Category: The State

Referendum illegalities

There’s an interesting article in today’s Irish Independent which, among other things, outlines the illegalities committed by the Yes side in the referendum.

The Yes side backed up the deliberate confusion with a number of illegalities committed in the name of the Government, the State and the Referendum Commission. These were non-precedents. They brought the European Commission, its personnel and their staff directly into the campaign, which was unlawful.

It was also unlawful to involve Yes – supporting European political parties in providing funds, in our own Government using public funding in support of one side, and in representing inaccurately the issues.

This should have been regulated by the Referendum Commission. It did no such thing, nor did it fulfill its statutory purpose, which was to explain the text of the referendum amendment on which people voted. At no time did the public get a full and clear indication of this.

The public media, including notably RTE and Newstalk 106, pursued a strongly ‘Yes’ side promotion, contrary to the State’s broadcasting acts that give them their licences.

I agree with the writer’s view that the results leaves almost 600,000 No voters without any significant mainstream party to vote for and the other 1.2 million voters trusting to a hopelessly wishful interpretation of the benefits of voting Yes.

The brutal truth is slowly beginning to dawn on Irish voters – They are misruled and misrepresented by an incompetent, greedy and largely corrupt body politic.

Denial and pretence are the only options in a corrupt state

As always there’s a great deal of anger, comment and analysis surrounding the latest episode of the Fás farce.

But we’ve seen it all before, dozens upon dozens of times. A scandal erupts involving very serious allegations of fraud and corruption.

In an accountable jurisdiction police investigate, bring charges, people go to jail – end of story.

In a corrupt state, the corrupt system moves to protect itself. Set up an endless tribunal, hand the matter over to a powerless committee of politicians, sidetrack the matter to a safe house like the Office of Corporate Enforcement or simply pay off those who have been caught and are threatening to spill the beans.

In a corrupt state it is impossible for any politician, state agency or regulatory body to act against the corrupt without exposing the corrupt system itself.

Denial and pretence are the only options until somebody has the courage to stand up and tell the truth – and then act.

The corrupting ignorance of Emmet Stagg

I watched, in deep shame and embarrassment, an elected representative of this blighted state casually relate on prime time television (10th report) how he had recently paid out €850 to buy votes. Let me quote the exact words of Labour TD Emmet Stagg.

If a club in my constituency is raising funds they will write to me and ask for a donation and I feel obliged because I’m in a competitive position with my colleagues in the constituency to pay up. Last week I paid out €850 in that category, you do that or you don’t get elected.

I’m a TD since 1987 and for about the first 15 years I was in constant debt arising from the cost of being a TD. That was a period that the tribunals are investigating now and it left politicians and public representatives very vulnerable to awards of unauthorized money if you like to put it that way and that did occur and it was very tempting because you were broke.

Mr. Stagg is part of a system so corrupt that he thinks it perfectly normal to use taxpayer’s money to buy votes.

He is part of a system so corrupt that his casual admission of vote buying goes completely un-remarked on by his political colleagues and the national media.

He is part of a system so corrupt that he thinks it perfectly normal for citizens to solicit favours from their politicians at the expense of fellow citizens.

He is part of a system so corrupt that he doesn’t even notice the ignorance of citizens who think power emanates down from politicians instead of up from the people.

The fact that Mr. Stagg seemed completely ignorant of the meaning of his words is an indication of how corrupt Irish public/political life has become.

Politicians in the most corrupt states in the world like Zimbabwe, Chad or Haiti would not be so unaware of the implications of what they were saying.

In other words, the politicians of these countries are more educated on the disease of corruption than any Irish politician.

Copy to:
Emmet Stagg

Exploiting the judiciary

Everybody knows the Carroll group of companies is stalling for time until they come under the protection of the taxpayer via NAMA. This kind of thing is quite normal in a banana republic.

What is unusual but is becoming more and more the norm is the readiness of the judiciary to risk its authority and respect by allowing greedy and ruthless people to exploit it as a vehicle of convenience to escape their responsibilities.

Still talking politely as the ship of state sinks

Transparency International Ireland held a public meeting last week under the headline ‘Restoring Trust in Ireland Inc.’

I’m going to analyse the contributions made in this debate in sections, highlighting what I perceive as the critical moments.

My comments are made from the Public Inquiry view that Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state and that nothing will change until enough people come to accept this reality.

Discussions like this are useful, not because they are going to make a difference, they will not. The time for talk is long past, the corrupt body politic will not shift until they are faced with a radical or even a revolutionary reaction from the Irish people.

Such discussions do, however, help to highlight just how far away we are from even recognizing the seriousness of the situation never mind accepting that radical and immediate action is required.

After an introduction by John Devitt, Chief Executive of Transparency Ireland, Journalist Karen Coleman took over as moderator and introduced the panel.

Justine McCarthy (journalist)
Senator Dan Boyle (politician)
Susan O’Keeffe – (journalist and recent EU election candidate for the Labour Party)
Cobus de Swardt (Managing director of TI)

The first question to the panel was – Can politicians re-establish trust in politics.

