Category: Body Politic

It may seem bizarre to say, but Burma is a more democratic country than Ireland.

We don’t have a ruthless military junta denying democracy and good government to the people but we do have a ruthless ruling elite who, effectively, do the same thing.

Burma, like Ireland, may be a blighted country but it has two treasures that will, I believe, ensure the eventual return of real democracy – a politically educated population and courageous visionary leadership.

You only have to look at the passion and focused determination of the Burmese people, their hunger for real and fair government to see that they understand exactly what real democracy is all about.

These people have the same fears and worries that Irish citizens have, and more, but at rock bottom they know that national pride, prosperity and freedom is impossible without a foundation of courageous, visionary and accountable democracy.

The people of South West Donegal are about to exchange the possibility of quality democracy in return for petty favours from local gombeen representatives.

They neither know, nor apparently care, about the damage such political ignorance will bring down on their heads and the heads of the population in general.

Before very long the rest of the Irish population will be indulging in the same disastrous trading of democratic principles in return for empty promises from a corrupt, incompetent and arrogant body politic.

You only have to observe the actions, words and almost magical charisma of Aung San Suu Kyi to realise that the quality of Irish political leadership emanates from the foulest sewer.

I don’t need to labour this point; I only have to envision the amazing political and personal bond between Aung San Suu Kyi and her people and then, painfully, recall the recent drunken interview given by our incompetent prime minister.

If Ireland had a political leader with even one percent of the vision and courage of Aung San Suu Kyi our country would be well on the way to recovery and a brighter future for its people.

Fact: Ireland is bankrupt.

Fact: The EU is calling the economic shots.

Fact: The IMF will become part of our financial governance.

La la land: Brian Lenihan:

The country’s finances have been stabilised.

Stating the feckin obvious: Brian Lenihan:

The €15bn adjustment over the next four years will have an impact on the living standards of citizens. (but not politicians)

Too late Mr. Lenihan:

On reducing the deficit by 2014, Minister Lenihan said the problems will worsen if action is delayed.

The ship has sunk, the building has burned to the ground; the train has crashed, the wagon has no wheels…

Solution: Kick out the traitors and build a new republic

Pat Kenny is an experienced, well informed and articulate current affairs broadcaster.

It was therefore deeply depressing and indeed disturbing to witness his (unwitting) endorsement of our corrupt political system (Frontline, 18th October).

In response to a call from Niall Crowley of Claiming our Future for a more diverse participation in politics Kenny said:

We do have a very intimate relationship with our politicians, not like in Britain where you might not see your local MP from one end of the decade to the next.

Here, we can drop along on a Saturday or Sunday and meet all of our TDs. There is a real connection, whether they’ll do anything about what you say to them is another question, but we can meet them.

We can meet Bertie; we can meet Brian, go into a particular pub in Offaly on a Saturday night and meet Brian Cowen.

Crowley, rightly, responded that that’s not participation, it is clientelism and very dependent.

The brutal truth is that clientelism is the foundation on which our corrupt political system feeds and, in turn, infects every level of Irish society. It is the single biggest reason for the destruction of our country.

Clientelism has nothing to do with democracy, in fact, the practice destroys democracy. Citizens are forced into selling their vote in return for petty favours most of which they are already entitled to in any case.

Politicians, caught up in the corrupt, undemocratic circle, vie with each other in plundering state resources to pay for votes to maintain their power.

The buying and selling of votes/power then moves to other areas of public life. Bankers, businessmen, friends of the most powerful parties all pay their corrupt dues and are rewarded with grants, tax concessions and in very many cases allowed to openly operate outside the law.

To facilitate this widespread corruption and law breaking regulatory authorities are stripped of resources and/or ordered to desist from investigating friends of the powerful.

By destroying democracy clientelism reduces citizens to beggars, destroys national pride and national self esteem and results in a nation of politically ignorant citizens.

If Ireland had evolved into a real democracy the likes of Haughey, Ahern, Burke, Lawlor, Lowry et al would never have survived a single day. Most of them would have served time.

If Ireland had evolved into a real democracy bankers, developers and the many other so called professions would never have had the opportunity to indulge in their corrupt activities in pursuit of vast wealth.

All this activity, all this corruption, all this social and democratic destruction has one single origin – Clientelism.

The fact that somebody as influential as Pat Kenny sees this (corrupt and corrupting) system of clientelism as an integral and laudable part of our system of government is an indication of how far we have to go before the building of a new, and truly democratic, republic can begin.

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Pat Kenny

Senator Ivor Callely is a non entity; he’s nothing more than an arrogant moron who doesn’t even possess the political intelligence necessary to get him out of his troubles.

But let there be no doubt, it is Callely’s political stupidity, his complete failure to understand and play by the rules of the corrupt political system that makes him so dangerous.

