seems that Noonan and KPMG are attempting to throw these people to the vultures while, hypocrically, trying to give the impression that they’re doing everything they can to help.

We had the recent announcement by KPMG that bidders had agreed to protect homeowners. In other words, they had voluntarily agreed to abide by the Central Bank’s code of conduct on mortgage arrears.

If true, it would be like putting a paedophile priest in charge of a children’s school while giving assurances that all would be well.

And, of course, that’s how it turned out when it was revealed that the so-called agreement was nothing but a puff of air.

There was nothing in writing, no supervision, no Central Bank involvement, no sanctions, no acces the the Financial Ombudsman and no guarantee that mortgage holders could buy out their own loans.

Noonan’s promises were just as hypocritical and just as useless.

Legislation to protect mortgage holders in such circumstances would be introduced – sometime next year.

Or, in other words – long after the vultures have picked the bones of their victims.

Copy to:
Noonan

Education Minister, Ruairi Quinn, and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton are traitors to Ireland and its people.

Education Minister, Ruairi Quinn, and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton are traitors to Ireland and its people.

They have come out and expressed full confidence in the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, despite the fact that the Garda Inspectorate Report found that Callinan had presided over a dysfunctional system with consistent and widespread breaches.

Here’s what Quinn had to say:

We have every confidence in somebody that says we have a part of the Garda Siochana system that isn’t working satisfactorily. They conducted a report into it and they’re now going to implement changes. That’s the action of somebody that’s very confident and comfortable in their own position.

This is a blatant and dishonest representation of the facts.

In a functional democracy such support for such a discredited police commissioner would spell an immediate end to any politician’s career.

But because Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state, because it is a jurisdiction where political and personal principles are seen as disposable depending on whether you’re in or out of government, such rank hypocrisy is the norm.

I repeat, Quinn and Bruton are traitors to Ireland and its people.

Copy to:
Quinn
Bruton

Alan Shatter is a liar

The Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, is a liar.

Here’s his lie.

There are serious issues around a member of An Garda Siochana liberally accessing confidential information on the Pulse system and distributing it to the general public.

Shatter made this statement in the full knowledge that what he was saying was untrue. That makes him a liar.