Justine McCarthy, who spoke first, was clear and passionate in her view.

Politicians and in particular this government are incapable of re-establishing trust. They treat us with distain and contempt…as a people we are too soft…we let them away with too much…I just don’t believe them anymore.

At one point during her delivery McCarthy turned to Senator Boyle, who was sitting beside her and said; sorry Dan, and later added,

I have nothing bad to say about Dan, he’s a fellow Cork person.

This comment brought great laughter from everybody.

This was the critical moment. McCarthy simply couldn’t bring herself to criticise a politician who was sitting beside her, a politician she knew. Even if Brian Cowen was sitting beside her I believe she would still be reluctant to make strong criticism.

This is the critical difference between the Irish, a people who are politically ignorant, and a nation like France where citizens, as Ms. McCarthy pointed out, would be out on the streets by now.

Nothing will change until Irish citizens and in particular opinion makers like Ms. McCarthy begin to demonstrate real anger towards politicians.

I don’t believe that Senator Boyle is corrupt but he is a member of the corrupt Irish body politic and therefore should be treated with total contempt for bringing disaster on the nation.

Copy to:
Transparency International Ireland
Senator Boyle
Justine McCarthy

A kind and concerned property developer

Michael O’Flynn is the latest property developer to cry all over Marian Finucane’s apron (Saturday) as he pleaded for love and understanding.

O’Flynn is not worried about himself, he’s worried about the country, about the economy and most of all he’s worried about the taxpayer.

He blames the collapse in the building sector on inexperienced chancers who came into the industry with no greater motive than to make a quick buck.

When asked about political contributions O’Flynn was heartfelt in his concern for the greater good of democracy.

I have contributed to all political parties because it’s part of our democracy that we support the political system. I see no issue in the world in saying that I have contributed to all political parties.

He denied he was paying for access.

No, absolutely not, how is our political system going to be funded? It’s not a crime to support the political system.

My heart goes out to him.

Sometimes, sanity must take precedence

Sometimes the sheer scale of corruption, incompetence and ignorant arrogance that infects Irish public and business life can be a bit overwhelming.

I was listening to the radio yesterday while reading various media reports on the FÁS scandal, the C&AGs report, NAMA and so on when I spotted a headline on the RTE News website:

AIB to refund €400k in overcharged fees

Oh, I thought to myself, that must be an error, they must be referring to the recent Bank of Ireland overcharging incident.

Then I thought I must have somehow accessed an old news report on an AIB overcharging, but no, I was actually looking at yet another overcharging by this rogue bank.

As usual the contemptible Financial Regulator had no comment on the matter.

Ok I thought, that’s enough. I switched off the computer, made a cup of tea and sat out in the garden to enjoy the sun – sanity, after all, must take precedence.

Civil servants still on the gravy train

Kevin Doyle, political reporter for the Evening Herald was on Lunchtime today talking about expenses run up by 25 civil service work directly with Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

Over the past two years these people ran up credit card bills of €52,000 in top class restaurants and pubs.

One card holder ran up a bill of over €3,000 in just one month.

On the 20th December 2007 Mary Harney hosted a dinner for invited guests that cost €1,800.

On the same night civil servants spent €4,000 in different restaurants and bars using six different credit cards.

In response the relevant department said they did not pay for Christmas parties and, I assume, they expect us to believe that waffle.

The fact that this arrogant and greedy waste of our money occurred just recently demonstrates that these people have no intention of getting off the gravy train – until they’re pushed.

A rotten system populated by greedy and unaccountable politicians

One of the symptoms of a corrupt political system is the absolute refusal of politicians to accept facts that are right before their eyes.

Fact: Irish politicians are grotesquely overpaid. Even if they were competent and had the interests of the people at heart they would still be grotesquely overpaid.

Fact: Irish politicians have devised and defend to the last a system of expenses that is cynical, amoral and adds significantly to their already bloated salaries.

Fact: A high percentage, if not a majority, of Irish politicians are thieves who rob millions from Irish citizens every year through a system of well established scams.

Fact: The international financial crisis which resulted in the collapse of the mafia type financial system in Ireland has also exposed the rotten political system for all to see.

Fact: Irish politicians are so deeply embedded in the rotten system that they know no other reality and so continue to increase the anger of citizens by regularly defending the indefensible.

Independent senator Joe O’Toole is one such politician. He was on Newstalk 106 last week spewing waffle with, apparently, no awareness whatsoever that ordinary people have come to see him and his fellow politicians as contemptuous.

Like most politicians he dishonestly blamed the media for misreporting on political matters.

Like most politicians he adopted a fake anger as he outlined what he thinks should be done to reform the system.

Like most politicians he seems completely oblivious to the fact that politicians have been waffling on about reform for decades but never actually do anything.

Like most politicians he seems to be completely unaware of the absolute contempt in which the he and his fellow greedy and unaccountable politicians are held in by the general public.

Copy to:

Senator O’Toole