Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
I see social welfare officials are exploring ways of obtaining the names of passengers on flights and ferries arriving into Ireland as part of a bid to combat welfare fraud by non-residents.
I certainly hope that this new scheme doesn’t reduce the effectiveness of the dozens of officials who, night and day, check the flights of millionaires and billionaires to ensure they’re complying with the 183 day tax residency law.
In the years leading up to financial meltdown, despite warnings from many sources, the government refused to accept the reality of what was happening.
We were told the ‘fundamentals were sound’, that there would be a ‘soft landing’ in the property market, that critics should stop ‘talking the country into recession’.
ECB board member Juergen Stark was in Dublin yesterday eerily restating that whole mad reality, this time in respect of the Euro area.
Europe was not heading into a second recession.
The ECB still believed the euro area was heading for an economic “soft patch”.
We should avoid talking ourselves into a recession.
Stark also delivered the, by now, standard pat on the head to the government.
Ireland is the role model for other Eurozone countries.
Ireland shows it is possible to implement (austerity programmes) as long as there is support in the society and a consensus among political parties.
Among those lapping up Dr Stark’s Alice in Wonderland view of reality were Financial Regulator Matthew Elderfield, Alan Dukes of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, and UCD economist Colm McCarthy.
Just a few of the amadan’s who are merrily leading Ireland down the road to perdition.
Brendan Howlin’s reaction to the Cardiff scandal.
Well, the Government made a decision, I have known Kevin since I went into the department.
He is a most competent, able, courteous and diligent public servant.
He has been involved his whole life in the public service. The Government has made the recommendation.
Our understanding from the soundings we’ve heard back is that there is no resistance to his appointment.
We expect it to go through in the normal way.
Translation:
Kevin is a fine fellow, we’re on first name terms.
The Government has made a decision and there’s obviously no objection to that decision.
Yes, the peasants are making some noise, as they do, but that can be safely ignored.
For any Irish citizen who, for even for the briefest moment, thought that this government would be different from what went before need only look at the Kevin Cardiff affair.
The whole affair confirms that Ireland is an irredeemably rotten state run by an arrogant, self serving ruling elite.
We need only focus on one event where Cardiff is concerned – he was head of the Dept of Finance when an accounting error of €3.6 billion was made.
In a functioning democracy there would be no further discussion. In a functioning democracy he would have been given a few hours to consider his position and if reluctant to take the honourable route he would have been sacked forthwith.
In Ireland, he will be awarded lottery amounts in pension and lump sum payments and offered a plum job in Europe.
This not unusual, it is how things are done in Ireland. We saw it with disgraced Central Bankers, we saw with disgraced FAS executive officers; we saw it with disgraced politicians.
Such rewards for incompetence are an integral part of Irish culture.
This scandal is almost a carbon copy of the Judge O’Flaherty/Sheedy scandal of eleven years ago.
Judge O’Flaherty had been nominated as Ireland’s representative to the European Investment Bank by then Finance Minister, Charlie McCreevy.
Despite massive public anger and an admission by McCreevy that it was the wrong thing to do the then government pushed ahead with its plans.
The dismissive arrogance of the then government was only stopped when it came into conflict with the high standards of accountability common in European countries.
The EU effectively told the Irish government to take a hike and bring their judge with them.
This government is also determined to press ahead with the appointment of Cardiff despite widespread objections and anger.
The Irish people can only hope that, once again, the Europeans will intervene and put a stop to the gombeen activities of our politicians.
It seems that our rulers, despite warnings from Leo Varadkar, have quietly introduced legislation that allows ministers to drive in bus lanes.
I sometimes wonder whether it’s arrogance that makes politicians stupid or stupidity that makes them arrogant.
Most of the self awarded perks and advantages enjoyed by politicians are usually, after some brief anger, quickly forgotten.
But this perk, as ministers speed by on ‘important’ government business, will act as a constant reminder to the peasants of their lowly place in the great scheme of things.
Copy to:
Fine Gael
Labour
Discussion on Today with Pat Kenny.
