Rank hypocrisy of Micheál Martin

Irish Examiner Journalist Colette Browne has an excellent piece in today’s edition in which she exposes the rank hypocrisy and dishonesty of Micheál Martin regarding the very serious charge by the Mahon Tribunal that Fianna Fail ministers tried to collapse the tribunal.

Here’s her comment on Minister of State Martin Mansergh:

Another Minister of State, Martin Mansergh, was aghast that Ahern had to appear before the tribunal at all: “No other head of state in the EU has to appear before tribunals… In France, the president is immune from prosecution. It’s a ridiculous way to conduct public affairs.”

State still as corrupt after 35 years

Over 35 years ago journalist Joe McAnthony was thrown out of Ireland because of his investigations into corruption. There are strong suggestions that the Gardai led the charge in forcing this journalist into exile.

Here’s his view on the Mahon Tribunal:

What we’ve had in Ireland over the years is a kind of collaboration between different powerful influences and they create a circumstance in which at times it’s virtually impossible to do anything.

Take the Ray Burke case. The story contained all the evidence for a criminal prosecution but there was no police investigation. I was visited by a detective and after asking me some questions he said:

Nothing will ever be done about this case

Nothing has changed in the last 35 years.

Cormac Lucey: Blind to the true nature of a liar like Bertie Ahern

Whenever a major scandal breaks there is always at least one commentator who will write what I call a ‘We’re all to blame’ article.

Economist Cormac Lucey fits the bill on this occasion.

Writing in the Daily Mail (Saturday, March, 24) Lucey’s article is entitled.

A guilty victim, yes, but also an easy scapegoat for all our woes.

Here are the opening paragraphs.

They weren’t able to catch Al Capone for his gangland crimes, so they convicted him for tax evasion.

They weren’t able to defeat Bill Clinton politically, so his Republican opponents unleashed Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr against him.

And the Irish Establishment wasn’t able to defeat Bertie Ahern politically when he was at the peak of his power; so it has had to make do with the Mahon Tribunal after he has retired.

Now I agree with the mentioning of the gangster Al Capone and the liar Bertie Ahern in the same article but what the hell is all that about the ‘Irish Establishment’ out to get poor Bertie?

Lucey goes on to blame everybody – except poor Bertie.

Whether we are talking about the economy, building standards or ethical standards we can always blame Bertie.

It suits those being crushed under mountains of debt to blame Bertie rather than accept personal responsibility for their own errors.

As leader of the most corrupt political party in the state the liar Ahern is the man principally responsible for the collapse of the economy, low or non- existent building standards and the total removal of ethical standards from the body politic.

Lucey seems to be suggesting that the liar is actually innocent of everything that has happened in the last few decades.

Until I read this article I had always seen Cormac Lucey as a well informed, independent minded and balanced commentator on political/economic affairs.

My puzzlement was cleared later on in the article when he mentioned that he once acted as special advisor to former Tanaiste Michael McDowell.

Now I know exactly where Mr. Lucey is coming from and why he’s blind to the true nature of a liar like Ahern.

Copy to:
Cormac Lucey

Corruption is endemic

The following quote is from an editorial in yesterday’s Irish Times.

In truth, the vast majority of politicians are people of integrity, motivated by a sense of civic duty and a commitment to public service. Corruption in Ireland is not rife.

Wrong; Corruption is rife at every level of Irish society and in particular, as reported by Mahon, it is endemic within the political system.

Furthermore the vast majority of politicians operate very comfortably within the corrupt political/administrative system.

Ignorance and gullibility

Letter in yesterday’s Irish Times.

The people of Ireland can only hope that the the ignorance and gullibility evident in this letter is confined to the author.

Sir,

I have never been a supporter of Fianna Fáil, but I must say that I have been impressed very much with Micheál Martin’s handling of the whole affair thus far.

The pressure to hold ranks and kick for touch on this one must be enormous but the Corkman’s statesmanship has been paramount.

I hope he keeps his nerve and is rewarded for showing another view of Fianna Fáil.

He is at the opposite end of the spectrum to where Haughey, Burke, Flynn and Ahern gather.

Yours, etc,

Pat Burke Walsh
Rosslare Strand
Co Wexford.

O'Malley's view

Letter in yesterday’s Irish Times

Sir,

Noel Whelan (Opinion, March 24th) suggested expelling Bertie Ahern was of a different order to the expulsions of Neil Blaney in 1972 and of me in 1985, because in this case the party is expelling a former leader.

He is wrong.

Blaney’s and my expulsions, both for “conduct unbecoming” a member of the party, were about the future direction of Fianna Fáil.

In 1972 the party chose constitutional republicanism over ethnic bigotry, and in 1985 Fianna Fáil chose corruption and personal aggrandisement over basic ethical standards. Those expulsions mattered.

Expelling Bertie Ahern was an attempt at damage limitation and to re-cast the party’s position on past events.

But Ahern epitomised the Fianna Fáil approach to politics since Haughey took over the party’s leadership.

It will take more than his expulsion to rid the party of the stain with which successive leaders and senior members have tarnished it.

Yours, etc

Desmond O’Malley

Ahern: Acting exclusively in his own self interest

The banner headline on The Sunday Times reads:

Ahern quits Fianna Fail over Mahon.

Wrong: Ahern is not quitting because the Tribunal found he’s a liar but for purely selfish reasons; as he says himself.

My resignation is not an admission of wrongdoing in regard to the report of the Mahon Tribunal and nobody should try to interpret like that.

Ahern is quitting because he knows it’s better to resign than be kicked out.

In other words, he’s doing what all Irish politicians do – acting exclusively in his own interest.

RTE: Scared of its own shadow

Liveline presenter Joe Duffy nearly had a heart attack during the week when a caller made the link between Ahern’s evidence and the fact that it was given under oath.

The tribunal said he was untruthful, it didn’t say he lied.

Phew, that was a close one. Nearly had a ton of lawyers down on my head there Joe probably thought.

Marian Finucane, after coming across a newspaper headline that used the word ‘lies.

They’re calling it lies but the Tribunal referred to untruths.

Phew, nearly had a ton of lawyers down on my head there Marian probably thought.

Corcoran's twisted logic

According to Bertie Ahern’s greatest fan, Jody Corcoran, the former Taoiseach was not guilty of being untruthful but merely of telling half-truths.

And, apparently, those half-truths were told because Ahern was suffering the trauma of a marriage break down.

If you have absolutely nothing better to do I would recommend reading Corcoran’s rubbish as an example of how reality can be twisted out of all recognition by those who support scumbags like Ahern.