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Enda Kenny abuse of power?

Banjo String

Do you think this amounts to an abuse of power by the Taoiseach?

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny is forwarding constituents' CVs to state bodies.

Mr Kenny sent the curriculum vitae of a job-hunter to the chairman of the Revenue Commissioners, Josephine Feehily. It was accompanied by a letter signed personally by Mr Kenny and written on official Department of the Taoiseach notepaper.

His office said there is nothing unusual about the practice and denied it amounts to an abuse of power.A spokesman said Mr Kenny routinely forwards correspondence he receives to the relevant government department or state agency.

However, Fianna Fail jobs spokesman Dara Calleary said there should be a clear delineation between Mr Kenny's job as head of government and his work as a constituency TD.

A spokesman for the Revenue said its recruitment process was "resolutely independent" and, in any event, it was not recruiting at the time of Mr Kenny's letter.Mr Kenny's intervention came to light after the Irish Independentsecured access to hundreds of letters written by politicians to Revenue officials in recent years.

The disclosures are at odds with Mr Kenny's promise to the electorate that a Fine Gael-led government would move away from parish pump politics and focus instead on revitalising the economy. In fact, the records reveal that Mr Kenny was the most frequent lobbyist of Ms Feehily's office, writing to her on 22 occasions since becoming Taoiseach.

He also wrote to the Revenue in connection with a court summons, a High Court case and proposals by a constituent to make smaller repayments of VAT arrears.
The letters show several other high-profile politicians sought to influence Revenue decisions, usually by seeking more lenient terms for constituents facing tax bills or fines.

Many of the letters seen by this newspaper detail the huge financial pressures small businesses are under as a result of the economic collapse.

Time and again, TDs urged Revenue to take a more lenient approach, arguing that jobs will be lost and communities devastated if officials did not allow breathing space.

Seems to be pretty common among other TDs too.

Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore asked for a constituent to be reconsidered for a disabled vehicle tax relief, worth up to €9,500, even though the Revenue found the man did not meet the medical criteria.

Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin lobbied the Revenue to give "a sympathetic review" to a case where a disabled driver was refused a tax concession. The eventual outcomes of these cases were not disclosed.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/enda-kenny-mailed-constituents-cv-to-chairman-of-revenue-29491117.html

I think it's nice to see parish pump politics are alive and well in the country. Long after This current govt vowed to stamp it out.

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Banjo String

OSI wrote: »

Is that what TD's are for? To lobby for their constituents?

Yes absolutely.

Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore asked for a constituent to be reconsidered for a disabled vehicle tax relief, worth up to €9,500, even though the Revenue found the man did not meet the medical criteria.

but not lobby for rules to be ignored/broken.

The Backwards Man

I only ever go to my TDs when I am looking for something done I can't do myself, that's what they are for.

Uriel.

It's very naive to think that this is going to change in the absence of a complete overhaul and change of our electoral system.

It's the local Jimmies, Phidelma's etc... that vote TD's into power. There's a good chance that the writing of 22 letters to Revenue has generated a multiple of that figure in guaranteed votes for the Taoiseach at the next election.

That is exactly how Irish Politics work. The only way to lessen the parish pump politicsin reality is to have some form of a national voting system or a party only voting system.

Roger_007

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I only ever go to my TDs when I am looking for something done I can't do myself, that's what they are for.

No, that is not what they are for. The Dail is a sovereign parliament. TD's are elected to legislate on our behalf. There are any number of agencies, including local elected representatives, to sort out individual problems for people.
The problem with politics in this country is that few people have any understanding of why they are electing TDs. They think that a TD should be a cross between a messenger and a 'whipping boy', and they vote accordingly. We get what we deserve.

Red Pepper

It's disgusting. You have to consider the people that are investing so much time and energy applying for these public sector jobs and getting PFOs. And in my experience, the people that get these jobs because they "know the manager" tend to be lazy self-entitled pwricks that only worsen the standards of the public sector.

Czarcasm

David Norris was shredded for this sort of thing (those letters), how is any other politicians abuse of their office any different?

Nothing will happen though, never does.

The Backwards Man

Roger_007 wrote: »

No, that is not what they are for. The Dail is a sovereign parliament. TD's are elected to legislate on our behalf. There are any number of agencies, including local elected representatives, to sort out individual problems for people.
The problem with politics in this country is that few people have any understanding of why they are electing TDs. They think that a TD should be a cross between a messenger and a 'whipping boy', and they vote accordingly. We get what we deserve.

Civil servants make laws.

TDs try to win votes. It's you who is mistaken.

humanji

They wouldn't be politicians if they weren't abusing their power.

Uriel.

Czarcasm wrote: »

David Norris was shredded for this sort of thing (those letters), how is any other politicians abuse of their office any different?

Nothing will happen though, never does.

I'd hazard a guess that it was the content that did Norris in to be honest.

A gay man writing on behalf of an individual being tried for raping an underage boy is wildly out of kilter of "what is expected" by the general populace. Writing on behalf of a local business looking for extra time to pay taxes so as to keep locals in a job, is seen as something to be expected and welcomed.

I am not saying that that is my opinion, but surely you can see why the same thing is not really the same thing (or at least not seen as the same thing) in this country.

Czarcasm

Uriel. wrote: »

I'd hazard a guess that it was the content that did Norris in to be honest.

A gay man writing on behalf of an individual being tried for raping an underage boy is wildly out of kilter of "what is expected" by the general populace. Writing on behalf of a local business looking for extra time to pay taxes so as to keep locals in a job, is seen as something to be expected and welcomed.

I am not saying that that is my opinion, but surely you can see why the same thing is not really the same thing (or at least not seen as the same thing) in this country.

