Paschal Donohoe expenses controversy

Records of which were kept in his ministerial diary, so hardly covert and held in a darkened car park?

Do you think Paschal Donohoe thinks hanging up posters seriously makes him beholden to anyone? It’s a joke.

But this line of 'it's only a few posters', 'only a grand' is all coming from FFG and Stone.

If you look at what other candidates spend on posters, and what it might really cost to hire 6 guys and vans in 2016 and 2020, a more credible figure is 10k to 20k. After that we have the raffle tickets. Again we have PD telling us that was only 1700e euro but this again is based on his word. Also who buys 1700e worth of raffle tickets?

On top of this we have PD and Stone chopping and changing their stories, remembering and forgetting things left right and centre. It stinks.

I certainly think it's not good enough, especially from the party who were supposed to clean up all this sort of behaviour, and he must go.

anyone notice how the sinn fein cheerleaders have gone to ground?

But why would Stone use the act of putting up election posters to exert some hold over Donohoe. Why would Donohoe let him? If it was something like Stone saying- I’ll make sure this huge project goes to your constituency if you make sure the contract goes to me- ok fair enough!

It’s *election posters.* I just don’t care.

Great article by Michael McDowell in the Irish Times

I suspect sinn fein will be very very quiet on answering any of his queries. I suspect sinn fein may end up being the biggest losers in this media storm

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/01/25/michael-mcdowell-sinn-fein-showing-usual-hypocrisy-over-donohoe-donations/

This whole thing is hilarious. SF we’re being so sanctimonious, they seem a bit quieter now. Maybe both sides can put handbags away now since they’re both at it and get back to running the country?

Yes I do. The estimate PD has provided comes in (quite conveniently) at approx 1k per election.

Based on what I've said above 5-10k per election would be more realistic. Six guys, multiple days, van hire etc, higher end of the scale.

I read your first line and assumed it was sinn fein you were talking about.

Fundraisers outside Ireland - not subject to sipo

Owners of over 100 properties, some used for their own purposes and some rented commercially to others. Very little paperwork as to where the money for all these properties came from

Far more posters than other parties, yet able to magically have them at substantially lower costs (mates rates - or paid for from outside Ireland?)

We'll say nothing about Northern Bank robbery or where the substantial funds the IRA had ended up.

As for cronyism - have a look at north of the border and see the amount of back slapping that goes on.

This bit sickens me. I cannot stand the 'but but SF' line. FFG were all over it with Dowdall.

There's a reason SF, with dubious links to this that and the other, is the biggest party in the state.

FFG opened the door and welcomed them right in. And then they pull this sanctimonious BS.

We've had a couple of incredible years economically, yet housing and health are in the hellish state they are.

I'm from Limerick where older people with manageable illnesses are staying at home to die, so they don't die on an AE trolley.

That's on FFG and no one else. So don't preach to me about the only crap option I have left.

And while I'm at it these housing/immigration protests are just opening the door for the far right.

What's next years tune, 'but but the Proud Boys', 'but but the KKK'

I couldn't agree more.

That shower are actually anti people, not anti profit. Anti anyone who seems to have wealth and influence and power, which are essential to progress

Absolute chancers. The very thing (profit) that makes us get out of bloody bed and they are against it. Profit, which is what we all want to help us all. They will never be in power because they have zero interest in leading, and thank bloody god.

It's not a hotel room, it is a room rented from a taxpayer-funded body, who never made a fuss about not being paid. I wonder why. Did they grants while SF were running Dublin City Council? Have they got other favourable deals from the local authority? Who knows, but that is the type of question that would have Pearse Doherty bursting a blood vessel asking in the Dail.

The value of the two rooms not paid for in this single case - €1200 - is greater than the amount that SF supporters were shouting about Paschal for. And it is only the tip of the iceberg it seems. Remember only last week, they adjusted their 2020 election expenses for €7,000 because of a Covid oversight.

This isn't without even mentioning the hundreds of "volunteers" (otherwise known as paid employees of SF in the North) who get shipped in from outside this jurisdiction every election to canvass, put up posters, and generally annoy voters.

My view is that the election rules are a complicated mess and if anybody claims that they are fully clean, then they are hiding something serious because it is close to impossible to make a full return and cover anything.

On the Paschal thing, it seems that because Stone paid the guys to put up posters, there is a breach. So if I was a Green party member and paid my kids (who let's say were not party members) a few Euro to deliver leaflets for the Greens, that would have to be declared. A ridiculous requirement and one of many such overly detailed and complicated requirements and pretty much guaranteed to ensure every politician breaches the rules at some point or another.

I can see now why SIPO is ineffective. It spends its time up and down every tree counting acorns while the wood is being burned down elsewhere.

As for most people here, the mob with pitchforks soon disappeared once SF got dragged into this mess. Look back in the thread and the loudest voices condemning him have gone eerily silent in an enormous display of hypocrisy.

Income earned should always be declared. Its not that ridiculous. And it should be declared by the relevant party too.

SIPO is ineffective by design.

Ministers and TDs spend their weekends in their constituencies. Easy to grab five minutes with them any time.

i think PD is more guilty of arrogance than deceit in this case. I suspect he didn't pay enough attention to what was being done in his name and his initial comments didn't do him any favors.

Was / is he corrupt? No more so than any other politician in an environment where political patronage is a part of life (rightly or wrongly). When SF are in the next government watch the appointing of their supporters to various Boards and Quangos (as we see with every party when in power).

Unless someone can show a direct link to PD influencing the awarding of commercial contracts I would rather he stay than go. If he is shown to have influenced the awarding of commercial contracts then he would have to go. I would be disappointed if he is shown to have behaved corruptly, he has always seemed like a straight politician (in so far as a politician that makes it to cabinet can be considered as straight, they are ruthles b@stards)

The Independent have gone after him to try and take some of the glory from The Ditch I think (and possibly to ingratiate themselves with our new imminent overlords in SF).

I have to say I was surprised to see SF go after him over this issue. They are treading on very thin ice given their own background around funding and donations and it was only a matter of time before their own transgressions were bound to come to light. A party that has taken donations from a gangland criminal, has openly stated that it has no issues with criminals becoming political advisors, resorts to libel cases against journalists, and has a poor record on issues such as the supreme court should be picking its morality battles a bit better. SF would have been better served to let the gormless plebs in Labour do the heavy lifting on this issue.

We can talk all we want about the behavioral standards we want from our politicians but all parties will ensure that the status quo of a toothless SIPO remains in place as there is no genuine appetite for change.

It's in the way you approach them. Don't go straight to the Minister, approach one of the henchmen, I'm with such and such, could I have a quick word with the Minister/TD.

Once you have met them once in a situation like that, easy enough to chat to them in other situations. Politicians seem to have the memory of elephants, they'll remember you.