Cowengate: The Barry Cowen drink driving affair

[Deleted User]

blackwhite wrote: »

It’s a figure of speech - we aren’t in the Four Courts here :rolleyes:

AFAIK McDaid was never actually put to the Dail for approval - Haughey withdrew the nomination before the Dail has a chance to approve/reject it

His nomination actually passed the Dail the morning before it was withdrawn, yeah, there was a debate and some mild jibes.

L1011

theoneeyedman wrote: »

OP, congrats, you are actually the first person I've heard referring to this sh1t show as Cowangate.... Brilliant!

I didn't actually create the thread; it was cut from another and the mod created the title - but I used the hashtag #cowengate about a week ago and was still far from the first!

Mearings

It has been suggested that Mr. Cowen's over the limit file was leaked by the Gardaí but if someone in a small country town with a population of, say, 3,336 is suddenly seen to be riding a bicycle, cadging a lift or travelling to Dublin by train, it would not take long for the smarter members of the populace to figure out the reason for such carry on.

Inquitus

Good enough for him, he was hardly open and transparent about his misdemeanours, and got what he deserved imho!

Sam Russell

Mearings wrote: »

It has been suggested that Mr. Cowen's over the limit file was leaked by the Gardaí but if someone in a small country town with a population of, say, 3,336 is suddenly seen to be riding a bicycle, cadging a lift or travelling to Dublin by train, it would not take long for the smarter members of the populace to figure out the reason for such carry on.

But was he?

He was driving around (one assumes) without L plates and a responsible adult for years, dashing to every funeral in the area without anyone noticing his lack of a driving licence, so who was to notice the (possible) non-observance of a short driving ban?

Bowlardo

He didn't have a driving license and yet he was going to be running the country.

We really don't need idiots like this then again he is a Cowen so what did we expect from a Biffo

paw patrol

good long article in gript by ken mcfadden

interesting stuff on Thomas Byrne


https://gript.ie/exclusive-thomas-byrne-betrayed-barry-cowen-and-me-as-well/

jimmycrackcorm

Is there anyone in FF that isn't backstabbing each other?
They all come across as weaselish.

paw patrol

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Is there anyone in FF that isn't backstabbing each other?
They all come across as weaselish.

Martin is a weak leader and this causes it. not unique to FF tbf , they're all at it. The greens have a heap of internal bullying accusations outstanding

expectationlost

paw patrol wrote: »

good long article in gript by ken mcfadden

interesting stuff on Thomas Byrne


https://gript.ie/exclusive-thomas-byrne-betrayed-barry-cowen-and-me-as-well/

so he has a job but was annoyed to not get another one, replacing somebody who would then be out of a job.


His current job must really suck.

paw patrol

expectationlost wrote: »

so he has a job but was annoyed to not get another one, replacing somebody who would then be out of a job.


His current job must really suck.

a long article and that is your take on it.
weird. but ok.

cml387

We're always told that politics is a nasty business.
This episode just shows how nasty and, I suspect, the real nastiness is more often than not between party colleagues

[Deleted User]

cml387 wrote: »

We're always told that politics is a nasty business.
This episode just shows how nasty

Somebody tipping-off the media about a factual conviction?

You think that's nasty?

Considering the sheer lies that are spun, half-truths and manipulation, this is comparatively innocent.

[Deleted User]

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Somebody tipping-off the media about a factual conviction?

You think that's nasty?

Considering the sheer lies that are spun, half-truths and manipulation, this is comparatively innocent.

When the bastards in your own party are worse than those in the opposition and will finish your ministerial career before it has gotten started in a fit of pique / tantrum it must give great solace and a general sense of unity and well-being!

[Deleted User]

glasso wrote: »

When the bastards in your own party are worse than those in the opposition and will finish your ministerial career before it has gotten started in a fit of pique / tantrum it must give great solace and a general sense of unity and well-being!

Party loyalty has its place, especially in relation to the leadership, it gives stability and a qualified freedom to act creatively and dynamically. But general party loyalty, for its own sake, isn't particularly helpful to the cause of democracy.

We don't really need to get into all of the examples where an undesirable level of party-loyalty has been prioritised over the national interest, but it's safe to say it's a long-running theme.

All of the members of the Oireachtas are members in their own right, and they should act as such in the first instance. I find making a controversy about lack of party loyalty a little contrived, because most voters do not have some great hunger for more party loyalty.