Yes, Enda Kenny is better at covering his arse than David Norris... who'd have thought it?

Sir Humphrey Appleby

humanji wrote: »

They wouldn't be politicians if they weren't abusing their power.

in many ways that is unfortunatley true, but it is also a sad indictment of what we the public expect from our elected officials.:(

Zebra3

Roger_007 wrote: »

No, that is not what they are for. The Dail is a sovereign parliament. TD's are elected to legislate on our behalf. There are any number of agencies, including local elected representatives, to sort out individual problems for people.
The problem with politics in this country is that few people have any understanding of why they are electing TDs. They think that a TD should be a cross between a messenger and a 'whipping boy', and they vote accordingly. We get what we deserve.

If people have a problem, go to a citizens advice bureau.

Kenny is meant to be running the country (yeah, that's a laugh), not being an errand boy for some bogger with a bee in his bonnet.

SEPT 23 1989

If this was the UK he would be gone

touts

Abuse of power would be things like
- Cutting the public nursing home network while owning private nursing homes.
- Asking the heads of AIB or BOI for "help" with your failing business at the same time that the banking sector is being bailed out.
- Using Garda intelligence to spy on political opponents.
- Adding your supporters GP practices to the list of new critical care centres.

Frank Black

It's not an abuse of power, but our electoral systems rewards politicians who spend time on these kind of local interest issues and penalises politicians who ignore them.
It's the reason we end up with the the likes of Lowry, Healy-Rae and Mattie McGrath sitting in the Dail.
I'd like to see some form of national list system which would curb this kind of bolloxology.

The Backwards Man

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

If this was the UK he would be gone

No, he wouldn't. I don't know if people are being naive or deliberately obtuse, but some you have a lot to learn regarding what politics is all about.

Grayson

To be fair, he asked for the guy to be reconsidered. He didn't tell them to change a decision, just to reassess. And that's fair enough.

Czarcasm

Grayson wrote: »

To be fair, he asked for the guy to be reconsidered. He didn't tell them to change a decision, just to reassess. And that's fair enough.

And I hope like the time he tried to use his influence to get a woman approved for a mortgage and the bank still said no, that indeed Enda on this occasion too was told "No".

Zebra3

Grayson wrote: »

To be fair, he asked for the guy to be reconsidered. He didn't tell them to change a decision, just to reassess. And that's fair enough.

No, it's not. It's none of his business.

Larbre34

Why would it not be an abuse of power / process? Every public job ad is plastered with the rider 'Canvassing will disqualify'

It should mean that there should be absolutely no intervention, influence, hint or tip-off for anyone applying for a state position (or private job with significant state connection) by anyone elected to office or in a position of seniority in the public sector.

I have no problem with giving of advice or directing people to training opportunities etc, but if we're ever going to tackle the gombeen culture we have to be whiter than white on this stuff, and Kenny should be at the front of it

Jester252

Damn if you do, Damn if you don't

syklops

Quick question to establish whether this is a non-story or not: Did he send a letter saying "Give this man a job, signed The Taoiseach"? Or did he send a letter saying "Please consider this man for a job?"

Theres a difference.

Wheres my NAMA Joe?

Nemeses

Politicians abusing power?

Sheesh. I'm sure a lot of people on here with Jobs abuse their power too.

Whether they be a politician, a teacher or even a council worker.

Same difference, just a different job role.

jimeryan22

Direct democracy.. Only way..
All politicians these days, regardless of what country they are in, are bloody gangsters out for themselves not the people... It's a shame too much of the worlds population has become ignorant of politics therefore letting the criminals,Sorry politicians, run riot...
People are to worried who ate a piece of toast on facebook rather than hold their public servants accountable..
And we wonder why the country/worlds in a mess..
Nothing to do with nearly every country's reps signing everybody, their children, and their children's children onto a debt not run up by us but by the bankers.. Oh yeah, you lose our money and we'll pay you for it.. Great idea
Bloody sham

jimeryan22

Nemeses wrote: »

Politicians abusing power?

Sheesh. I'm sure a lot of people on here with Jobs abuse their power too.

Whether they be a politician, a teacher or even a council worker.

Same difference, just a different job role.

Everybody else's job is not representing the masses.. Also most jobs don't pay what theirs do with all the back patting that goes on.. Brown envelopes etc...

Zebra3

syklops wrote: »

Quick question to establish whether this is a non-story or not: Did he send a letter saying "Give this man a job, signed The Taoiseach"? Or did he send a letter saying "Please consider this man for a job?"

Theres a difference.

There is a difference, but both are still wrong.

jimeryan22

Zebra3 wrote: »

There is a difference, but both are still wrong.

Dead right.. Was just gonna throw that one in there.. Anyone remember a few years ago Mary harney getting her mammy up the list for her operation..? At the expense maybe of yours or my mammy.. Different folks, different rules

shane9689

this is sooooooo minor in the grand scheme of things that i voted no. tbh these eejits have done much worse. if this is the extent of political corruption id be happy, but unfortunately this si nothing compared to the rest od the **** we put up with

Zebra3

shane9689 wrote: »

this is sooooooo minor in the grand scheme of things that i voted no. tbh these eejits have done much worse. if this is the extent of political corruption id be happy, but unfortunately this si nothing compared to the rest od the **** we put up with

Doesn't matter how minor it is, it's still an abuse of power.

jimeryan22

shane9689 wrote: »

this is sooooooo minor in the grand scheme of things that i voted no. tbh these eejits have done much worse. if this is the extent of political corruption id be happy, but unfortunately this si nothing compared to the rest od the **** we put up with

Well said