Author: Anthony

Favours feeding the disease of corruption

On a recent Late Late Show (1hr.5mins), Pat Kenny introduced author and journalist, Colm Tóibín, as follows:

“A man who looks at life a little differently than most, it’s probably why he rushed up to shake the hand of the disgraced building society boss, Michael Fingleton…”

Alas, Mr. Tóibín is very much like the majority of Irish citizens in that he holds a warped sense of right and wrong when it comes to wrongdoing in Irish public and business life.

People like Mr. Tóibín have no problem whatsoever in recognizing wrongdoing in other countries. For example, commentators, journalists, politicians and ordinary citizens in Ireland all seem to agree that the behaviour of UK MPs regarding their expenses is fraudulent and/or seriously unethical. Instinctively, everybody knows such behaviour is wrong.

In contrast, when Bertie Ahern claimed, under oath, that he won large amounts of unexplained money on the horses, there was little if any debate on whether such a ridiculous excuse might be a lie and no debate whatsoever on the possibility that this former Taoiseach may have committed the crime of perjury.

Instead, we had lots of people, operating within the same mindset as Mr. Tóibín, endlessly debating whether Ahern would run for president or opt for a job in the EU. Ahern’s tribunal evidence was only discussed in so far as it might affect his legacy.

In other words, when the brutal reality of what Bertie Ahern really is was exposed, when his flawed pedigree was exposed and put right up there in front of these people they all went into denial and pretended it never happened.

We see the exact same response/mindset from Mr. Tóibín in his defence of Fingleton.

According to Tóibín Fingleton is being demonized simply because of his association with banking scandals in the same way that many (innocent) priests were demonised because of the activities of pedophile priests.

In Tóibín’s mind, Fingleton has done no wrong but is rather the victim of a witch hunt. Tóibín’s problem is simple; he is incapable of telling the difference between those who are guilty and those who are merely associated with the guilty.

This is not to say that Fingleton is guilty of any criminal behaviour, not yet anyway. He is, however, guilty of a recklessness and greed that has destroyed the lives of thousands of people.

He took Irish Nationwide from being a sound business that sold mortgages to help people buy their homes into the casino like world of property developers that left the building society with over 80% of its €12 billion loans related to construction and property.

Irish Nationwide facilitated Sean Fitzpatrick’s dodgy loans which, according to many experts, were fraudulent and are currently under investigation.

He arranged a €27.6 million retirement scheme for himself which gave the impression that the scheme involved a number of members when in fact he was the sole beneficiary. When this was exposed we were asked to believe that the misunderstanding was due to a typing error – shades of Bertie’s ‘I won it on the horses here’.

Tóibín himself provided the answer for his blind loyalty to a chancer like Fingleton.

At some point in the distant past Fingleton did Tóibín a favour, he gave him a mortgage when times were tough. It’s this ‘doing favours’ that lies at the heart of Irish corruption.

It’s why, for decades, thousands of people voted for the corrupt Haughey. – he did them favours. It’s why 12,000 people voted for the liar and tax cheat, Michael Lowry, in the last election – he did them favours. It’s why the chancer Bertie Ahern enjoyed such a successful career in politics – he did favours for his constituents.

The people who sell their votes for favours, the people who buy votes with favours and the people like Tóibín who cannot see beyond the favour are responsible for the destruction of this country.

Mr. Tóibín, along with thousands of other Irish citizens, simply will not or cannot understand that when somebody does something wrong they should be made accountable no matter what favours they have done.

For so long as this primitive tribal mind set persists Ireland will continue to suffer at the hands of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen.

Mr. Tóibín himself provided a perfect example of the damage that can be wrought when favours, special interests, ruthless greed or blind loyalty take precedence over the common good.

He recalled a (outraged) phone call he received from the New York Times some years ago asking him:

“Is it possible that you are building a motorway through the beautiful landscape of Tara?”

He later visited Tara and realised that anyone who disturbed such a landscape would be in trouble, would be haunted.