Truthvader

paw patrol wrote: »

good long article in gript by ken mcfadden

interesting stuff on Thomas Byrne


https://gript.ie/exclusive-thomas-byrne-betrayed-barry-cowen-and-me-as-well/

Jesus what a collection. Me me me all all the way. The natural and expected progeny of those who attracted to Bertie and Charlie and saw themselves and their own self interest reflected

[Deleted User]

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Party loyalty has its place, especially in relation to the leadership, it gives stability and a qualified freedom to act creatively and dynamically. But general party loyalty, for its own sake, isn't particularly helpful to the cause of democracy.

We don't really need to get into all of the examples where an undesirable level of party-loyalty has been prioritised over the national interest, but it's safe to say it's a long-running theme.

All of the members of the Oireachtas are members in their own right, and they should act as such in the first instance. I find making a controversy about lack of party loyalty a little contrived, because most voters do not have some great hunger for more party loyalty.

In fairness that is some waxing lyrical codswallop.

You don't stab an appointed minister in your own party in the back the day he is appointed.

Byrne comes out of this as bad as Cowen imo.

SNIP. No insults and image dumps please.

Mearings

I still think that Mr Cowen's interface with a breathalyser must have been known about in the Laois/Offaly constituency or at least in his home town of Clara.

Sam Russell

Mearings wrote: »

I still think that Mr Cowen's interface with a breathalyser must have been known about in the Laois/Offaly constituency or at least in his home town of Clara.

Clearly. It must have been the talk of the town. I think a lot of gossip would have been based on it, and people do not forget.

Now whether they grass him up to outsiders - I doubt it.

Mearings

You maybe right. One of the best kept political secrets, until......

Oops!

It's all one big race up the slippery slope to the top... It really does take a certain kind of brass neck to get there too. We have Lowry in my own area who holds a god like status in the parish and surrounding ones.... I'll give him one thing, his neck is every bit as thick as the likes of CJH and Bertie and the likes of who's named in this thread, you couldn't rattle the man!

expectationlost

and no local reporter ever heard about it?

BonnieSituation

Sam Russell wrote: »

Clearly. It must have been the talk of the town. I think a lot of gossip would have been based on it, and people do not forget.

Now whether they grass him up to outsiders - I doubt it.

They just didn't care. And that's what makes this more bizarre.

He's gonna get elected at GE2021. So the seat was always safe. You then have to ask what his motivation was to obfuscate.

So, was he too thick headed to come clean? Was there even more revelations to come out that he figured they'd fall by the wayside? Or was it quite simply he doesn't have the political wherewithal and nous to play these things on the hoof, say like Ahern didin the period between the Rambo up the tree days to the sob story interview with Dobbo.

The language used throughout has been interesting. The use of "regularising his licence" was telling for me.

It wouldn't surprise me if there's a long oul ban in there from years ago on the old badly maintained locally administered driver file which resulted in a fresh application for a learner's permit later on.

Or, he's one of the beneficiaries of the wiping of penalty points by AGS. Either way...

BonnieSituation

Oops! wrote: »

It's all one big race up the slippery slope to the top... It really does take a certain kind of brass neck to get there too. We have Lowry in my own area who holds a god like status in the parish and surrounding ones.... I'll give him one thing, his neck is every bit as thick as the likes of CJH and Bertie and the likes of who's named in this thread, you couldn't rattle the man!

I always thought CJ could never be touched in the brass neckery stakes. But if you told anyone 25 years ago that Lowry would still be about the place after that meeting with Denis O'Brien in Hartigan's in 1995, they'd laugh at ya.

Lowry is the brass king.

CrabRevolution

HildaOgdenx wrote: »

'FF is bigger than me. It’s definitely bigger than M Martin'

The 'definitely' bit reads as complete arrogance, to me.

It reads as if he's saying "While FF is bigger than Martin, it's debatable whether it's bigger than me."

Mearings

"regularising his licence" can only mean passing the driving test.

Coillte_Bhoy

I wonder why the MSM arent going with this Byrne angle?

[Deleted User]

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

I wonder why the MSM arent going with this Byrne angle?

They have only printed Byrne's denial to McFadden's allegation.

I suppose with the spurned job angle maybe it doesn't feel right to them - I don't know.....

blackwhite

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

I wonder why the MSM arent going with this Byrne angle?

I'm guessing that there's a reluctance to go too hard after someone who's leaked them information - given they want others to keep leaking them information!

[Deleted User]

blackwhite wrote: »

I'm guessing that there's a reluctance to go too hard after someone who's leaked them information - given they want others to keep leaking them information!

that's actually a great point!

didn't think of that.