Oireachtas Banking Inquiry

Permabear

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FreudianSlippers

Likewise, I haven't heard a thing that wasn't widely known by anyone with half an interest in the mess. I'm also not super interested in the Context Phase, but very interested in the Nexus Phase.

Full Marx

Sinn Féin hired Conor McCabe to assist with it - I'm expecting some interesting developments down the line.

hatrickpatrick

I lost faith in this enquiry after the Stephen Donnelly fiasco, but I'd love to be proven wrong.
Incidentally, isn't Seanie's next trial due to begin very shortly?

Godge

Full Marx wrote: »

Sinn Féin hired Conor McCabe to assist with it - I'm expecting some interesting developments down the line.

Who is Conor McCabe?

And why would SF be hiring someone for an enquiry by politicians?

Full Marx

Godge wrote: »

Who is Conor McCabe?

And why would SF be hiring someone for an enquiry by politicians?

http: //ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pJ8XS-FwL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200

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To assist the politician, I would have thought that obvious.

Permabear

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Baggy Trousers

Is this the only thread on the banking inquiry?

Wildlife Actor

The timing turned out to be a bad call. Designed to screw up FF for the election but people are getting tired of being angry about events 8-12 years ago. 2011 was probably the time to do it when we were all a bit more raw. It's ironic that the success of FG on the economy takes the sting out of this. SF are probably the only winners as Mary Lou's probably the best of the spanish inquisition in there...

Baggy Trousers

Yes I think the inquiry might blow up in FG's face.
FF are given a chance to apologise and explain/rationalise what happened.
Enda was doing a fair amount of spoofing today.

For Reals

There's no teeth to it. When asked about the purpose of the Galway tent, Ahern replied, there might be a bit of rain so they'd have a tent. Taking the piss and rattling off the 'economy was grand' when he left office. Then you've Cowen, 'Did the best we could, sorry that turned out bad for some'. Won't do Fianna Fail much harm.
No news, and Fine Gael have the NAMA inquiry to come, probably be more meat on that come election time.

Regardless of what can or can't be proven, the public believe it was a mix of incompetence and fraud, so no real news will come of it. The NAMA inquiry however, is also widely believed to be a mix of incompetence and fraud, incompetence shown, fraud possibly, we'll see. That'll be fresh though and add that to IW and other balls ups against the public, Fine Gael will be the bigger loser. Fianna Fail won't fall any further. Same arseholes will support them regardless.

Wildlife Actor

Just read that David Drumm's going to give evidence by video link. A man with a few bridges to burn. This might be the fun bit.

michael999999

Love nor Money wrote: »

Just read that David Drumm's going to give evidence by video link. A man with a few bridges to burn. This might be the fun bit.

I'll guarantee you the enquiry won't let him give evidence via video link.

It suits both fianna fail and fine Gael that he's in the states. The man can answer too many questions, that both party's don't want answered!

Baggy Trousers

For Reals wrote: »

There's no teeth to it. When asked about the purpose of the Galway tent, Ahern replied, there might be a bit of rain so they'd have a tent.

To be honest I am sick hearing about the feckin Galway Tent.
I have never supported FF in any way (financially or electorally) and I was brought to the Galway Tent twice.
There was feck all going on in there except boozing and betting.

Chimichangas

How can the banking inquiry hear from David Drumm via videolink when he is wanted for questioning by the gardai?
Has he an arrest warrant issued for him also?
How does that make sense?

Yes he was at the heart of what went wrong, but how could you pay heed to what he says via video, when he refuses to come back to ireland to answer questions to the gardai?

oscarBravo

Love nor Money wrote: »

SF are probably the only winners...

With all Pearse Doherty's grandstanding about FG's 2007 manifesto, I decided to have another look at SF's. If you want to see an example of "spend, spend, spend" in action, look no further.

realitykeeper

Well surprise, surprise - the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry has proven itself to be just another money spinner for the politicians who sit on it. Indeed that would seem to be the true and sole purpose of the inquiry. Why else would Bertie be painted in the press as having "performed" well, when by his own admission, he failed to take responsibility for the failures of the financial regulator and central bank. These institutions bowed to the whims of their political overlords (i.e. Bertie) so as not to avoid rocking Bertie`s boat or raining on his parade. Charlie McCreevy was exiled to Brussels by Bertie for attempting to curb the worst excesses of Bertie`s hubris and no doubt the senior incumbents of the Central Bank, Financial Regulator etc would have been acutely aware of the consequences for their tenure should they act on their duty as opposed to doing what they were told.