The tragedy for Ireland is that while people like Tóibín can see that such actions are wrong he is incapable of understanding that they happen because Ireland is a country riven by the disease of corruption.

He is incapable of seeing that he and others, through their ignorance, are principally responsible for the continuing spread of that disease.

Copy to:
Colm Tóibín

How things stand

Letter in today’s Irish Times.

Madam,

Just to be clear on how things stand.

A full national out-of-hours social service to place children in an appropriate safe environment as recommended by the Monageer report is not possible in the current economic downturn. Similarly, two wards in the Crumlin Children’s Hospital are to be closed because of a lack of funds.

The State’s finances have not, however, reached such a critical phase as to warrant the cancellation of massive pensions to politicians while they are still collecting very generous salaries.

Yours, etc,

ANTHONY SHERIDAN,

Electing fat cats

Letter in Irish Independent.

Dail fat cats not worth your vote

Looking at the picture illustrating Lise Hand’s article (Irish Independent, May 15) of the Taoiseach and Bertie Ahern visiting the East Wall, I can see that the ‘Soldiers of Destiny’ still don’t realise the voters of Dublin Central are suffering in the recession.

I wonder did the sight of two men who earn more than €200,000 each, arriving in two separate €120,000 Mercs, accompanied by bodyguards in two €60,000 BMWs, make the voters of Dublin Central think twice about electing another member of the Ahern dynasty to a €100,000-plus per annum job?

This sight contrasts with the goings-on over in Westminster where MPs are scurrying to hand back money to save their political lives after being exposed with overinflated or false expense claims.

If I was a Dublin Central voter on reduced earnings I would try to continue the Tony Gregory tradition of independence from the big parties, and if I couldn’t find a suitable candidate I’d spoil my vote to show my disgust at the fat cats in Dail Eireann who are very unlikely to follow their UK counterparts’ example.

Brendan Lynch
Bray
Co Wicklow

Monageer: A new low in accountability

The Monageer Report marks a new low in the administration of our corrupt state.

Fine Gael TD, Alan Shatter wrote an excellent and hard hitting article on the scandal last Thursday in the Irish Independent. Here are some quotes from the article with my comments.

“It is unacceptable in a mature European parliamentary democracy that the report of an inquiry into the deaths of four people including two children murdered by one or both of their parents — and the dealings of state agencies with the family, should be censored.”

Of course Shatter is right; such behaviour would be totally unacceptable in a mature European parliamentary democracy. But in a corrupt backwater state run by ruthless and uncaring politicians it is, sadly, all too acceptable.

“Publication on Tuesday of the Monageer inquiry report with substantial factual background obliterated by black ink at the behest of the Minister for Children is the type of scandalous government conduct and cover-up expected only in totalitarian dictatorships.”

Exactly.

“State agencies and their employees should be properly accountable for the fulfillment of their statutory functions. Ministers in Government are also accountable for their supervision of such agencies and for the extent to which resources are provided to enable them to properly carry out their statutory duties.”

This is the case in real democracies but when State agencies and politicians confer upon themselves powers that border on the absolute, as has happened in Ireland, then accountability is no longer an issue. Democratic accountability will only become an issue again when the present corrupt system is completely destroyed.

“For the first time in the history of the State a report has had seven of the inquiry team’s recommendations censored and blacked out…”

“Consequently, there is no way of assessing in the future the extent to which they have been implemented…”

“It is reasonable to assume that they were censored because their publication would reveal undisclosed inadequacies in existing services and their concealment protects the Government from criticism in the future for not implementing the seven recommendations…”

“This scandalous and disreputable conduct by the Government and the ministers concerned is intolerable…”

“It seems clear from the approach taken by the Government and the relevant ministers that their priority is to protect the political reputation of Government members and to protect the professional reputation of those who made mistakes…”

“It seems this is a greater priority than to protect the future welfare of children.”

As we have seen on many occasions in the past, the protection of children and even the lives of citizens take second place when it comes to protecting the careers and interests of politicians and public servants.

