Noel O’Flynn is the latest in a long line of Fianna Fail TDs who have insulted the intelligence of the Irish people by defending the greedy and unaccountable system of political expenses.
I came in towards the end of the interview when the presenter of Lunchtime, Eamon Keane, was asking O’Flynn about the €55 paid to TDs every day for just turning up at Dail Eireann.
Keane put the €55 question to O’Flynn.
O’Flynn:
Well the expenses are laid down by statute and expenses have been reduced considerably in recent months.
€55 question again
I’m a rural TD and we were getting €139 for our overnight and subsistence. I understand that’s down now to €126
€55 question again
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission have been looking at all the expenses and have made a number of proposals.
Keane gave up at this stage and asked O’Flynn for his view on the resignation of the chairman of the Houses of the Oireachtas chairman, Tom O’Higgins, because of the absolute refusal of politicians to reform the obnoxious expenses system.
I don’t know anything about that; he has never spoken to me. I never met him, he’s never asked me a question, I don’t even know him.
Once again, it’s not politicians like O’Flynn we need to get rid of, it’s not Fianna Fail we need to get rid of, it’s not even this government we need to get rid of.
It’s the entire rotten political system itself that needs to be torn down before we can start to rebuild this country.
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Noel O’Flynn