Paschal Donohoe expenses controversy

xxxxxxl · 22-01-2023 4:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120140726#Comment_120140726

Why don't they ever make mistakes on the claims for expenses. People have called out politicians from all sides. 50k in printer ink. Lad up a ladder with a sore back was it. Falling off a swing. Forgetting how many houses you own list goes on. Long way around to get to work so on so forth. It all adds up.

AndrewJRenko · 22-01-2023 7:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120138975#Comment_120138975

Do you think maybe that doing a favour for Paschal using company resources was a factor in Stone getting access for thirteen separate meetings with Paschal? That’s a hell of a lot of meetings, for someone who’s work isn’t directly connected to the Minister’s role.

rolling boh · 22-01-2023 9:23am

I am not defending Pascal the rules should be followed in any case .I see in the paper Pascal went to your man's daughter's wedding so they seem to have been pals .The money that we know of is small nothing to a wealthy enough businessman. I know this thread is about Pascal and I made a more general point which I believe is the case in society .Lots of people will curry favour with influential people even if its just an ego thing.The more you go up the career ladder the more opportunities you will get to meet these people .

22-01-2023 10:08am

Really a thousand and odd Euro and the media have the knives out.

We had a minister for finance FFS with no Bank account!! Who went on to Taoiseach.

This is small fry. In a country with one of the highest cost of living, over crowded hospitals,young people leaving, utilities riding us side ways, cant get an NCT, shite public transport, and people are worried about 2 lads in a van putting up posters, for possibly one of the more competent straight politicians up in the Dail.

I would rather some of this energy is put in to solving any of the above by any of the parties we are paying nearly 100k a head over year for please.

It's time to move on and stop persecuting the man over a poxy grand.

Bobtheman · 22-01-2023 10:11am

It was strange to hear Barry Cowen Defending him. Cowen denied he evaded a garda checkpoint and wanted due process. He would not answer any further questions and was hung out to dry.

I'm still years later scratching my head over it.

Augme · 22-01-2023 11:16am

Let's be honest, what are the chances this incident was the one and only dodgy deal they struck? Very very slim. This incident complete taints Pascal's character, and everyone knows it. There's a whiff off him now and it won't go away until he does.

cute geoge · 22-01-2023 11:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120140897#Comment_120140897

Barry Cowan was cleared of evading the checkpoint only this year,the rumor was that Cowan had company in the car which he did not want to disclose and in fairness that is his private life

Floppybits · 22-01-2023 1:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120141052#Comment_120141052

Surely we have a professional Garda Force that wouldn't leak something like that or report it higher up so that it could be used later on in an interview on TV.

cute geoge · 22-01-2023 1:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120141274#Comment_120141274

It fuking seems our guards are still as corupt as ever ,Barry Cowan it would seem is not guilty of what he was accussed of and now the media and sinn fein are trying to hound Pascal Donoghue out of office

Water John · 22-01-2023 1:23pm

We've a Chancellor in the UK who owed IRS £3m. We've another guy who sets up a loan of £800K for the PM and then gets made head of the BBC. That's just for this week.

Quite obvious somebody in POD's office just stuck the expenses sheets in. It's a minor offence, let's deal with it with that perspective.

Cluedo Monopoly · 22-01-2023 1:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120140892#Comment_120140892

It was never a 'poxy grand'. They have not valued the support from Stone correctly in order to evade limits. 6 workmen and 1 van. We have no idea yet on how much Stone really 'donated' in order to curry favour. And he certainly did very well in recent state appointments. The charge is cronyism.

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This is from the Fine Gael 2011 election document "New Politics".

"The finger of responsibility must, in the first instance, point directly to the massive policy failures of the recent Fianna-Fail led Governments and their willingness to promote the interests of a so-called “Golden Circle” over the interests of the Citizen.

A culture which tolerates cosy cartels and high costs in the private sector and ignores the need for radical reform in the public sector.

However, it is also clear that several key weaknesses in Ireland’s political system facilitated the failures of the last twelve years. In particular: • A hugely centralised State with few real checks and balances;

Fine Gael’s New Politics tackles all of these weaknesses head-on and will restore people’s trust in the political process by delivering real, tangible change. The Irish people are rightly outraged at the way in which their country has been misgoverned. However, there is a danger that this anger, if not addressed through positive reform, will lead to increasing numbers of our citizens disengaging from the democratic process.