His failure to resign, his failure to accept the findings of the Seanad Members Interests Committee, his failure to respond quickly and effectively to the ongoing series of media revelations all continue to expose the rotten political system.

This is why politicians, from all parties, are in such a panic over Callely, why they hate him so much. His political stupidity is unwittingly exposing them, and the rotten system they so efficiently operate for their own benefit, to public scrutiny.

Let’s just look a one aspect of the corrupt system that has been exposed – Did Callely commit a criminal act when he falsely claimed €81,000 in travel expenses?

The Committee for Members Interests found that Callely had deliberately misrepresented his normal place of residence for the purpose of claiming allowances.

This action resulted in a loss to the taxpayer of €81,000 but the entire body politic is of the opinion that this particular act by Callely is not a criminal offence.

As far as members of Seanad and Dail Eireann are concerned Callely is guilty of nothing more than breaking the internal code of their exclusive club or as the committee’s report put it:

Not acting in good faith having regard to all of the circumstances.

They clearly believe that the alleged submission of false claims by Callely for €81,000 for travel expenses is not a criminal act and can therefore be dealt with as an in house breach of the rules.

On the other hand they believe that the alleged submission of false claims by Callely for €3,000 for mobile phones is a criminal act and should be dealt with by the Guards.

Here’s what two senators had to say on the matter

Independent senator Joe O’Toole (Marian Finucane Show, Sunday 22nd August).

It’s very important to know that a committee of the Seanad or of politicians should never be allowed, in a democracy, to investigate crimes…crimes should always be the business of the Gardai…if somebody is found to have committed a crime or is suspected to have committed a crime, that’s a matter for the Gardai.

It would be a banana republic if you put senators and TDs in charge of investigating a colleague with the power to penalties above and beyond what’s there.

This quote is slightly out of context but it’s clear that Senator O’Toole does not believe the committee was investigating a crime, he does not believe that Callely committed a criminal act when he falsely claimed €81,000 in travel expenses.

He does, apparently, believe that the alleged submission of a false claim by Callely for €3,000 for mobile phones is probably a criminal act and is therefore a matter for the Guards.

Independent senator Ronan Mullen’s reaction to the alleged false travel expenses claim by Callely for €81,000:

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.

During a recent RTE interview regarding the alleged false expenses claim by Callely for €3,000 for mobile phones Mullen said:

But we can park, at least, the criminal side of it and say let the proper authorities do their work and hopefully they will do their work and investigate it and let’s not do anything here to impede that.

Again, it’s clear that Mullen does not believe that Callely committed a criminal act when he falsely claimed €81,000 in travel expenses but does believe that the alleged submission of a false claim by Callely for €3,000 for mobile phones is probably a criminal act and is therefore a matter for the Guards.

The law on the matter is crystal clear (My emphasis).

Theft and Fraud Offences Act 2001 Section 10 (False accounting).

A person is guilty of an offence if he or she dishonestly, with the intention of making a gain for himself or herself or another, or of causing loss to another

(a) Destroys, defaces, conceals or falsifies any account or any document made or required for any accounting purpose,

(b) fails to make or complete any account or any such document,

or

c) in furnishing information for any purpose produces or makes use of any account, or any such document, which to his or her knowledge is or may be misleading, false or deceptive in a material particular.

(2) For the purposes of this section a person shall be treated as falsifying an account or other document if he or she—

(a) makes or concurs in making therein an entry which is or may be misleading, false or deceptive in a material particular, or

b) omits or concurs in omitting a material particular there from

(3) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on conviction on indictment to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both.

In a real democracy like the UK, for example, Senator Callely would be under police investigation.

Tory Peer, Paul White known as Lord Hanningfield is under police investigation for allegedly dishonestly submitting claims for expenses to which he knew he was not entitled.

It’s worth reproducing the UK law for comparison purposes (My emphasis).

section 17 of the Theft Act 1968

17. False accounting.

(1) Where a person dishonestly, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another,

(a) destroys, defaces, conceals or falsifies any account or any record or document made or required for any accounting purpose;

or

(b) in furnishing information for any purpose produces or makes use of any account, or any such record or document as aforesaid, which to his knowledge is or may be misleading, false or deceptive in a material particular; he shall, on conviction on indictment, be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.

(2) For purposes of this section a person who makes or concurs in making in an account or other document an entry which is or may be misleading, false or deceptive in a material particular, or who omits or concurs in omitting a material particular from an account or other document, is to be treated as falsifying the account or document.

The law regarding the allegations in both jurisdictions is practically identical. In the UK it’s a matter for the police and the courts, in Ireland it’s a political matter.

In other words, it’s the difference between an accountable democracy and a banana republic.

The bottom line is simple: The corrupt political system in Ireland cannot allow a serious police investigation into political expenses because to do so would risk exposing the whole rotten system.

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Seanad Committee for Members Interests