Central Bank waffle 1994 – The more things change…

From the Attic Archives – Cork Examiner 23rd December 1994.

This article should provide a bit of a laugh for all those out there whose lives have been destroyed by our corrupt political/administrative/regulatory system.

A bank must be seen to be sound and viable and a safe haven for deposits, according to Central Bank Governor, Maurice O’Connell.

Banks need to be profitable, he told an anniversary seminar of the Irish Bankers’ Federation.

A bank must have a good credit rating. This is why high capital adequacy and other prudential requirements are laid down.

The Central Bank has an obvious interest in seeing that the profits of the banks which it supervises are adequate but not excessive, taking one year with another.

The Irish banking sector has recently been the target of much criticism. It has been accused of ignoring the needs of the small business sector, of paying unduly generous salaries to its senior executives and of making huge profits.

Much of the criticism was simply populist, unfair and unreasonable.

But he added that financial institutions are in a position of some privilege because of their influence in the economic life of the country and a public perception cannot be dismissed.

This imposes certain community obligations that must not be abused.

For Ireland’s financial institutions to develop in a healthy environment, there were two other requirements besides adequate profitability, said Mr. O’Connell.

Supervision must be to the highest standards to demonstrate full confidence in our system.

The Central Bank is well aware of its responsibility in this regard and is committed to applying the highest prudential standards.

Lastly inflation should be minimised, if only for its corrosive effect on the financial system, said Mr. O’Connell.

Penalty points scandal report to be published

The hilariously entitled ‘independent’ internal Garda investigation into allegations that up to 100,000 penalty points may have been quashed is complete and the report is with the Minister for Justice.

I contacted the Minister’s office to ask if and when the report would be published.

Dear Mr Sheridan,

I am directed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr Alan
Shatter, T.D. to refer further to your recent email concerning allegations 
relating to the processing of fixed charge notices by An Garda Síochána. 



The Garda Commissioner’s report of the examination into allegations 
concerning the enforcement of road traffic legislation was received in the
 Department.

The Minister intends to bring the report to Government at the
 earliest opportunity and to publish the findings thereafter. 


Yours sincerely

Here’s a mad guess – the report will be published on the last day of this Dail term, just before they all head off for a long, long summer holiday.

Abortion and idiotic politicians

Once again cowardly Irish politicians are trying to resolve the abortion dilemma without actually facing the reality of the situation.

The latest mad idea would see a suicidal pregnant woman being forced to make a case for an abortion before a panel of six consultants.

Perinatal psychiatrist Dr. Anthony McCarthy said the idea amounts to abuse of the woman.

He goes on:

If a woman is seriously distressed and depressed in pregnancy, and potentially suicidal or having suicidal ideas, the idea that you would bring her through a forum such as this – almost an inquisition – where she would have to tell her story in front of six different people, is frankly abusive. It’s truly idiotic.

Idiotic indeed and that’s the problem. Our parliament is full of idiots.

Fianna Fail: revolutionary reform?

After reading the headline:

FF Ard Fheis to address biggest reform in party history

I thought – Is the party finally going to tackle the endemic culture of corruption within its ranks?

Ah no, I’m only joking. Sure the party was built on a foundation of corruption, that’s never going to change.

No, apparently ‘the biggest reform in the party’s history’ will see delegates at the upcoming Ard Fheis vote on something about keeping election promises and a new method of electing a leader.

Now, in fairness, that’s fierce radical stuff.

Ireland: Becoming a visible banana republic

A temporary hoarding will remain around the famous Browne Doorway on Galway’s Eyre Square because the city council can’t afford a measly €40,000 to repair the early 17th century relic (Irish Times).

Meanwhile the judiciary and government are at each other’s throats over pay cuts and other disagreements.

Just two examples of how Ireland is rapidly becoming a visible banana republic.

Ireland: An intrinsically corrupt state

Many years ago, long before the economic catastrophe of 2008, I came to the conclusion that Ireland was an intrinsically corrupt state.

By ‘intrinsically corrupt’ I mean that there is no independent state authority capable or willing to bring those found, or suspected to be corrupt, to account.

As a result we witness, time after time, corrupt individuals, groups and organisations commit serious crimes with no fear whatsoever that they will be brought to justice.

State authorities simply do not act when certain categories of individuals or groups are suspected of corrupt practices.

For example, Irish Examiner journalist Michael Clifford, writing about the Lowry tapes scandal, is scathing of State authorities for their abject failure to act on the matter.

It’s worth reproducing the first few paragraphs of his article:

The controversy that has come to be known as The Lowry Tapes tells us much about what passes for democracy in this State.

The issue involves prima facie evidence that at least one crime may have been committed by serving TD and former government minister, Michael Lowry.

In a proper democracy, such as in Britain, this would be a matter for the police. The matter would be investigated and a file prepared for the state prosecuting body.

Thereafter, charges would either be preferred, or the matter dropped completely on the basis that there was no case to answer.

We don’t do things that way. Instead of a criminal justice process without-fear-or-favour, we have waffle; point scoring; a political culture that is concerned only with what interests the public, rather than the public interest; and a criminal justice system that freezes whenever a politician appears on its radar.

