Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
The head of Bank of Ireland, Richie Boucher, gave two fingers to the Oireachtas Finance Committee yesterday. Bankers have been giving the two fingers to politicians and by extension to the people of Ireland for decades with no fear whatsoever that they will be brought to account. For decades, politicians have been ‘outraged’ by the … Continue reading “Economist frightened and surprised by banks behaviour”
I see the former papal nuncio to Ireland archbishop Gaetano Alibrandi legged it out of the country in 1989 when it emerged that there were large amounts of unaccounted for money in three Irish bank accounts belonging to him. What’s really curious about this affair is that it was the Department of Foreign Affairs that, … Continue reading “The curious case of Alibrandi's bank accounts”
The Garda Ombudsman has recommended disciplinary action be taken against one of five Gardai whose comments about two female Corrib gas protesters were recorded after the women were arrested. A Garda Sergeant used the word rape but told investigators he heard the word used at the scene while the women were being arrested. Obviously, the … Continue reading “Garda Ombudsman: Rape threat, what rape threat?”
Fergus Finlay writes today about the Irish attitude to paying tax (Irish Examiner). Here’s how he finishes the article: We had been through decades of the black economy, the grey economy, the nod-and-wink economy. Ansbacher, the Oireachtas DIRT Enquiry, the Beef Industry Tribunal, the McCracken and Flood Tribunals. They all taught us that some people … Continue reading “(Not) Paying tax”
Anonymous tip-offs to the Department of Social Protection regarding suspected social welfare fraud increased from 600 in 2005 to over 16,000 this year (Irish Times). Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton suggests two reasons for this sharp increase. A cultural shift in Irish attitudes towards breaches of the law and, principally, a strong feeling in … Continue reading “Exploiting the dark side of humanity”
The Custom House Capital (CHC) false accounting and fraudulent trading scandal is a very serious matter but, unfortunately, not a rare event in Ireland. What should be of much greater concern to the people of Ireland is how this scandal has exposed the lie that financial regulation has been reformed and is now fit for … Continue reading “Financial Regulation: Secrecy and obfuscation still the weapons of choice”
Prior to the collapse of Ireland’s economy in 2008 there was a universal belief that Ireland possessed a functional financial regulatory system. Subsequent to Ireland’s economic collapse there was a universal belief that light touch regulation was the core factor in bringing about the catastrophe. Presently there is a universal belief that financial regulation has … Continue reading “The CHC fraud proves that there is no effective financial regulation in Ireland”
One of the ‘sensational’ claims made by David Drumm to journalist Niall O’Dowd was that Central Bank and the Financial Regulator knew everything that was going on in Anglo and that they in fact acted as a ‘team’ throughout 2008. O’Dowd admitted that he was completely unaware of this situation and clearly sees it as … Continue reading “For Marian Finucane's information…”
A caller to RTE said that Mary Hanafin’s ambition for the Presidency was nothing more than ego mania – such cruelty. I have it on good authority that poor Mary has been suffering terribly since her arse was forcibly removed from the comfortable leather of her ministerial car. She particularly misses the sight of riff … Continue reading “Mary Hanafin and her mother at the Áras”
Victim of the Catholic Church child abuse holocaust (Liveline, Wednesday). I said to John Charles McQuaid; the Brothers are doing dirty things to us and he put his over my head and said – Young boy, say your prayers, I was eleven years of age. What happened after you said this to the Archbishop? I … Continue reading “The sweet pleasure of torching a vile Catholic institution”