An immature and ignorant nation

Views expressed by economist Moore McDowell, Journalist Declan Lynch and politician Mary O’Rourke on Today FM last Sunday paint a depressing picture of how little we have matured as a people and a nation.

On allegations that UK MPs including Sinn Fein members may have claimed unjustified expenses.

O’Rourke (in outraged tone):

“Of course you can’t take money you’re not entitled to.”

Let’s see – Haughey, Ahern, Burke, Collins, Lawlor, Flynn, Foley are just some of a long list of Fianna Fail politicians who have taken money to which they weren’t entitled to.

And these are just the more serious cases; fiddling expenses is a national pastime for practically every TD, Senator and Councillor in the country. I have yet to witness O’Rourke show outrage when a Fianna Fail politician robs the state.

When corrupt activity is uncovered in the UK and other real democracies there is outrage, proper investigations, resignations and apologies. In Ireland it’s an integral and unnoticed part of our corrupt culture.

O’Rourke:

“The goings on in the papers about Irish politicians pales beside this. You can get saunas in your home, drinks cabinets, curtains.”

So, according to O’Rourke no Irish politician has ever done anything worse than over claim for the odd sauna or drinks cabinet?

Mc Dowell:

“A lot of Irish people would think that any Irishman is entitled to any money he can get from the British treasury under any circumstances.”

Declan Lynch:

“The Republican family always did everything in its power to drain her majesty’s treasury and undermining the crown in whatever way they can and I see this as merely part of that.”

The suggestion here from these two gentlemen is that it’s ok for Irish citizens to steal from the British people. This attitude reflects the old, immature, anti British mindset that still runs deep in Irish society coupled with an easy acceptance of criminality.

This easy acceptance of criminality within the Irish body politic is so ingrained in our culture that people like McDowell seem to be completely unaware of its existence as the following incredible quote demonstrates.

“You do hear of quote ‘scandals’ unquote in Irish politics, you do hear them and the truth of the matter is that with a couple of exceptions going back over the 90 years since the Free State was set up and now the Republic Irish politics in the terms of venal corruption has been peculiarly free of it.”

O’Rourke, a long serving member of the most intrinsically corrupt party in the country immediately added

“I agree with you fully.”

We can only surmise that McDowell’s incredible ignorance of the reality of Irish political corruption is a result of spending too many years with his head buried in lecture notes.

Safely ensconced within the walls of academia McDowell never noticed the long and corrupt career of Haughey as he plundered the state’s finances while accepting large payments from businessmen who were allegedly ‘acting in the interests of democracy’.

He never noticed that Haughey spawned a whole pack of like minded thieves like Burke, Foley and Lawlor.

He never noticed the avalanche of rot that poured from the various tribunals revealing how deeply the disease of corruption had eaten into the very fabric of Irish society.

He never noticed that Irish banks and other financial institutions have always enjoyed a free hand, courtesy of politicians and a so called regulatory system, to rob citizens at will with no worries whatsoever of being brought to account.

He never noticed that people like Jim Flavin can defraud the stock market of €83 million and walk away a free man, no questions asked.

Most of all Mr. McDowell never noticed that Ireland, alone among all Western democracies, never, ever takes any effective action against white collar crime.

On Ronan O’Gara’s insult to the Queen of England.

When I saw the picture of Ronan O’Gara insulting the Queen of England I felt ashamed of my nationality.

O’Rourke’s reaction was like that of a giggling school girl witnessing a fellow student being cheeky to a teacher.

O’Gara is certainly a legend in the field of sport but his behaviour sent out a clear message to the world – ‘I’m a typical bog Irishman who has yet to learn the basics in courtesy and good manners’.

There has been much talk of the Queen paying a visit to our country but judging from this incident and O’Rourke’s reaction it might be better to defer such an event for a few more decades.

On the troubles besetting the Italian Prime Minister, Berlusconi.

When it was put to McDowell (a great admirer of Berlusconi) that he was loathed by lots of people he replied.

