Yet More Exposure Of Government Corruption In The Near Past

Biggins

This mornings Irish Independent is running with a story stating that [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TD Michael Lowry and the former Kerry TD Jackie Healy-Rae struck secret deals over state board jobs with Brian Cowen and Bertie Ahern according to a report released and seen by the paper.

The Irish Independent says ([/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]here[/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]) that Lowry and Healy-Rae were both given three positions on state boards to give out to supporters one of which is now occupied by Healy-Rae’s son Michael who also took his father’s Dáil seat in Kerry South at the last election. The deals were struck in return for the two independent TDs’ support for the Fianna Fáil-Green Party coalition.

Lowry is reported have filled the three positions he was allocated with people from Tipperary where he held his seat at the last election.

Healy-Rae claims he (conveniently?) cannot remember the contents of the deal or if he got any state board positions. The exposure of corruption and cronyism intermingled with Fianna Fail Ahern, Cowen and and co is continuing...[/FONT]

I mean seriously, a lot of us knew this. I pointed out many times alone how O'Reas daughter was suddenly elevated to a Prison board position - but was shot down by FF supporters previously as talking rubbish.
Well it seems that they were talking crap and only trying to cover for their corrupt organisation!
What a surprise! :rolleyes:

Anyone that still is a member of FF should be kept the hell away from.
The exposures of Fianna Fail just keep coming... but will we see anyone held accountable?

Yea... right! Don't hold your breath in hope.

cursai

This'll change everything it'll be the breaking point for corruption. After this is exposed we'll have a completely clean system!!!! I'm delighted!!!







(Not having a go at the op)

Biggins

Its just one more nail hopefully in the death coffin that will see Fianna Fail buried.
It seems there is still plenty of nails still out there still to be uncovered - and uncovered in time, some more will be.

Bring them on!

Sir Oxman

Some quotes from that article:

1.
Mary Hanafin, then Social and Family Affairs Minister, said she put Michael Healy-Rae on the CIB board on the orders of Mr Cowen, but was unaware if it was part of a deal.

"The Taoiseach asked me at the time to do it," Ms Hanafin told the Irish Independent. "I'm not aware if it was part of any deal."

2.
Mr Lowry defended the appointments and said all were doing a good job.

"The feedback on the appointments that I have made has been exceptionally good," he said. "All of them are very competent and able people. As part of my agreement with the Government, I had three appointments to state boards. It was part of the deal and that was it."

3.
Jackie Healy-Rae, who is considering a run for the Presidency, last night said he couldn't remember the contents of the deal. "I really don't know at this stage," he said. "I don't, I swear to God. Between what I looked for and what I got, that's where I'd be getting confused."

Handing out appointments like sweets, Hanafin is the most annoying as she was a senior minister, no questioning of an order to appoint a position 'in her gift', no questioning as to his qualifications or attributes. The position treated like nothing, a publicly funded bribe.

Rotten republic.

mikom

Hanafin "I was just following orders"
Where have we heard that defence before.

20Cent

Deals with independents should always be published after they are made. This meeting with Healy-Rae and Lowry before budgets to get them passed nonsense has to stop.

Liam Byrne

gambiaman wrote: »

Jackie Healy-Rae, who is considering a run for the Presidency, last night said he couldn't remember the contents of the deal. "I really don't know at this stage," he said. "I don't, I swear to God. Between what I looked for and what I got, that's where I'd be getting confused."

What makes me think that had there NOT been a negative association with "what he got" that he'd remember it extremely well in order to gloat about it during a subsequent election campaign saying how much he "got" ?

Politics in Ireland is a disgrace; there are a few notable exceptions, but how anyone is supposed to change anything is beyond me - the "old guard" that views all this sort of stuff as acceptable and ignores the inconsistencies and lies would shoot them down in a second.

sargito

So who is to blame here? I know FF were piss poor in Govt but does the OP believe that any other party wouldn't do/ hasn't done the same?

Biggins

sargito wrote: »

So who is to blame here? I know FF were piss poor in Govt but does the OP believe that any other party wouldn't do/ hasn't done the same?

Other parties can be just as bad if they wanted to but except so far, for a few much lesser rotten apples, they in no way absolutely compare to the utter corruption that was/is evident still from the time C.J. Haughty took over, right down to todays present leaders of FF.
In their org' its systemic and goes from generation to generation it seems.

sargito

But you cannot say that this is a corrupt act. Cronyist yes, but corrupt? Perhaps the secrecy is not ideal but do you believe if this was a corrupt act that the current Government would not make hay about it?

What about Independents who have genuine proposals in the public interest in the future, do you propose the ability to negotiate the terms of their support should be revoked? Isn't the problem in this case that representatives from Tipp and Kerry sought to advance individuals interests over their constituents?

