Katherine Zappone Envoy Gig

Larry Donnelly is married to RTE's Eileen Whelan. Overseas Territory of the Democractic Party in action. As an aside, I wonder about this Donnelly chap and his platform on the Journal. As a matter of course, the alphabet agencies use overseas-based academics to keep the natives on message and for identification and assessment of potentially useful/hostile individuals coming through the university system. Not to be trusted.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117683054#Comment_117683054

They are unvouched so its a set allowance

You'd imagine this summer should been a stroll for the government,between vaccines (great turnout by teenagers yesterday btw),slight reopening again,increased crowds for all irelands etc

Then FG decide to go and try push this stunt through,and revel what they mean by a return to normality....cronism and corruption as per usual

rocjohn

KZ served as an Irish minister and would have required Irish Citizenship swearing loyalty to this State.

I understand she was born in the USA and was (is) a citizen of the USA. Dual citizenship is incompatible if serving as a government minister, for example if KZ as an Irish minister had met and dealt with her American counterparts whilst remaining a US citizen this could in extreme terms be characterised as being a double agent.

The Taoiseach stated she is living in the US at the moment. I am unaware of any special skills she has that would justify the US authorities granting her a visa to live there unless of course she is still a US citizen. Boris Johnson had to relinquish his American citizenship to serve in the British government.

If she is living in the US by dent of being a US citizen then who is she really working for? why is the Irish government giving her a 'Digout' when she could nt even be bothered to be present in Ireland for the appointment.

For someone who has played identity politics in this country as her main card ,then using divided national loyalties (if this is the case,holding US citiizenship) to gain the system at our expense and for her gain,then this is in my view real ,cynical racism .

GusGus

Sunday Indo is almost too funny . There are only 4 possible leakers. I doubt it’s Simon or Pascal - lol . So that leaves Leo or Simon. - mmmn your pick !!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690072#Comment_117690072

One of whom is a known leaker and sh1t-stirrer🤪

Beechwoodspark

Simple Simon Harris is number 1 suspect

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690072#Comment_117690072

Simon H, probably bitter he wasn't invited to the party, he hates to be left out, hence his new ministerial role as Minister for anything that gets a good sound bite 😁 he's insufferable at the best of times.

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690103#Comment_117690103

Well FG and the government only have themselves to blame when the let Varadkar off. All coming back to bite them now.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690053#Comment_117690053

She became an Irish Citizen in 1995, I can't say if she has Duel citizenship albeit I don't believe the US permits that "officially", open to correction but you do raise a good point 😁

tayto lover

This entire appointment is totally wrong and just shows that corruption is still alive and well in Irish politics and that one party is as bad as any other at it. Nothing is changing.

Darc19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117689272#Comment_117689272

you've two groups that have created an argument - the SF/IRA group with people like yourself who just argue against everything for the sake of it. (I really don't see why you don't get paid for your sf/ira shilling as you are doing it for 8-10 hours a day)

and the homophobic groups who detest any gay person doing anything.

Then you have those who don't realise that these two groups are here and believe the rubbish spouted

McMurphy

https://twitter.com/timmydooley/status/1421439439860084739?s=19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117689772#Comment_117689772

That's how I'm reading these less than subtle inferences.

https://twitter.com/timmydooley/status/1421439439860084739?s=19

tayto lover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690263#Comment_117690263

I’m in neither of the above groups yet I find it totally wrong and believe it stinks of corruption and cronyism.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690263#Comment_117690263

This 'shill' who has said that the 'cartridge' incident you are so desperate to deflect to (predictably) was a form of corruption and abuse of the trust and power vested in a TD...that 'shill'?

Not for the first time with you guys, the fantasy(mis-representation and lies) doesn't match the reality.

KevRossi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117689240#Comment_117689240

She seems to be a resident of the USA at the moment, or at least she's spending so much time in the US that she will be taxed there, not here. She also has her house on the market meaning that she may quit here entirely (also possibly downsizing or selling as the memories with her former wife may be too difficult). Either way I think she's just going to use the role as a form of stepping stone in her career in the UN.

Someone above mentioned citizenship. Both the USA and Ireland allow dual citizenship.

