Dermot Ahern: Ethically blind?

Here’s what Sunday Times journalist, Justine McCarthy had to say about Justice Minister Dermot Ahern’s behaviour during the vote of confidence in O’Dea last week (Primetime, 19th).

There are certainly questions for the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern answer for his behaviour in the Dail.

The sight of him sitting beside Deputy O’Dea when he was making his statement on Wednesday, grinning from ear to ear and making pantomime noises across the chamber was literally disgusting.

This is the man who is in charge of the administration of justice in this country. He himself is a solicitor and therefore an officer of the courts. His conduct gave the impression that he believes that there is nothing wrong with recklessly slandering somebody, particularly in this case, an election candidate.

His behaviour gave the impression that he believes there is nothing wrong with swearing a false affidavit. I think Dermot Ahern should certainly be called to account for what he’s done.

I completely agree with Ms. McCarthy but I think a cowboy politician like Ahern would be genuinely puzzled by her comments.

After all, this man doesn’t believe that the criminal Haughey was corrupt and was one of the many Fianna Fail politicians who backed the chancer Bertie Ahern no matter how fantastic his ‘explanations’.

Idiotic defence of O'Dea

Inevitably, every time a political scandal occurs, some idiot journalist will write an article in defence of the errant politician.

The idiot in this case is Irish independent journalist Eamon Delaney. He makes the following points in defence of the liar O’Dea.

It’s terribly sad that a man of such tenacity, wit and energy should be caught out on such a little thing.

Making a false statement in a sworn affidavit is, according to Delaney, not a huge matter.

It was the fault of the media.

It was the fault of a tenacious opposition baying for blood of any kind.

None of us is pristine clean and (sad old) O’Dea is down there in Limerick bravely fighting the IRA and organised crime.

Delaney compares the ‘witch-hunting’ of O’Dea to that other ‘innocent’ politician, Michael Lowry. According to this journalist, Lowry, a tax cheat and liar, was forced to resign in ‘apparent’ disgrace.

It should have been enough that O’Dea changed his statement after he realised his ‘mistake’.

This ridiculous excuse, which (barrister) O’Dea also used, displays an abject ignorance of how the law operates. It is not possible to amend sworn affidavits as a case develops, to allow such a situation would make the entire legal system impossible.

The matter could have rested (been forgotten) if it wasn’t for Sinn Fein’s skillful spinning and Fine Gael’s robust opportunism.

The Greens are to blame; they needed a head on a plate to boost their image.

The public are not fooled though; they see that O’Dea is a man of integrity and passion, a man who has been cruelly caught out by certain (evil) ‘elements’.

Delaney ends his craven article with a standard, smear everybody, comment, a comment we have heard before regarding people like the criminal Haughey or the chancer Bertie Ahern.

But let’s remember, there’s something of Willie in all of us.

Well, Delaney may be the type of person who will make a false statement under oath, he may be the type of person who will endanger the reputation of a journalist and policeman in a cowardly attempt to avoid being found out but I think that such low grade people are, thankfully, a minority in this country.

Copy to:
Eamon Delaney

A cynically evil man

Is it the smell of money that’s getting at them?

This was the response of disgraced obstetrician Michael Neary when asked about the complaints of women whose lives were destroyed by his brutal operations.

The full impact of the words of this cynically evil man can best be understood by listening to the news clip (Six One News, 27 mins).

Angry – but gone

Irish Times letter

No choice but to emigrate

Madam,

I am disgusted at the the recent comments on emigration by the Tánaiste Mary Coughlan (“Tánaiste’s comments on emigration unacceptable, says Donohoe”, Seanad Report, February 17th). I, a young person of 23, have recently moved to London to take up a job. And despite Ms Coughlan’s assertions about my generation, I did not move to enjoy myself. I left my family, my friends and all that I hold dear behind because I had to.

I moved because my native country has nothing to offer me because of the self-interest, the naked greed, the croneyism of those in positions of power in Government and in financial institutions. These are the people who robbed a whole generation of a future in Ireland and they are still making the decisions about our country.

Are we the most compliant nation on Earth, or what?

I worked hard to get good results in university. When I couldn’t get a job I studied for a further year, hoping a higher diploma in nursing would open doors to employment in Ireland. But to no avail. Attitudes to my applications were dismissive at times. In contrast, hospitals in England are so appreciative of my skills and my obvious interest in my profession (as indicated by my further studies) that several of them made offers to me.

Thus I plucked up the courage to say a painful goodbye to my parents and friends. And next year it is highly likely that my brother will have to do the same.

It’s one thing for a young person to choose to travel, and I’m all for that. But it’s quite another to feel forced out of your country in order to find work. I feel every taxpayer has a stake in this exodus of highly trained, hard-working and bright young people and I want us all to be angry enough to ensure this never happens again to a generation of Irish people.

The arrogance of Ms Coughlan’s comments just go to show how this Government knows nothing of the struggles of ordinary people to make ends meet. It is time they had a wake-up call. – Yours, etc,

SARAH MOORE,

Mitcham Road,

West Croydon,

London, England.

