Paschal Donohoe expenses controversy

Wonder what he did on the indo that makes them do this? Or is it that the Indo thought they could get a bit of popularity like the Ditch by throwing up what they thought was a "nothing burger" but it has kinda got away from them?

How do you know he didn’t give a sh1t?

Once again we see the dodgy shenanigans of FG and their associated cronies- the way they drone on about “Paschal” you’d swear he was some kind of messiah figure- let me tell you as a middle income earner he’s pretty far from that when I scan my pay slip monthly.

High tax high welfare big state all propped up by multinational tax windfalls- which they blow on wasteful rubbish like welfare “bonuses” instead of building up the infrastructure of the country. He is easily one of the worst finance ministers we’ve seen - as he’s wasted such good times on zilch.

I say all this as a former FG voter and indeed canvasser. Delighted to see him squirm, I fear he’ll weasel his way out of it though alongside his media pals. FG need to be fcuked out of office. Badly.

Seriously? - He went to a wedding of a friend.

Its the indo dredging depths that even the daily mail would be embarrassed about.

I'd say they were very disappointed when they found Michael Stone did not take one cent of fees nor one cent of expenses in either his role in the north inner city or his role in the LDA - both of which he is eminently qualified for.

I'd say there's lads up and down the country deleting what'sapp pictures of them using their company vans to help put up posters during the last few elections.

Do you know what are handy for carrying ladders and 100s of 3x2 signs, vans. And who has vans, buisness people. What a ridiculous story for the Indo to go after.

Ireland is a small country, there are only so many people with the right skills who are willing to go on various boards. If a person was appointed to board who didn't have experience in that given field then yeah, I'd say its suspect, but in this situation I think its a nothing story. But honestly think there are far greater things to hate on the government or ministers at present.

Depending on how much the peasants know the story and excuses “evolves” accordingly

The problem for FG and its meatbots on Twitter is that it has lost control of the narrative and the story has a momentum of its own. The fact that the Indo, which reads like the Daily Blueshirt at times, is running with this should worry FG. The Ditch and The Village may have been the necessary kick in the balls that the Dublin media needed for so long. It had become little more than a press release recycling service for the government until The Village ran with the Varadkar leak story which destroyed Varadkar's credibility and the Ditch has already broken stories that resulted in two ministerial resignations.

Donohoe was seen as a potential replacement for Varadkar. The problem with appointing a mediocrity like Varadkar as leader is that mediocrities generally give jobs to people who are not a threat to their leadership (the incompetent Harris and McEntee etc). Donohoe was FG's last chance to break with an era of sleaze. Now, his future as a minister may be in question.

Regards...jmcc

What do you mean 'peasants'?

Why aren't you on a board? Would you rather tip the cap?

What an amazing coincidence, that Paschal remembered that the postering was happening during the day, just after the photos of the van appeared!

Two boards, not just one. Have people forgotten that he was appointed to the NEIC board, where he oversaw the disbursement of more than €35 million in grants?

My point is that there are plenty of people who are capable of doing it; in response to someone saying a limited number of people have the skills required. Access to these positions is another thing.

What do you mean "would you rather tip the cap"?

FG likes to think that it has the best PR people but they are only 19th century gombeens with iPhones. SF is far more accomplished at spin. Donohoe had a reputation for being a straight shooter but that all gone now. As for Blue Hugh, I don't think that he'd be quite as supportive of Varadkar to run such a story. He's just being a journalist on a good story. Thought it was Philip Ryan who was the lead on the story. The point about Donohoe not responding on the story until SIPO wrote to him meant that the Sindo/Indo had to run the story or lose the scoop. A few FGers might benefit from having Donohoe taken out of the leadership race to replace the discredited Varadkar. The reactions from FF should be interesting because Barry Cowen was voicing a backbencher anger that could be very dangerous for FG's favourite FFer (Martin).

Regards...jmcc

But no time for Q&A - which doesn't seem to show much confidence.

Lads, yez need to get a grip. It's hardly the fraud of the century. Calling it a scandal etc. Making a mountain out of a molehill is what it is. He forgot or didn't think he needed to register that a buddy of his lent him a van and workers to the value of about €1k to stick up election posters and yez think it's a resigning matter?

He's also President of the Eurogroup. We need people batting for Ireland in these roles. Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot if he is booted out. I'm all for getting rid of corrupt politicians but this isn't one of those cases. The way people are going on, you'd think he was trying to hide billions.

What he did was trivial and easily explained as a minor error. Get a grip.

The SIPO regulations on recording election spend aren't new. Every candidate gets clear information from SIPO before elections detailing what must be declared. Paschal and his team have been making these declarations since 2004.

Saying "He forgot or didn't think he needed to register that a buddy of his lent him a van and workers to the value of about €1k to stick up election posters" just doesn't cut it.

LOL

Sure paying rent is for the plebs....

That guy must have a thick neck. How does one have 50,000 euro worth of arrears? He would be up in arms if an employer did an employee out of their wages, but he thinks its ok not to pay his way? Maybe he has a drug habit or something.