LillySV

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690252#Comment_117690252

The question is how much more corruption and cornyism is going on without our knowledge. The scary thing about all this is that the main focus on the coalition is to find out the leaker....punish them so it doesnt happen again....leave them free to carry on with their corrupt ways. this countries gone to ****

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690322#Comment_117690322

That's an excellent, subtle Dig, Simon H will be like a child all week who's rattler has fallen out of his pram 😁, no doubt his PR team are already working on some new obscure announcements on grants, handouts to deflect. Harris is not just the Minister for everything, he's also minister for good news (deflection) announcements.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690420#Comment_117690420

Feature of the power swap down the years - go for the whistle blower first and see if it can be denied/brushed under the carpet/covered up first.

We're at that stage now.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690515#Comment_117690515

Have to laugh a lad banging on about ink cartridges in a thread about katerine zappone,complaining about deflection🤣🤣🤣

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690263#Comment_117690263

Not at all sure why your bringing the homophopic and SF argument into this discussion, I've certainly not seen any anti gay commentary with regard to Katherine Zappone, if it's your contention that everyone that disagrees with these shenanigans is somehow left wing or supportive of SF, your sadly mistaken.

McMurphy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690529#Comment_117690529

Widely used tactic at this stage,

Question Maria Bailey's antics = "misogynistic"

Leo leaking confidential information = "homophobic and/or racism"

Zappone is the full house though, everything from "homophobic, misogynistic and anti foreigners" can be thrown out here.

Yeah people don't really have an issue with the cronyism and cosy club. It's the fact she's a woman who's gay and not from Ireland, that's the real issue.

Pearl clutching deflection.

FFS.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690515#Comment_117690515

That would be because I am not a member of SF or the IRA.

I voted for them.

Is your deflectionary point here that anyone who voted for FG should be answerable for the appointment of Katherine Zappone? Should be answerable for anything FG does?

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690554#Comment_117690554

Absolutely and its tiresome, well said 😏

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690554#Comment_117690554

It's interesting that we have a poster appear on thread trying desperately to make it a SF via the government thing and the Indo is at it this morning too.

If anything SF are late to the party on this one imo. But usual deflection muck from FG primarily. Concerted/organised deflection....hmmm one would wonder.

archfi

Peak Fine Gael.

Yurt2

If it wasn't for that dastardly meddling Sinn Fein and their ink cartridges, we would have almost certainly got away it! 😅

Such fun. It's usually the endgame when ink cartridges crop up in convo - the litmus test when FG have sh*t the bed on something and they know it, but haven't got around to backpeddling yet.

expectationlost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117689401#Comment_117689401

Coveney should correct himself.

expectationlost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117689406#Comment_117689406

Listen to the and Coveney says she didn't approach him and then goes on to explain she approached him, so Leo wasn't lying.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690648#Comment_117690648

Peak Power Swap. This shite has been going on since the foundation of the state.

expectationlost

don't know why who leaked it from cabinet is that interesting as they were going to announce it an hour later anyway, the first tweet from Danial McConnell said it was proposed by Leo Varadkar which was wrong and McConnell deleted that tweet, question is who leaked that Michael Martin didn't know about it till they were in cabinet, thats what elevated the story...

rocjohn

Quote from KevRossi

''...She seems to be a resident of the USA at the moment, or at least she's spending so much time in the US that she will be taxed there, not here. She also has her house on the market meaning that she may quit here entirely (also possibly downsizing or selling as the memories with her former wife may be too difficult). Either way I think she's just going to use the role as a form of stepping stone in her career in the UN.

Someone above mentioned citizenship. Both the USA and Ireland allow dual citizenship....''

re the above quote,

There are restrictions for US citizens who work for a foreign government. She therefore has obligations to a foreign government whilest working for the Irish government. That is a conflict of interest.

expectationlost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690757#Comment_117690757

all she has to do is register herself.

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690263#Comment_117690263

What an awful post and a poor attempt at deflection.

Suckit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690263#Comment_117690263

Created an argument? Utter horsecrap that post is.

There is one group on these forums that is constantly name calling and accusing all people of being something else when they disagree with them.

The same group also repeatedly claim that there are many angry men in here. And try to use really pathetic deflection tactics.

The truth is, a position was gifted with a bow, and people want to know why. Not how much money that position brings including expenses and bonuses, but why somebody on the other side of the atlantic is able to create a position out of thin air, approach our government and be appointed that position without anybody else being notified. How often are things like that done? Are there other positions filled like that, that the taxpayer should know about?

Is corruption rife in this government or is this a once off (scoff)..

They are valid questions and there are plenty more. If you want to find somebody to blame for 'starting an argument' then look directly at the same people who created and gifted a job with other peoples money and their own arrogance. Even their own party members are reeling about it.

