Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
I see social welfare officials are exploring ways of obtaining the names of passengers on flights and ferries arriving into Ireland as part of a bid to combat welfare fraud by non-residents.
I certainly hope that this new scheme doesn’t reduce the effectiveness of the dozens of officials who, night and day, check the flights of millionaires and billionaires to ensure they’re complying with the 183 day tax residency law.
In the years leading up to financial meltdown, despite warnings from many sources, the government refused to accept the reality of what was happening.
We were told the ‘fundamentals were sound’, that there would be a ‘soft landing’ in the property market, that critics should stop ‘talking the country into recession’.
ECB board member Juergen Stark was in Dublin yesterday eerily restating that whole mad reality, this time in respect of the Euro area.
Europe was not heading into a second recession.
The ECB still believed the euro area was heading for an economic “soft patch”.
We should avoid talking ourselves into a recession.
Stark also delivered the, by now, standard pat on the head to the government.
Ireland is the role model for other Eurozone countries.
Ireland shows it is possible to implement (austerity programmes) as long as there is support in the society and a consensus among political parties.
Among those lapping up Dr Stark’s Alice in Wonderland view of reality were Financial Regulator Matthew Elderfield, Alan Dukes of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, and UCD economist Colm McCarthy.
Just a few of the amadan’s who are merrily leading Ireland down the road to perdition.
I’m still waiting for that promised report from Limerick City Council regarding allegations that Fine Gael Cllr. cheated on his expenses.
In the meantime it seems that Cllr. Kennedy can’t stop paying back money to all and sundry.
A report in yesterday’s Irish Independent tells us the Cllr has refunded a further €2,600 to two national bodies from which he claimed mileage expenses.
This is in addition to the €1,700 he refunded 18 months ago for travel expenses that he wasn’t entitled to.
To take your medicine like the Irish have.
Comment by BBC4 newsreader to Spanish commentator on Spain’s attempts to resolve its financial crisis.
The Law Society is ‘outraged’ by an apparent slur on the profession by the master of the High Court Edmund Honohan.
Mr. Honohan said that solicitors were the group:
Most frequently found to have only a nodding acquaintance with the truth.
The truth always hurts.
RTE is in the process of making the biggest mistake in its history.
The national broadcaster had a simple choice following the finding that its Prime Time Investigates programme had grossly defamed parish priest Fr. Kevin Reynolds.
It could have made public all the relevant facts surrounding the case and taken severe action, including sackings, against those responsible for the debacle.
Or
It could have decided to creep into the dank cave of darkness where bankers, politicians, higher civil servants and the Catholic Church thrive on a diet of secrecy, obfuscation, denial and arrogance.
Sadly, the broadcaster is heading for the darkness of the cave.
Those in charge in RTE have clearly deluded themselves into thinking that they can bluff their way out of the affair while retaining the very high level of respect and credibility built up over many years by Prime Time and Prime Time Investigates.
They have, in effect, decided to inflict serious damage to the credibility of the organisation as a whole and 100% damage to the credibility of the Prime Time programme.
And for what?
So that those responsible for the debacle are protected from the consequences of their actions.
If they continue as they are Prime Time will rightly be seen as nothing more than a joke programme.
Lying politicians, priests, bankers and others who have, until now, rightly feared the dreaded call from Prime Time staff will now welcome the opportunity to strut the Prime Time catwalk and sneer at questions put to them by a totally discredited programme.
RTE should immediately apologise for attempting to avoid responsibility and follow that up by taking the painful but crucially necessary action to protect Prime Times’ hard won credibility.
There is no alternative.
Copy to:
RTE
Prime Time
Brendan Howlin’s reaction to the Cardiff scandal.
Well, the Government made a decision, I have known Kevin since I went into the department.
He is a most competent, able, courteous and diligent public servant.
He has been involved his whole life in the public service. The Government has made the recommendation.
Our understanding from the soundings we’ve heard back is that there is no resistance to his appointment.
We expect it to go through in the normal way.
Translation:
Kevin is a fine fellow, we’re on first name terms.
The Government has made a decision and there’s obviously no objection to that decision.
Yes, the peasants are making some noise, as they do, but that can be safely ignored.
For any Irish citizen who, for even for the briefest moment, thought that this government would be different from what went before need only look at the Kevin Cardiff affair.
The whole affair confirms that Ireland is an irredeemably rotten state run by an arrogant, self serving ruling elite.
We need only focus on one event where Cardiff is concerned – he was head of the Dept of Finance when an accounting error of €3.6 billion was made.
In a functioning democracy there would be no further discussion. In a functioning democracy he would have been given a few hours to consider his position and if reluctant to take the honourable route he would have been sacked forthwith.
In Ireland, he will be awarded lottery amounts in pension and lump sum payments and offered a plum job in Europe.
This not unusual, it is how things are done in Ireland. We saw it with disgraced Central Bankers, we saw with disgraced FAS executive officers; we saw it with disgraced politicians.
Such rewards for incompetence are an integral part of Irish culture.
This scandal is almost a carbon copy of the Judge O’Flaherty/Sheedy scandal of eleven years ago.
Judge O’Flaherty had been nominated as Ireland’s representative to the European Investment Bank by then Finance Minister, Charlie McCreevy.
Despite massive public anger and an admission by McCreevy that it was the wrong thing to do the then government pushed ahead with its plans.
The dismissive arrogance of the then government was only stopped when it came into conflict with the high standards of accountability common in European countries.
The EU effectively told the Irish government to take a hike and bring their judge with them.
This government is also determined to press ahead with the appointment of Cardiff despite widespread objections and anger.
The Irish people can only hope that, once again, the Europeans will intervene and put a stop to the gombeen activities of our politicians.
It seems that our rulers, despite warnings from Leo Varadkar, have quietly introduced legislation that allows ministers to drive in bus lanes.
I sometimes wonder whether it’s arrogance that makes politicians stupid or stupidity that makes them arrogant.
Most of the self awarded perks and advantages enjoyed by politicians are usually, after some brief anger, quickly forgotten.
But this perk, as ministers speed by on ‘important’ government business, will act as a constant reminder to the peasants of their lowly place in the great scheme of things.
Copy to:
Fine Gael
Labour
Sunday Independent journalist John Drennan describes Garret Fitzgerald’s government of 1981 and the criminal Haughey’s government of 1987 as courageous and decisive.
Garret Fitzgerald decisive? Incompetent and extremely naïve would be more accurate and that’s being kind.
Haughey courageous? The man was a cowardly, greedy, ruthless criminal – nothing else