“He is but that’s always been the problem for great men think of Charlie Haughey, think of De Valera.”

There’s no nice way to say this – Anyone who believes that the corrupt Haughey was a great man is a deluded fool.

On the entry of George Lee into politics.

O’Rourke:

“It’s interesting now that we know because I heard him saying to Sean O’Rourke that he had been asked in 2002 and he dallied with the idea so it’s good to know that all he said since 2002 to now was in fact Fine Gael talk.”

Ah yes, Fianna Fail hypocrisy – a bottomless pit.

Copy to:
Mary O’Rourke
Moore McDowell
Declan Lynch

Politicians ignore the law with impunity

Every political party in the country broke the law recently when they erected election posters before the legal deadline according to the Irish Independent (Link not available).

The law in question was only recently introduced by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley but even his allegedly ethical party disregarded the law.

The Green Party candidate, Dave Robbins, said he had done nothing wrong as he had covered up any references to a vote on his poster.

Apparently, this is correct as the law was carefully drafted so as to allow the erection of posters so long as the part that has ‘Vote No. 1’ was covered up.

This is typical banana republic legislation designed to give the impression that Ireland holds the same standards as real democracies but at the same time dishonestly giving politicians a (legally corrupt) mechanism to circumvent the law.

Clearly, the Green Party was closely involved in the drafting of this Tammany Hall law which further demonstrates the degree to which their ethical standards have been polluted by their association with a corrupt Fianna Fail.

No political party has or will be prosecuted for breaking this law and therefore it becomes a joke and adds to the contempt citizens have for the body politic and, increasingly, the law in general.

Copy to:
Green Party

Mass card law: Update

I checked out the website of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs today regarding the criminalisation of those who sell Mass cards without the permission of a Catholic bishop. Specifically, I wanted to know what a commencement order was and how that affected the enactment of the Charities Act, 2009.

The following is from the website’s Q & A section.

When will the Charities Act come into force?

The enactment of the Bill does not in itself immediately bring the Act into force. It is only when the Minister commences individual provisions sections of the Bill that charities will find themselves with new legal responsibilities.

There is a considerable body of work to be undertaken in preparation for statutory regulation. The Department will be rolling out an implementation plan for the Act.

This plan will ensure that the essential elements are in place to enable the introduction in due course of the statutory regulatory framework provided for in the Act.

In other countries, it has taken a number of years after enactment of the legislation for the new regulatory system for charities to be formally introduced. This is likely to be the case in Ireland also, though some individual provisions of the Act may be commenced before the bulk of the Act is commenced.

I rang the Department and was told by a spokesperson that Section 99, which deals with the selling of Mass cards, should be commenced without any great delay.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the Department’s website and ringing from time to time to check on progress.

Mass card petition acknowledgement

Received the following today from the European Parliament regarding my Mass card petition.

Dear Sir,

Please note that we received your e-mail dated 29.04.2009 (17:05) and that it will be registered as soon as possible.

An official letter with further information will be sent to your postal address.

Best regards,

Parlement européenP
DG Présidence – Unité Activités des Députés
L-2929 LUXEMBOURG

Ruling (mafia) families

There are 166 TDs in Dail Eireann.

Shockingly, over 25% (42) of them are direct relatives of former or current TDs. According to a Drivetime report during the week nothing like this exists in any other Western democracy. Here’s some further breakdown.

A massive 28 of the 42 are Fianna Fail TDs followed by Fine Gael with 12 and 2 from Labour.

24 are sons or daughters of TDs – 15 Fianna Fail, 8 Fine Gael and 1 Labour.

There are three TDs in the Fianna Fail Kitt family as was their father before them.

Fianna Fail TD, Mary O’Rourke is the daughter of a TD and sits in the Dail with her brother Brian Lenihan and two nephews Brian and Conor.

The three most senior people in government, Brian Cowen, Mary Coughlin and Brian Lenihan all inherited their seats from their father.

And people wonder why Ireland is run like a mafia.