Independent Senator, barrister and militant Catholic Ronan Mullen doesn’t really believe that his fellow politician, Senator Callely, did anything wrong by intentionally misrepresenting his normal place of residence for the purpose of claiming allowances.
I find it hard to see where it could be made out that there was a criminal act per se. A person has to be judged according to the law as it stood at the time they did what they did.
There’s certainly a case, however, for tightening up on the law here so that there would be no doubt but that it would be fraud if a person were to over claim on expenses in such a fashion.
This vague response to what is, in real democracies, a serious crime stands in stark contrast to Mullen’s usual absolute moral judgements when it comes to those who defy the rules of his particular god.
For example, he campaigned long and hard to stop the enactment of the Civil Partnership Bill motivated, principally, by the laws laid down by his Catholic god who ruthlessly condemns practicing homosexuals to everlasting hell.
Mullen and other opponents of the bill were (accurately) described by fellow Senators as dressed up bigots.
Mullen was also deeply involved in the recent enactment of a draconian law which makes it a criminal offence to sell a Mass card not authorised by a Catholic bishop.
This law effectively restores an absolute monopoly to the Catholic Church that it had previously enjoyed for centuries until recent times when others began to encroach on the lucrative trade.
Neither has this Catholic politician/barrister any qualms about the fact that this law runs contrary to Article 48 (1) of the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights which states:
Everyone who has been charged shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.
Under this new (religious?) law any person suspected of illegally selling Mass cards is assumed to be guilty until proved innocent.
Those found guilty could face ten years in prison or a €300,000 fine – for selling Mass cards without the permission of a Catholic Bishop.
It’s a case of using a nuclear bomb to crack a nut or to make absolutely sure that anyone silly enough to threaten a very lucrative monopoly are going to be very severely punished.
Mullen’s hypocrisy is typical of those who inhabit the murky world of Irish politics.
When dealing with the dodgy behaviour of a political colleague everything descends into a murky fog of political waffle where accountability is suffocated to death.
Similarly, when it comes to personal political agenda’s no law is too draconian, no principle too precious that it cannot be discarded.
Copy to:
Senator Mullen
I don’t disagree with anything you have said here but you need to be consistent. On the one hand you take Mullen to task for abrogating the principle of innocent until proven guilty (before a court I presume) while you condemn Callelly for his behaviour (the Senate inquiry was not a Court of Law).