Haughey pedigree will always be flawed

Letter in today’s Irish Examiner (The full, unedited version).

Haughey’s flawed pedigree

Saturday, May 19, 2012

It is grotesquely hilarious to witness the Haughey family demanding and receiving an apology from the estate agents Savills because the agency mistakenly claimed that Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi and Margaret Thatcher had visited the former Taoiseach’s home in Kinsealy.

Apparently, the Haugheys are concerned that the former Taoiseach’s reputation could be sullied if associated with these particular people.

Only those in complete denial are capable of maintaining such a bizarre mindset.

Whatever about Col. Gaddafi’s reputation, Mrs. Thatcher’s good name would certainly be damaged by any association with the disgraced former Taoiseach.

The policies and politics of Mrs. Thatcher can, and are, rejected by a great many people, but it cannot be denied that she was a leader of courage and principles who worked selflessly for the good of her country and people.

Mr Haughey, on the other hand, abused political power to enrich himself and those close to him at the expense of the Irish people.

When a tribunal, established in the name of the Irish people, exposed the full extent of Mr Haughey’s flawed pedigree his family rejected its findings when they should have been apologising to the nation for his betrayal of the country.

Mr Haughey had three overweening ambitions in life — money, power and the hope that he would be remembered as a great statesman.

He succeeded in the first two, but no matter how often or how loudly the Haughey family protests he will never achieve the third.

Anthony Sheridan
Cobh
Co Cork

Haughey will never be remembered as a great statesman

Letter in today’s Irish Independent.

It is grotesquely hilarious to witness the Haughey family receiving an apology from an estate agent because it mistakenly claimed that Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi and Margaret Thatcher had visited the former Taoiseach’s home in Kinsealy.

It appears that the family is concerned that the former Taoiseach’s reputation could be sullied if associated with these particular people.

Whatever about Col Gaddafi’s reputation Mrs Thatcher’s good name would certainly be damaged by any association with the disgraced former Taoiseach.

The policies and politics of Mrs Thatcher can, and are, rejected by a great many people but it cannot be denied that she was a leader of courage and principles who worked selflessly for the good of her country and people.

Mr Haughey, on the other hand, abused political power to enrich himself at the expense of the Irish people.

Mr Haughey had three overweening ambitions in life — money, power and the hope that he would be remembered as a great statesman.

He succeeded in the first two but will never achieve the third.

Anthony Sheridan
Cobh,
Co Cork

Haughey: 'The most unspeakable reptile'

Kevin Myers was writing recently about Garret Fitzgerald’s career and in particular his relationship with the criminal Haughey.

Fitzgerald, Myers tells us;

Was good at talking, poor at listening and poorer still at doing.

Fair comment, I think, and Myers assessment of the criminal Haughey is also right on the button.

Easily the most unspeakable reptile to inhabit the zoo of Irish politics since Independence.

Myers expresses astonishment that Fitzgerald failed to do any serious damage to Haughey despite his criminality.

The answer is simple; Haughey was a fully accepted member of the ruling elite.

Membership of this exclusive club guarantees immunity from any accountability whatsoever, no matter how serious the crime.

Noelle Campbell-Sharp: A very stupid woman

From the Attic Archives.

Sunday Independent 28th September 2003

Arts Council member says forgive CJH

It is time to forgive Charles of Haughey because he is a great man who has given so much, said new Arts Council member, Noelle Campbell-Sharp.

The former publisher, a self-confessed admirer of the former Taoiseach, said all great men deserve to be forgiven much.

In an interview with the October edition of the Dubliner magazine, she said:

I can forgive him his peccadilloes. When you are a student of greatness, you have to forgive these people their human frailties.

It’s because they have given so much more than others, she said.

We forgive people all the time, Roy Keane, Louis Walsh, it’s just because this nasty little word, money, is involved that we all get uptight.

Money shouldn’t be that important.

There’s no way such a mindset can be analysed. All that can be said is – Noelle Campbell-Sharp is a very stupid woman.

A challenge to Haughey’s friend; Colm Tobin

According to writer Colm Tobin writers and artists should be raising a secret glass to the disgraced Taoiseach Charles J Haughey (Sunday Independent).

Since it is not fashionable, or even wise, nowadays to raise a glass to Charles Haughey, I will follow Anthony Cronin in suggesting that those of us who have cause to be grateful to him, and to his policies, should wait until we are at home alone, and then we should turn off all the lights and raise a glass to him in the dark alone. Tell no one.

The suggestion seems to be that the legacy of the criminal Haughey is under attack by sinister forces and therefore his admirers should be careful when celebrating his great work, they should only do so at home, in the dark, tell no one.

Perhaps, one day, when the dark forces who oppose the hero have been banished from the land the Haugheyites can once again emerge from their dark, lonely, glass strewn hideouts into the bright sunlight of accountable, transparent, democracy – so beloved of the criminal.

Tobin’s attitude can be summed up in one sentence – Haughey did me a favour therefore I will always remain loyal to him no matter what crimes he has committed against the Irish people.

This selfish, intellectually narrow mindset is one of the principal reasons why criminals like Haughey can safely live out their long careers plundering the resources of the state without the slightest concern that they will ever be brought to justice.

Tobin’s ignorance of the origin of the disaster facing the Irish people today can be seen from the following bizarre statement.

It might be a comfort in what will be not only a hard time, but a time of strange introspection in Ireland, when we are deeply concerned with our own dilemma, the puzzling question of how we got here, and who is to blame, and who should pay for the party it seems some people had.

The puzzling question of how we got here, of who is to blame?

I’ll put this as simply as I can for Mr. Tobin’s sake.

