The missing link in the Irish regulatory system

The Government has still not implemented the key recommendations of the Mahon Tribunal almost a year after its publication.

This refusal to respond to major corruption is normal in corrupt states.

In Ireland, such matters are dealt with as follows:

Corruption discovered followed by denial and/or blame. If the scandal continues to attract attention the matter is sidelined into a powerless tribunal or government committee.

When a report is published it’s ignored.

The key point is that no action is ever actually taken against anybody.

The whole idea, which is the norm in functional jurisdictions, of taking the evidence/facts and placing them before a court of law is skipped.

The Irish system ignores this vital step of bringing people to account and simply carries on as if nothing of note had been uncovered by the investigation.

We can see this in the response to the Mahon Tribunal.

The tribunal made some very serious findings including the fact that corruption affected every level of political life.

In other words, the tribunal effectively agrees with the core philosophy of this website – that Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state.

This fact has been completely ignored. Instead of actually doing something to cure the disease of political corruption the politicians focus on some other matter.

In this case it’s the problems and difficulties surrounding the establishment of an independent planning regulator.

Planning Minister Jan O’Sullivan:

A number of key issues had to be resolved before such a regulator could be established.

Should the minister’s powers be fully transferred to an independent regulator or should the final forward planning decisions remain political in nature to be taken by the minister/ government/ Oireachtas with a regulator providing an independent advisory/supervisory role?

Decisions, decisions, decisions – but never the real decisions that need to be made.

After diverting attention away from the actual corruption the political system reverts to waffle mode.

Minister O’Sullivan again:

I am determined to see this recommendation is fully and comprehensively considered and appropriately acted on.

It is important not only that we address this crucial issue but that we do it right.

So there you have it. Serious and widespread corruption is uncovered, an investigation ensues, a report is published, the political/administrative system ignores its findings and simply skips over the vital step of bringing the guilty to account.

This missing link in the regulatory/justice system is one of the principal differences between a country like Ireland and functional democracies.

Copy to:
Minister O’Sullivan

Bruton: It wasn't Lehman Brothers wot done it, it wasn't the Germans wot done it, it was the whole world

First it was Lehman Brothers who were to blame for our economic downfall.

When that excuse started to wear a bit thin blame was switched to those nasty Germans for lending all that money to innocent Irish bankers who lent it to innocent property developers who were best friends with innocent politicians.

Now, according to one of our more arrogant (ex) politicians, John Bruton, the entire world is to blame for the catastrophe.

And the gombeen wasn’t pulling his punches as he spoke to CNBC, effectively claiming that the world needs to man up and help save brave Ireland for saving the planet.

It’s important to make the point that the then government did this in order to prevent a bank run in a particular bank which could have led to catagion all over Europe, here in Britain and in the United States as well.

So in a sense the Irish taxpayer put its resources on the line in order to protect the global economy. Therefore there is, we would contend in Ireland, a global and European responsibilty to help us resolve this issue.

The 24 million documents lie

I simply refuse to believe the claim by the State that 24 million documents have to be examined before the Anglo Irish Bank trial can proceed.

If the figure was 24,000 documents I would be surprised but 24 million is just not believeable.

The principal allegation against Mr. Fitzpatrick seems to be that he was in breach of Company law when he allowed the bank to provide financial assistance to Sean Quinn and loans to ten customers, known as the ‘Maple 10’, to buy Anglo shares to prevent a collapse in the share price.

This is not, despite what we’re told, a complex charge and neither are any of the other charges.

There is nothing unique about the alleged crimes, that’s why they are listed in the Company Law Act. They are well known and, with the exception of Ireland, regularly come before the courts in functional jurisdictions.

If I was told that 24 million documents were processed during the Nuremberg Trials I would be surprised.

If I was told that the entire block of white collar crimes cases in America over a ten year period came to 24 million documents I would be surprised.

When I’m told that the trial of three bankers in a two bit, backward banana republic has to be delayed so that 24 million documents can be processed I think – Lie.

John Waters will not be happy

Irish Times columnist and Catholic militant John Waters will not be happy with the latest news from the Vatican.

Waters, who’s a great admirer of the current pope but also a self-confessed luddite, will be disappointed to learn that the pope not only operates a twitter account himself but is encouraging Catholics to use social networks to win converts.

For Waters, the internet and all associated technology is nothing but the work of the devil.

Is this man serious?

Letter in today’s Irish Times

Sir,

Bishop Pat Buckley (January 22nd) writes, “Twenty-six years ago they came for me and no one did anything. Today they have come for Fr Tony Flannery.

Tomorrow they will come for you.” I beg to disagree with the bishop.

I have been a faithful Roman Catholic all my life – a “Roman” Catholic, not an “Irish” Catholic.

I believe the Holy Father has been given to God’s people as a gift, a gift that enables us always to know the truth of a matter.

Such certitude has always given me great peace and a feeling of security.

Most of all, I have never had to have an original thought of my own. No.

They will not come for me.

Yours, etc,
Declan Kelly
Dublin

Senator Harte 'explains'

I received two emails from Senator Harte in response to my post regarding social media abuse.

Sorry to disappoint you I wasn’t forced to shut it down. I did it voluntarily.

And shortly after:

Dear Mr Sheridan,

I wish to inform you that my Facebook site was closed 6 days before the death of Shane Mc Entee.

I would expect that you clarify this with your Facebook friends today or the matter will be referred to the Press Ombudsman

I’m very happy to clarify Senator Harte’s claim that he closed his Facebook and Twitter accounts six days before Shane Mc Entee’s death on 21 December 2012.

I’m still puzzled though.

It is obvious from media reports and Senator Harte’s interview on Newstalk that he is very angry and upset by the alleged abuse he received on social media.

The obvious question is – why did he wait a full month before telling the rest of the world about his decision?

I’m still going with the bandwagon thesis.

Danny Healy-Rae: Doesn't even know he's been taken for the idiot he is

Councillor Danny Healy-Rae was delighted with all the publicity he generated with his call for special permits to excuse rural dwellers from drink-driving limits.

I’m getting calls all day from international radio and television stations, so it’s a major issue.

Even accepting that he’s a member of the Healy-Rae family of gombeen politicians and therefore not overly endowed with intelligence surely even he realises that the international media want to talk to him because they see him for what he is – an idiot politician whose antics will provide a laugh for viewers.

Fergus Finlay suffering from a severe bout of naivety

According to Irish Examiner columnist Fergus Finlay recent comments by Pat Rabbitte were in response to the personal abuse of politicians on social media rather than media criticism of politics in general

Mr. Finlay is 100% wrong in his assessment as the words of Pat Rabbitte himself clearly demonstrates.

The denigration of politicians has always been there and most politicians accept that it comes with the territory.

It’s the damage to politics that concerns me because if you consign politics to the dustbin of history, what is the alternative? And five unrelenting years of pervasive negativity is having an impact.

Mr. Rabbitte is clearly not referring to the recent personalised comments on social media.

He’s specifically referring to the general media criticism of the political system since the catastrophic collapse of the economy in 2008.

Rabbitte went on to say that it was the media that was fermenting a good deal of the anger felt by the public.

Again, in addition to insulting the intelligence of Irish citizens, Rabbitte is clearly attacking the media for its commentary on the financial crisis rather than a few anonymous, personally abusive, comments on social media.

Clearly Mr. Finlay, despite a long career in politics, is suffering from a severe bout of naivety.