Bertie would have people believe he had no influence over the aforementioned institutions. The facts suggest otherwise. Bertie`s excuses are simply not believable.

Floppybits

What a farce this banking inquiry is. Dismal performance by the accidental Taoiseach Enda Kenny, how is he let out in public?

BoJack Horseman

Floppybits wrote: »

how is he let out in public?

He rarely is.

michael999999

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

He rarely is.

Without a script!

_Kaiser_

I saw the performance on the news yesterday.. it's another pointless Inquiry as if we didn't already know that. The lads all sitting around the table throwing little "digs" at each other and having a laugh. Does anyone expect anything to actually come from this except another bill for the taxpayer?

Kenny did still manage to make a mess of sidestepping the transportation question though.

Permabear

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Floppybits

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

Yes they were but a proper inquiry and not this farcical exercise that is going on at the moment. It has been a joke since the start when the government went nuts when they cocked up and didnt get a majority on the committee so changed the rules.

This inquiry should have been done independently of the parties in the Dail, where people without agendas could have asked proper questions. Instead all we have is parties trying to score points of each other.

In addition to Enda's dismal display, Joan Burton was a disgrace waffling on for 10 minutes when asked a question and not answering the question. I hope after the next election we will never ever see Joan Burton again.

BoJack Horseman

Floppybits wrote: »

This inquiry should have been done independently of the parties in the Dail, .

A tribunal.

Which people wouldn't have liked either.
Plus, the people voted against stronger powers for Dáil investigations.

We don't know what we want.

michael999999

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

A tribunal.

Which people wouldn't have liked either.
Plus, the people voted against stronger powers for Dáil investigations.

We don't know what we want.

The leeches in the legal firms made enough money from tribunals investigating corrupt politicians!

oscarBravo

Floppybits wrote: »

...people without agendas...

Where do you plan to unearth such unicorns?

For Reals

It's designed to placate the electorate and stifle any major disruptions to the machine. At worse, it will create some apathy and those folk generally don't vote. So it will be pretty successful in that regard. Round and round we go...Fianna Fail due back soon....

Wildlife Actor

Do the TDs and Senators on the committee get paid extra for this?

BoJack Horseman

Love nor Money wrote: »

Do the TDs and Senators on the committee get paid extra for this?

Pretty sure there are committee allowances.
If they do their homework, serving on a committee is a lot of extra work.

FreudianSlippers

I don't see the fuss over Drumm's evidence. He's never going to come to Ireland voluntarily, he's certainly going to lie and he wants to cause as much confusion and government angst as possible.

Seth Brundle

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I don't see the fuss over Drumm's evidence. He's never going to come to Ireland voluntarily, he's certainly going to lie and he wants to cause as much confusion and government angst as possible.

We've no idea whether he would lie.
However, following recent claims by a judge in America about his testimony (that he was "not remotely credible" and his conduct "both knowing and fraudulent" in statements he made to an American bankruptcy court), it would be easy to throw his evidence back at him.

I would have like to see him but give evidence but you will always wonder if it is truthful or not!

nice_guy80

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/banking-inquiry/lawyer-gets-18000-for-seven-days-work-at-the-bank-inquiry-31425074.html

Senior counsel had been receiving fees of €264 (ex-VAT) per hour and this has now been reduced by €21.12, to €242.88.
Junior counsel working on the inquiry had been receiving fees of €156 per hour and this has now been reduced by 8pc or €12.48 to €143.52 per hour.

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Nice work if you can get it!!

FreudianSlippers

nice_guy80 wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/banking-inquiry/lawyer-gets-18000-for-seven-days-work-at-the-bank-inquiry-31425074.html

Senior counsel had been receiving fees of €264 (ex-VAT) per hour and this has now been reduced by €21.12, to €242.88.
Junior counsel working on the inquiry had been receiving fees of €156 per hour and this has now been reduced by 8pc or €12.48 to €143.52 per hour.

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Nice work if you can get it!!

You can't get it. Tribunal counsel make up probably around 2% of the active members of the bar and they usually do very little other "real" work as a barrister.

Full Marx

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

You can't get it. Tribunal counsel make up probably around 2% of the active members of the bar and they usually do very little other "real" work as a barrister.

Someone is getting it.

Perhaps some day we will see the legal profession brought to heel.

michael999999

Full Marx wrote: »

Someone is getting it.

Perhaps some day we will see the legal profession brought to heel.

Unfortunately as long as fianna fail and fine Gael are voted in, were always going to need tribunals!