The expressions “Golden Circle”, “Crony Government” and “Cosy Capitalism” all describe the same thing: The abduction of our Republic by both public and private sector vested interests, aided and abetted by the present Government."

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Maybe you have given up on our political system but many of us haven't. The 2015 reform bill has never been passed. It is in a constant review cycle. Deliberately.

deirdremf · 22-01-2023 1:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120140892#Comment_120140892

In a country with one of the highest cost of living, over crowded hospitals,young people leaving, utilities riding us side ways, cant get an NCT, shite public transport, and people are worried about 2 lads in a van putting up posters, for possibly one of the more competent straight politicians up in the Dail. I would rather some of this energy is put in to solving any of the above ...

Has it escaped your attention that it is precisely the shower who are currently in power (the last 100 years, give or take a name change) who have given us all the problems you mention above?

This competent straight (are there rumours flying around that he is gay?) politician has been a cabinet minister for eight and a half years, and just recently left his job as Minister of Finance after holding it for 5.5. Given all the problems you mention, I for one am dubious about his competence, as it certainly doesn't shine through to me. Unless it is in some parallel universe ...

AndrewJRenko · 22-01-2023 2:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120141315#Comment_120141315

The role of election agent is not a junior administrative role. It’s an important role, and as the Minister with statutory authority for the area, PD ( not POD) should have made sure that he was whiter than white.

Water John · 22-01-2023 2:42pm

Well, I won't be the person to throw the first stone.(Excusing the pun)

22-01-2023 4:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120141343#Comment_120141343

It's the same 2 parties for the last 100 years now SF in the mix.

Independents constantly being toothless.

Quoting a 12 year old policy is all good but in fairness ask yourself us this the crime its portrayed as?

Especially when there are millions wasted every year by ministers.

Ask yourself also who kept these people in power the last 100 years.

Ideal it's not but it's the best of a bad situation unless people demand reform.

22-01-2023 4:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120141351#Comment_120141351

No it's not escaped my attention I'm fully aware of it. It's sad and depressing at the same time.. however who put these people there.

The straight reference was not sexual preference it was a reference to his morals.

JP Liz V1 · 22-01-2023 11:27pm

They are all corrupt

elperello · 22-01-2023 11:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120144090#Comment_120144090

But they aren't really unless you have some unique insight.

JP Liz V1 · 22-01-2023 11:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120144103#Comment_120144103

Name a truly genuine honest decent one

elperello · 22-01-2023 11:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120144114#Comment_120144114

I could name a few but you said they are all corrupt so you go first.

Augme · 23-01-2023 10:10am

Amazing really. He gets caught trying to pull a fast one and it's everyone else's fault but Pascal's. The arrogance is quite staggering, but all too common.

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/deliberate-attempt-to-discredit-an-honest-and-hard-working-minister-government-comes-out-fighting-for-paschal-donohoe-42306587.html

Floppybits · 23-01-2023 10:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120144909#Comment_120144909

With this government it is always someone else's fault.

blanch152 · 23-01-2023 11:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120140892#Comment_120140892

It was actually strange to hear so many people talk like this over the weekend. Unlike the permanently outraged on these boards, ordinary people I met either weren't bothered by this, or thought is was an awful lot of fuss over a man with a van putting up a few posters.

When you think that there are Americans pouring $1m dollars a year into Irish politics to try and influence things, the idea of the difference between €1,000 and €1057 or whatever for a lad putting up posters being suddenly a hanging offence is ludicrous.

Water John · 23-01-2023 11:28am

But Matt Carty said PD was being funded by a millionaire developer.

TipsyMcStagge · 23-01-2023 11:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120145210#Comment_120145210

Funny that so many people would be talking about something that has blown over?

Cluedo Monopoly · 23-01-2023 11:38am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120145264#Comment_120145264

😂 Classic!

Stephen_Maturin · 23-01-2023 11:47am

Not an FG supporter.

Couldn't give a solitary **** about this story. Total mountain out of a molehill stuff.

A complete sideshow distraction for government to busy themselves with rather than doing anything about the numerous ongoing crises of housing, health, refugees etc