Pat Kenny: The ECB, it’s as much our Central Bank as it is the Germans. We can, if we want, implement changes in policy.
Panelist: But the cheque will, ultimately, be written by the Germans and they’re not going to write the cheque having been let down.
They don’t want to write a cheque in advance of the reforms they’re looking for from Greece, Italy and the rest.
Kenny: The Germans got very big cheques written for them after World War Two, they shouldn’t forget that.
Panelist: They’re not likely to back the solution we would like without trusting that the maturity of the political systems in Ireland or Greece will step up to the plate.
Kenny: Haven’t we, at least in the short term, demonstrated quite a lot of maturity?
Panelist: We have and that’s why we’re seen as the good guys in Europe.
Amazing isn’t it? Pat Kenny, a citizen of a failed state ruled by a crowd of corrupt gombeens, telling the Germans they should be grateful for money given to them by the Americans.
The Germans used that money to create one of the richest, most democratic, most accountable countries in the world.
That success allowed them to hand over about €30 billion to gombeen Ireland to bring the country from the 16th to the 21st century.
And what did our ‘mature’ ruling elite do with the money?
They blew it on a ponzi building boom that enriched the corrupt politicians, bankers and developers while impoverishing the rest of the population for generations to come.
Army pensions were the topic of discussion on Liveline yesterday. Army wives and some ex soldiers were reacting to the generous pension arrangements for politicians in comparison to the poor pension provisions for army personnel.
Joe Duffy read out some details on the provisions for widows and children of deceased ministers.
Wife of deceased office holder is eligible for a pension equal to one half of the office holders pension entitlement.
If the deceased had less than three years pensionable service, i.e. was a minister for less than three years, the spouses pension is calculated as if the deceased had served for three years.
The child of a deceased minister may receive a pension up to the age of twenty one. Children’ pensions are flat rate amounts but are revised in line with pay movements. The rates as of November 2008 are €2,996 per child per year.
That every child of a deceased minister is entitled to any monies whatsoever, never mind a pension up to the age of twenty one, is an outrage.
As I have said on many previous occasions – it is long past time that the people of Ireland united to bring our corrupt political system crashing down.
Labour MEP Nessa Childers has claimed she was threatened by a senior politician (presumably from the Labour Party) that she would be expelled from the party if she didn’t keep quiet about the proposed appointment of Kevin Cardiff to the European Court of Auditors.
She further claimed that the Press Officer (presumably the Labour Party Press Officer) told her not to talk about the matter any more.
She was also warned that she could be sued for Mr. Cardiff’s loss of income.
This is heavy stuff and indicates just how powerful Mr. Cardiff’s friends are.
Tanaiste and Leader of the Labour Party, Eamon Gilmore has denied Ms. Childers’ claims.
So, who’s telling the truth and who’s lying through their teeth?
I know who I believe.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has resigned amid jeers from hundreds of protesters shouting buffoon, clown and Mafiosi.
What an uncivilised lot.
Here in our banana republic when the criminal Haughey was forced to resign in disgrace he was warmly praised by most of our gombeen party leaders.
Most of the media elevated the criminal to the status of national statesman excusing his crimes by arguing that he had done more good than bad.
When the scumbag Ahern was also forced to resign in disgrace he too was elevated to the status of national hero by the body politic.
When the then leader of the Opposition, Enda Kenny, suggested that perhaps there should be an election he was roundly condemned, not just by Ahern’s confederates in treason, but also by the same section of the media who agreed with Ahern’s description of the criminal Haughey as being a patriot to his fingertips.
The Italians are light years ahead of the Irish when it comes to recognising and reacting to corrupt and traitorous politicians.
On 20th Oct last I received a letter from Limerick City Council informing me that Cllr. Kennedy (Fine Gael) had been requested to submit a report by 1st November to the Council regarding allegations that he cheated on his expenses.
This arose from my formal complaint regarding Cllr. Kennedy’s activities.
The Council assured me that they would contact me after reviewing Cllr. Kennedy’s report.
Having heard nothing since I rang the Council today and was informed that Cllr. Kennedy’s report was to hand and would be forwarded to me very shortly.