Floppybits

It doesn't matter who leaked it nothing can be done after what was done for Varadkar.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117691110#Comment_117691110

So many posters here displaying the anger of Coveney and Varadkar - they cannot accept the change. There is a new political game in town, you will be held to account.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117689802#Comment_117689802

Alphabet agencies? Do you mean NALA or what? https://www.nala.ie/

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117690053#Comment_117690053

I don't have a particular objection to a cabinet minister being a dual citizen of another state*, DeValera was a card-carrying US citizen as well as an Irish one lest we forget. Became a very big deal in Australia over the last few years - lots of senior politicians had passports of foreign countries which was contrary to Australian law.

*The exception for me being if they were a dual citizen of an illiberal state such as Russia or China that would leave them exposed to influence operations.

Muahahaha

Leo Varadkar has questioned a Cabinet minister believed to be behind a damaging Government leak. It comes after text message evidence was taken to the Tánaiste by a junior minister who set up an extraordinary ruse to identify the source of recent breaches of Cabinet confidentiality, the Sunday Independent can reveal. 

When presented with the junior minister’s evidence, the minister concerned is understood to have denied to the Fine Gael leader he was the source of the leak — which occurred during Cabinet last week — about the appointment of Katherine Zappone to the role of UN special envoy for freedom of expression.

Well, well, well the plot thickens even further. Now we have Leo Columbo sending a junior minister to set up a trap for another minister who has been directly accused of leaking information by a man who himself is under Garda investigation for leaking.

I must admit I didnt think Fine Gael were going to give us the same level of entertainment as they did last summer with Seamus Woulfe and Phil Hogans golf tour of Ireland during a lockdown. But this latest self inflicted wound is coming to the boil nicely now and all at a time when the Dail and the courts are shut and the media need things to talk about. Next week is going to be very interesting indeed.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117691826#Comment_117691826

Great political drama....but a completly farcial way to run a country

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117691826#Comment_117691826

So who leaked about Leo investigating the leak? That's what we really need to know.

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117691875#Comment_117691875

As we all know this country is ran via WhatsApp group 😅

I wish I was joking but it appears it has supplanted the cabinet table

mariab21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117691875#Comment_117691875

We are also yet to find out who leaked the mother and babies report to the papers before the survivors received it.

Muahahaha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117691875#Comment_117691875

Theres so many leaks going on my head is spinning. FG are eating themselves alive at this stage with Varadkar and Coveney directly contradicting one another in the media. One of them is lying about how this appointment unfolded and FF were kept totally out of the loop of the crony stroke.

This has to be related to the fall out from the DBS by election, Varadkar shafted Coveneys ally O'Connell and in the process FG lost an easy win in the by election by forwarding an inanimate carbon rod. Varadkar has made losing elections a habit now and some in the party want him gone.

Yurt2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117692124#Comment_117692124

Absolutely. I said it at the time, the DBS defeat was the beginning of the Varadkar long goodbye. He's showing his well-earned reputation for petulance here and if he's going after someone who was a staunch ally in Simon Harris, we're probably closer to endgame than we realize.

He's been distant and disinterested for months and has the look of a man than has checked out of his job.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117692202#Comment_117692202

Being honest,even when he was taoiseach,he used give off the impression,that doing the job was beneath him

Yurt2

And another thing, as Leo goes full Joseph Stalin looking for the internal treachery within FG, did he think it would escape his coalition partners, the media and indeed the public's attention that Zapp would be wandering around the halls of the UN and trotting around the world bearing the imprimatur of the State doing her best Mary Robinson impression?

Does he take us all for fools?

The Indo/Sindo FG mouthpiece along with their “not normal party” allies and I’m not talking about SF, trying to use this “minister leak” story as a deflectionary tactic to distract from the crony elitist political stroke that FG have pulled off. They promised that a repeat of FG ally Seamus Woulfe judiciary appointment would not recur. Well as the old saying goes, “don’t trust a politician”!! In this case don’t trust the media also.

FG have an increasing and worrying vice like grip over large portions of the media here. That’s what the debate should be focused on IMO along with the cynicism and stroke politics that FG continue with. Don’t be fooled by the “fake outrage” by the likes of Philip Ryan, blue Hugh, Fionnan Sheehan, Kev Doyle and Pat Kenny will express in the coming days.

#Zapponyism #FGout #FGbias

Elmo

Covney's argument that Zappone is a Lawyer and former politician (I don't think the said Minister) suggests that some how only Zappone is a Lawyer and former politician (perhaps Minister). Though I have yet to find out if she is actually a Lawyer or has a Law Degree.