And it’s not just politicians who appear on the corruption radar that are, apparently, immune from any kind of accountability.

It’s also bankers, property developers, civil servants, auditors, members of the legal community, and any other group or individual operating within the protective embrace of our corrupt political system.

Clifford finishes his article by telling us that democratic accountability demands that state authorities properly deal with the Lowry Tapes allegations.

Unfortunately for Ireland and its people such demands will have no impact whatsoever. The system is too rotten, too dysfunctional and too corrupt to take any effective action.

Nothing short of a radical cleansing of the entire corrupt political and administrative system will suffice to put the country on the road to a properly functioning democracy.

Why should citizens remain loyal to a corrupt state?

Letter in today’s Irish Times.

This is a letter from a man who has been betrayed by our corrupt political system.

The key question he asks is:

Why should I go on being an honest taxpayer…to pay for the mistakes of corrupt politicians, greedy bankers and golden circles who scammed us since so-called independence?

How this question is answered will decide whether Irish citizens get a new republic free from corrupt gombeen politicians or sink ever deeper into poverty and despair.

Sir,

I filled in the online return for the local property tax on the same day that I received the Revenue’s letter telling me about my liability.

In good faith, I also gave it my bank account details so that it could deduct the amount due “no earlier than 21 July 2013” as stated on the website.

I have just been to my bank account and found that it deducted the property tax immediately.

Why should I go on being an honest taxpayer, coughing up hard-earned money for more than 40 years of my working life, paying every cent (and pingin before the euro) in income tax and PRSI and VAT and Dirt and youth levies and health levies and all the other taxes and levies and deductions, and now this house tax and the water tax next, in order to pay for the mistakes of corrupt politicians, greedy bankers and golden circle who have scammed us since so-called “independence”? Not to mention them putting their grubby fingers into my pension fund and levying that too.

Why? Why? Why?

If ageing, middle-class, quiescent, blameless citizens like me, who have never scammed a penny nor hidden a single nixer from the taxman, can get as deeply angry as I am right now at this final straw, then what hope is there that we can sort out the financial mess?

The very roots of participatory democracy are threatened when people like me finally make up our minds to give up on voting and paying tax and all the other duties that come with citizenship.

We are in perilous times indeed.

Yours, etc,
Tim O’Neill
Dublin 7.

Another attack by the State on freedom of expression

It is not at all surprising that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is introducing draconian rules to further control the media by banning broadcasters from expressing a personal opinion.

The (free) media is, after all, the only power within the state that has the power and will to investigate and expose political and business corruption.

All so-called State law enforcement authorities, including the police, are entirely under the control of the body politic. We only have to look around to see how damaging that is for Ireland and its people.

RTE welcomed the new restrictions, which again, is not surprising as the station is already a fully compliant government broadcaster.

The response by TV3, which is probably seen by politicians as the most dangerous (free) media outlet, best sums up this latest government attack on freedom of expression.

The State now seeks through its regulator to control content on channels it does not own, limiting news and current affairs programming to arid lists of facts.

It prevents non-State broadcasters from having a different view from the State and thereby restricts essential roles of media as watchdog, as court of public opinion and as provider of informed analysis.

At best this is unnecessary ‘regulatory creep’, more harshly it could be called state censorship.

If such a code was introduced in countries like Russia or China it would be regarded as an attack on free media.

Corrupt system still supporting the vermin

In an article about the greed and hypocrisy of developer Sean Dunne Sunday Times journalist Justine McCarthy accurately outlines the complete failure of the state to reform the corrupt system that allows low life like Dunne to breed like rats.

The same support system that rendered them untouchable during the boom still prevails.

There has been no public banking inquiry, no debate about the probity of a legal system churning out gagging writs to suppress information; no investigation of the media’s sycophantic coverage of the property market and its players; no criticism of estate agents who acted hand in glove with developers; no sanctions for auditors who signed off on Walter Mitty-esque financial accounts; nobody from the ‘golden circle’ sent to jail.

Just a country full of worn-out citizens who have been punished, beyond endurance in some cases, for believing what they were told by Establishment Ireland.

The support system Ms. McCarthy speaks of is, to make it clear, the corrupt political/administrative system that has destroyed our country.

I would dispute just one detail with Ms. McCarthy.

The (corrupt) system that supports the vermin who rule our country is not a product of the boom years.

The rotten system has been sucking the life-blood out of Ireland and its people since, at least, 1979 when the criminal politician Haughey gained power.

Catholic militant Mary Kenny very angry with actor Gabriel Byrne

Oh dear, it seems that the actor Gabriel Byrne has upset the Catholic militant Mary Kenny with his comment that the Catholic Church was a force for evil (Irish Catholic).

Here’s her ‘Christian’ response in quotes.

Gabriel Byrne, an ignoramus on history.

Must have a movie to promote as he’s off on one of his publicity-seeking rants.

Hitler himself had no time for the Catholic Church, in that he was rather like Gabriel Byrne.

Gabriel Byrne is quite a good actor; but acting should mean great art, not brainless attention-seeking spouting drivel.

Dear oh dear; what about all that Catholic stuff on forgiveness, turning the other cheek and tolerance?