We got where we are because the Irish political system is corrupt to the core.

The criminal Haughey introduced the disease of corruption to Ireland and his party was the chief carrier. The disease spread rapidly through every level of Irish society particularly in the political, financial and public service sectors.

It is this disease, introduced by Haughey, that has destroyed our country and impoverished this and many generations of Irish people to come.

It is clear that Mr. Tobin has cause to be grateful to Haughey for favours granted but I would like to challenge the writer to put pen to paper and explain to the Irish people why they, the victims of the criminal, should be grateful.

I won’t be holding my breadth.

Copy to:
Colm Tobin

Drug dealer's excuses judged to be unbelievable

Drug dealer and crime boss John Gilligan was branded a loser and a liar in court recentl (Irish Independent).

Judge Kevin Feeney said evidence given by Gilligan that he won some of his money on the horses was implausible, incredible and far fetched. The judge rejected his excuses out of hand.

Bertie Ahern also gave evidence, under oath, that he won some of his unexplained money on the horses. To date, his excuse remains unquestioned.

Gilligan’s claim that he received a Stg4m loan from a Joseph Saouma was also rejected as there was no documentary evidence for the loan.

The criminal Haughey received a number of similar ‘loans’ from various businessmen for which there was no documentary evidence.

The State never saw the need to give these transactions any serious consideration.

The judge said sworn affidavits submitted by Gilligan were not just inconsistent, they were irreconcilable.

The DPP recently decided that Fianna Fail TD, Willie O’Dea had no case to answer for making a false statement in a sworn affidavit.

Haughey: Still seen as a man of style by Irish journalists

It would be great to start off 2011 on an optimistic note but unfortunately our situation is as dire as ever and getting worse at an ever increasing pace.

An ineffective, uninformed and, at times, lazy, media play no small part in our continuing descent into chaos.

RTE in particular, as the national broadcaster, exhibits a disturbing lack of awareness of whom and what lies at the core of the catastrophe currently engulfing the nation.

Three recent interviews will make the point. The first occurred on 30th December on Morning Ireland.

Rachael English discusses with Irish Times journalists David McCullagh and Deaglán de Bréadún the newly released papers for 1980 from the National Archive.

Haughey’s criminally irresponsible spending at the time was treated in a light hearted manner as if there was no direct connection between the criminal’s behaviour and the ultimate destruction of our country.

Charlie had style as we all know; you have to give it to him.

said Deaglán de Bréadún.

Wrong, Haughey was nothing more than a low life scumbag, a criminal who robbed and plundered his way through a long career of corruption with very little challenge from the media.

Later in the discussion de Bréadún said there was a general kind of suspicion about Haughey’s lifestyle but that we had to wait until the Ben Dunne business before he was finally caught out.

Again, de Bréadún is wrong. The British government, for example, knew exactly what kind of low grade politician they were dealing with.

In April 1980, just four months after Haughey gained power; the British ambassador in Dublin made the following accurate assessment of the man (criminal) now in charge of Ireland’s fate.

His primary characteristic seems to be one of calculating and ruthless ambition. He has become pretty sophisticated and would like to be more so. His present fortune is derived in part from property speculation undertaken while he was Minister for Finance.

This is very strong language for a senior diplomat to put in writing in assessing the Prime Minister of a friendly state. The message translates as follows.

Haughey is a low grade, ruthless politician with high ambitions who made his money under murky circumstances.

Fast forward 30 years to a nation disastrously infected by Haughey’s legacy – the disease of corruption, and we still have journalists incapable of calling a spade a spade, who continue to praise this ruthless criminal as a man of style.

Copy to:
Morning Ireland

Garret Fitzgerald – Still apologising to the criminal Haughey

Former Taoiseach Dr Garret Fitzgerald and his daughter, Mary Fitzgerald were guests on Miriam Meets this week.

One of the matters discussed was the (in) famous ‘flawed pedigree speech’ delivered by Fitzgerald in the Dail following the nomination of the criminal Haughey as Taoiseach in December 1979.

Fitzgerald’s description of Haughey as a flawed pedigree was a 100% accurate assessment of the criminal’s character.

Everything that has come to light since that day has confirmed that Haughey was/is nothing more than a common criminal who infected the body politic and subsequently the entire state administration with the disease of corruption.

That infection continues to do untold damage to the interests of the Irish people today as Haughey’s flawed successors bankrupt the nation in order to protect corrupt bankers and property developers.

But, bizarrely, Fitzgerald is not proud of his famous speech and constantly apologises for his attack on Haughey. Here’s how Fitzgerald and his daughter responded to questions from Miriam O’Callaghan.

O’Callaghan: You regretted the flawed pedigree didn’t you?

Fitzgerald: It was a perfectly valid remark but it was totally misinterpreted. I simply said that unlike all previous Taoisigh he didn’t enjoy the full support of his party.

Daughter: It was really the wrong word to use; I mean it immediately raised all kinds of connotations which were completely hijacked

Fitzgerald: I mean, I wrote the speech at 4.30 in the morning.

Daughter: Pedigree is an obnoxious word, how you could have used the word pedigree, it wasn’t very bright.

Fitzgerald: No, it wasn’t

I believe Fitzgerald’s regret is all about class, specifically the ruling class of this country.

Haughey may have been a dodgy character, unfit to run the country but he was still a member of the ruling elite and Fitzgerald’s ‘unfortunate’ description of the criminal as a ‘flawed pedigree’ in front of the gathered ruling elite in the very building where they wield power was unforgivable.

It’s clear from the above exchange that the Fitzgerald’s are still apologising to the Haughey’s.