I agree that this was a cynical exercise by FF, and yes typically so, but Independents have the prerogative to negotiate with parties for their support. My point is that if it was FF, FG Lab or anyone else that the demands from these two TD's would be the same and the results the same. To a political party a state board position or two is small change for the chance to implement your policies.

expectationlost

where in the moriarty report do they conclude this?

sollar

My god that lowry is a complete disgrace. Every time i hear his name its in relation to some blaggardism or other.

Also the fianna fail party should be purged from irish society.

Coillte_Bhoy

gambiaman wrote: »

Jackie Healy-Rae, who is considering a run for the Presidency, last night said he couldn't remember the contents of the deal..

Oh dear God...:o

Inverse to the power of one!

Hmmmm, never like these storys for a couple of reasons:
* No one's ever prosecuted
* These stories have been breaking since the early ninety's with no outcome
* It's systematic, we know that the current Govt will also break deals of a questionable nature
* Nothing has been done or will be done to regulate deals of this nature
* Law and political reform only ever receive lip-service
* Public standards are non-existent in Ireland.
* These stories of corruption could break until eternity and still wouldn't count as nails in FF's coffin, their not going anywhere as long people corrupt enough to break deals like this are corrupt enough to believe their on BS

Don't mean to sound too negative, just the trend has never been altered even for all that's happened......so I guess the real question is.......What do we do to change this?

Could an independent body to promote public standards and accountability succeed? Or would it be yet another unknown tiny body with a one room office in Dublin?

r3nu4l

The above are not reasons to dislike the story, the stories need to keep breaking. The die hard FF supporters will never change but hopefully the more these stories roll out the more those that are on the edge will abandon FF.

Sure other parties may have corruption but in absolutely no way has any party in Ireland ever had corruption on the scale of FF exposed over so many years.

I have no doubt that people will still continue to vote FF but once again...don't hate the story, instead despise those who continue to support corruption on such a scale.

raymon

FF corrupt to the very end .

Rotten to the core

Inverse to the power of one!

r3nu4l wrote: »

The above are not reasons to dislike the story, the stories need to keep breaking. The die hard FF supporters will never change but hopefully the more these stories roll out the more those that are on the edge will abandon FF.

Sure other parties may have corruption but in absolutely no way has any party in Ireland ever had corruption on the scale of FF exposed over so many years.

I have no doubt that people will still continue to vote FF but once again...don't hate the story, instead despise those who continue to support corruption on such a scale.

I agree with you, but am feeling corruption fatigue at this stage, it's not the story I dislike, it's the lack of change for all of these stories break.

Also while I feel that FF should be punished as severely as possible, I feel the present focus should be on enabling a system that will retroactively enforce the law and start prosecuting them for crimes of the past, but also one that will focus on prevention of such events in the future.

In a way it's a bit like you said, instead of disliking one aspect, we should be disliking the whole stinking deal. My greatest fear now is that we focus on one group instead of fixing the system for the future, and I see nothing to indicate that this will happen because for all these stories that break only Tribunal solicitors seem to benefit from their having been revealed


The key thing on my mind for Ireland now is what is the change we need to embrace to break the old habits, if now isn't the time having been broken over the knee of the EU/IMF.....will there ever be a time where we stand up and change these things?

Godge

sargito wrote: »

But you cannot say that this is a corrupt act. Cronyist yes, but corrupt? Perhaps the secrecy is not ideal but do you believe if this was a corrupt act that the current Government would not make hay about it?

What about Independents who have genuine proposals in the public interest in the future, do you propose the ability to negotiate the terms of their support should be revoked? Isn't the problem in this case that representatives from Tipp and Kerry sought to advance individuals interests over their constituents?

I agree that this was a cynical exercise by FF, and yes typically so, but Independents have the prerogative to negotiate with parties for their support. My point is that if it was FF, FG Lab or anyone else that the demands from these two TD's would be the same and the results the same. To a political party a state board position or two is small change for the chance to implement your policies.

But, and this is an interesting but, FG had the chance after the recent election to do a deal with independents but chose to give away more policies by doing a deal with Labour rather than buying independents.

sargito

And there is the problem. There are many worthy independents who would gladly support a government who promote more socially inclusive fairer society. But these are probably more or less similar to Labour policies. So because relying on a wide range of Independents would make a FG/Ind govt. highly unstable. So the overall cost of a FG/Lab Govt. is cheaper.

on another note do you think Luke Flanagan could be bought,or mick wallace?

Shea O'Meara

I would dearly like to see FG/Labour make some strong moves in this area. We heard all the promises of change, no more business as usual. We need reform badly.
What a waste, when FFail get back in, if they can simply pick up where they left off.

Bullseye1

This is not just FF this is all of Irish Politics. It's rotten to the core. The two people involved are independents. No wonder there is so much apathy towards politics.