Author: Anthony

Nothing has changed

1999, September 27th. Tanaiste, Mary Harney, on the Ansbacher scandal names.

“If the Government were to break the law and publish the names, everybody on the list would walk free and prosecutions would not be brought.”

2009 February 20th. ODCE director, Paul Appleby, on the Anglo Irish Bank scandal names (Reported).

“The State’s corporate enforcer may be unable to provide the names of the ‘golden circle’ of investors to the Government for fear of prejudicing criminal proceedings.”

Nobody was ever prosecuted as a result of the Ansbacher scandal. Nobody will be prosecuted as a result of the Anglo Irish Bank scandal.

Extras

Some advertisements are clever and funny but some are funny without meaning to be.

A current ad promoting a car suggests that ‘extras’ are now a common mechanism employed by businesses to extract more money from customers.

The ditty runs:

“These days even some of the most basic things are considered extra but when you buy a Chevrolet extras are standard.”

The ad goes on to give some humorous examples of customers being surprised when charged ‘extras’ for services provided.

But the ad then finishes with the warning. “Delivery and related charges not included.” In other words – extras.

Words and responsibilities

Last week the powerless Public Accounts Committee published its report on travel abuses within Fás (Irish Examiner).

According to this powerless committee “Fás wrongly allowed executives and board members to travel first class since 1992.”

Use of the soft word ‘wrongly’ here is always interesting. Such words are reserved for dodgy activities within government agencies and financial institutions. When ordinary citizens (peasants?) involve themselves in such activities the words (rightly) used are ‘fraud’ and ‘corruption’.

The ‘responsible’ minister, Tanaiste Mary Coughlin, did what all Irish politicians do in such cases – she abdicated responsibility.

Apparently, she won’t be taking action because the travel details “were arranged and authorised at an official level in Fás”. It is reasonable to assume from this approach that the Minister would have no problem if Fás ‘arranged and authorised’ a bank robbery at ‘official level’.

And let’s not forget that this PAC report was triggered by a report into Fás by the powerless Comptroller and Auditor General. The powerless committee has now recommended that the powerless C & AG carry out yet another investigation based on its report and when complete PAC will carry out an investigation into that report.

No, no, really, I’m not joking but I do feel the first signs of madness beginning to take hold.

Fianna Fail corruption

Irish Examiner letters.

Obviously this letter writer is a regular reader at Public Inquiry.

FF happy to blame bankers and builders.

Of course it suits the Fianna Fáil agenda to encourage the rush to blame the bankers and builders for the mess Ireland is now in. Anything to shift the blame from where it really lies.

The only reason bankers and builders got away with what they did was because the laws and regulations which would have kept them in check and held them to account are so watered down they are in effect meaningless.

The only way that happened was because FF politicians watered down those regulations. Of course they had no choice but to agree to the demands of the bankers and builders given how those same politicians’ honesty was already compromised from having accepted the “dig out”
.
It was either agree to the demands or be exposed as a fraud. For FF politicians it’s always easier to say yes than to do the right thing.

This is the 30th anniversary of FF electing Charles Haughey as its leader. The consequences of that choice have ultimately led the country to the sorry state it now finds itself in. That choice created a generation of politicians which includes Bertie Ahern and every single one of the present FF parliamentary party, of whom it is impossible to believe any has the intellectual ability, or even the moral depth, to provide the solutions Ireland now needs to clear up this mess.

It’s ironic, if not slightly tragic, that if Fine Gael were in government there would be no question of anyone asking FF to commit political hara-kiri and agree to a Tallaght Strategy. Because FF would never put the national interest above its party interest.

Wouldn’t it be easier if FF were honest in the first place rather than trying to lay a guilt trip on FG for not sacrificing itself to keep FF in power — again?

Those who have voted for FF need to grow up and face responsibility for what their vote has done. They need to make the mental link between voting for that party and the corruption which has taken root in all areas of life from corporate Ireland to the weakening of political impartiality in the civil service.

If there is any silver lining to this mess it might be that, after 80 years, the back of FF is broken on this sea of its own corruption.

A few years of recession might just be a price worth paying to come out the other side with an honest political system not compromised to any vested interest and which can use the wealth created by Irish people for the benefit of all Irish people and not just the golden circle who bankroll FF politicians.

Desmond FitzGerald
Grosvenor Court
Wharf Lane
Canary Wharf
London

Incestuous RTE

Irish Times letters. I agree with the point made.

Incestuous RTÉ chat shows

Madam,

I am not an avid viewer of what passes as a chat show on RTÉ television these days. But sometimes circumstances force me to have to sit through them.

My request is simple: Could RTÉ please desist from having RTÉ people as guests on RTÉ shows?

I know we are living in straitened times, but I am starting to feel like I live in the RTÉ canteen. I need to hear some new ideas, some new anecdotes. Is it any wonder that we have a lack of emerging talent in the country? Television will eat itself.

Yours, etc,

RONAN CAHILL,

Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Minister Ryan – Nothing less than a fool

Anglo Irish Bank has now been sorted by the Government. The directors have all been paid off with massive golden handshakes and the billions owed by property developers will be paid by taxpayers.

Green Party Minister Eamon Ryan has said the top 15 customers in Anglo Irish Bank who each owe €500 million will be pursued to repay the debts in full.

This is not going to happen and the minister is nothing less than a fool to make such an assertion.

The billions owed by property developers to AIB and BOI will now have to be dealt with and the strategy will be the same. The directors will receive massive pay offs and all liabilities will be transferred over to taxpayers.

Manipulation and secrecy

Powerful and ruthless people sat down to consider the best possible moment and manner in which to release the PricewaterhouseCoopers report.

Given the ongoing ferment they knew that a complete suppression of the report was out of the question. There was, however, plenty of scope for manipulation and secrecy to minimise the impact of publication.

The report is censored to such an extent that it tells Irish citizens virtually nothing. It is, as the title states, a ‘summary of extracts’ of the real report.

Next they released it at 9pm on Friday night knowing that all major news programmes had reported and that the media would be concentrating on other news stories over the weekend like the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis and the expected massive protest march in Dublin city centre.

The truth is revealed…

From today’s Irish Independent.

The coalition is finally admitting it — this Government is incompetent. Green Party chairman Dan Boyle was forced, tongue-in-cheek, to concede the point when he was asked if anybody else would do as bad a job in government.

“I would say that any other combination of parties to form another government would be just as incompetent because they’d have to follow the same policies,”he said, on Nightly News with Vincent Browne.

It’s about time somebody admitted it. Although, is this the official Green Party talking or the Green Party in Governme

Machiavelli and dangerous times

If I was holding or coming into power in these times I would immediately strengthen the police and army with equipment and pay increases and keep a copy of Machiavelli’s Prince close to hand.

Two quotes from the booki.

Those… who had held their possessions for many years must not accuse fortune for having lost them, but rather their own remissness; for having never in quiet times considered that things might change (as it is a common fault of men not to reckon on storms in fair weather) when adverse times came, they only thought of fleeing, instead of defending themselves. – Niccoló Machiavelli, The Prince. 1537.

A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example. Niccolo Machiavelli.