Green Party retreat into mental reservation

Green Party TD Paul Gogarty on the Willie O’Dea scandal.

The collective opinion is that while we’re not happy with the situation at this moment in time it is not a resigning matter and you cannot put pressure on someone to resign if you genuinely feel that they shouldn’t resign.

Have the Greens been taking advice from Cardinal Connell on the concept of mental reservation?

Ireland: A country incapable of dealing with reality

According to Sunday Times columnist, Justine McCarthy, Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea perjured himself in court.

O’Dea had denied in an affidavit that he had accused Maurice Quinlivan, a Sinn Fein local-election candidate, of owning a brothel.

He only admitted that his remarks were false and defamatory after a tape recording of his comments was produced.

This is very similar to the tactics employed by Bertie Ahern while giving evidence to the Tribunal regarding his dealings in Sterling.

Right up to the moment that documentary evidence was produced, Ahern consistently denied under oath that he had ever had any significant dealings in Sterling.

Let’s immediately cut to the chase here. In a functional democracy perjury is treated as a very serious crime. In a dysfunctional democracy, like Ireland, perjury is only treated as a serious crime for the little people.

People in power and influence are rarely, if ever, even accused of the crime never mind actually charged.

In a functional democracy like the UK, for example, allegations or suspicions of perjury by any citizen are immediately investigated by the police.

There’s no convenient ignoring of the crime by a judge, court or tribunal, there’s no talk about requesting the Prime Minister to ‘advise’ a politician who is under suspicion of committing perjury. There’s no changing the discussion to any other subject that comes to mind so long as it doesn’t focus on the reality of the situation.

No, in real democracies like the UK, when evidence emerges that the crime of perjury may have been committed the police investigate and prosecutions are taken as necessary.

The first thing that happens in a dysfunctional democracy like Ireland is – nothing. The powers that be simply pretend that nothing of significance has happened and hope that nobody notices.

We witnessed the same reaction in other cases like Jim Flavin of DCC or the Neary case. No action was taken by any Irish authority in these cases until somebody from outside the country acted.

O’Dea is alleged to have lied under oath last December and yet it was only when Justine McCarthy wrote her article nearly two months later that anything was done, once again everybody ignored the raging elephant until an outside source pointed it out.

The media and political reaction since the ‘expose’ has also been typical of a country that is incapable of facing reality when it doesn’t suit.

It must be kept in mind when reading the following examples that in a functional democracy there is only one reaction – an immediate investigation by police followed by prosecution if necessary.

The legal system

Nobody involved in the case seemed to take a blind bit of notice when a government minister made a false statement in a sworn affidavit. Compare this to Amanda McNamara who perjured herself because she was in absolute fear of her life about giving evidence in a brutal murder trial.

The judge in this case had no problem in identifying perjury saying that it was a very serious matter that undermined Ireland’s system of criminal justice. McNamara was given 100 hours community service and will have a criminal record for the rest of her life.

Seanad Eireann

Fine Gael spokesman on Justice Eugene Regan demanded to know from Seanad Leader, Donnie Cassidy, if Minister O’Dea was being held to account for lying under oath (Irish Times).

Cassidy ignored the question, simply stating that O’Dea was an excellent public representative and the people of Limerick were very fortunate to have such a capable person. He, (Cassidy) then proceeded to talk about another matter altogether.

This is a typical – if I ignore reality, it will go away – reaction.

Dail Eireann

Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister O’Dea said it was a private and personal matter. This is despite the fact that O’Dea said in his sworn affidavit that he was fully entitled to raise the issue and make the allegations as a public representative.

Obviously there’s nothing private about this matter whatsoever. O’Dea, a government minister, defamed another politician in response to questions about his (O’Dea’s) large and expensive staff paid for by the taxpayer – and we’re asked to believe that it’s a private matter?

Even if it was a private matter, is the Prime Minister of our country suggesting that it’s ok for a government minister to make a false statement in a sworn affidavit so long as it relates to a private matter?

RTE, The Week in Politics (34 min)

Sean O’Rourke and Brian Dowling. (One RTE journalist interviewing another RTE journalist).

The fact that very serious allegations of perjury are facing a government minister was completely ignored by the journalists.

The entire discussion focused on the possible political implications for O’Dea if the matter became controversial. Brian Dowling suggested that because O’Dea was a huge vote getter there was unlikely to be any impact on his career.

Irish Times editorial

The following points were made in this editorial.

The Taoiseach was in an invidious position because of the relaxed attitude adopted by his predecessors to ethical issues.

This is just silly logic suggesting that low standards in the past could act as a block to taking action in the present.

Because public confidence in authority had waned there was a need to promote high standards and ensure political accountability.

In real democracies such standards are the expected norm and not something that needs promoting.

The matter may create friction between the Coalition parties.

This is an irrelevant point unless the editor feels that government unity is more important than political, legal and ethical accountability.

This scandal and how it is being dealt with once again confirms that Ireland is nothing more than a dysfunctional, backwater state pretending to be a first world democracy.