The biggest Irish scandals/chancers ever?

policarp · 12-10-2013 02:19AM

RikkFlair wrote: »

Pee Flynn whingeing on the Late Late show about how stressful it was running 3 or 4 different homes up and down the country, what with all the bills and housekeepers and whatnot.

And his daughter trying to earn a bit of pocket money. . .:P

Karl Stein · 12-10-2013 02:31AM

The people who end up at the 'top' of society have shown themselves to be the most scumbag of all scumbags.

policarp · 12-10-2013 02:43AM

Charlie Rock wrote: »

The people who end up at the 'top' of society have shown themselves to be the most scumbag of all scumbags.

If everyone had their own, there would be no conmen.
My Da's philosophy.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 12-10-2013 04:20AM

Biggest chancer this country ever produced is Christy Kinahnan. They say crime doesn't pay but Christy has flaunted the law all his life and has never served a substantial prison sentence. He's one of the richest crimelords in Continental Europe, Southern Spanish authorities are still fighting against him and his merry gang of thugs.

Some bad guys do wind up on top in the end. Karma my arse. It's all down to a mixture of luck and ability imo.

"You have to be like a lion and a fox. The Fox is smart enough to recognise traps, and the lion is strong enough to scare away the wolves. Be like a lion and a fox and nobody will ever beat you."

Carlo Gambino founder of the Gambino Mafia Family in NYC who never spent a day in prison in all his 74 years.

Means Of Escape · 12-10-2013 08:53AM

Larry Goodman
Sent crap meat to Iraq in the 80s and as a result Hussein defaulted on payments to the tune of over 90 million pounds.

Absolute trickster who again returns to make bits of the meat industry with his horse meat mixing shennanigans
Very little about that these days ........ People in powerful places and all that .

As for the beef tribunal and it's outrageous cost ...

Has to be number 2
Followed by Denis o Brien
Michael Lowry
Sean Dunne
Sean Quinn
Jackie Healy Rae

razorblunt · 12-10-2013 10:04AM

Jaysus just when you forget most of these shenanigans they all come back out again and make you more angry. The pensions for some reason are what angers me more than anything for some reason, it's disgusting.

krudler · 12-10-2013 10:49AM

razorblunt wrote: »

Jaysus just when you forget most of these shenanigans they all come back out again and make you more angry. The pensions for some reason are what angers me more than anything for some reason, it's disgusting.

That, any other industry if you're sacked for incompetence, or theft, or whatever reason, you don't get a few years wages as a reward, yet you do as a politician. Arrive, be corrupt, step down to "save face", get massive pension, kick back and laugh at the idiot taxpayers.

fryup · 12-10-2013 07:30PM

snubbleste wrote: »

Bishop Eamonn Casey was the biggest scandal ever..little did we know. He looks like a saint compared to all the stuff that has come out over the past 20 years.

"that money was just resting in my account"

wasn't it Casey who was fiddling with the accounts of some charity??

K-9 · 14-10-2013 12:55PM

fryup wrote: »

"that money was just resting in my account"

wasn't it Casey who was fiddling with the accounts of some charity??

Not sure about that, but fairly big sums of money did get out to the US for his son.

Just on the OP and Haughey, it doesn't mention that a big chunk of the money raised for Brian Lenihan Snr.'s liver op in the Boston Clinic ended up paying for Charlie's shirts and his restaurant bills in Le Coq Hardi.

IIRC the op cost about £80,000 and the rest was transferred to one of Haugheys accounts.

keeponhurling · 14-10-2013 01:05PM

Pushing the Anglo debt onto the Irish people, really disturbing stuff. Think all of Europe was speechless.

14-10-2013 01:33PM

The Arms Trial would have to stand out as being especially shocking. The Irish government trying to provide arms to paramilitary organisation is crazy when you think about it.

The rape and cover-ups done by members of the catholic church.

And all the other ones previously mentioned- Bertie, Lowry etc.

K-9 · 14-10-2013 01:48PM

gaffer91 wrote: »

The Arms Trial would have to stand out as being especially shocking. The Irish government trying to provide arms to paramilitary organisation is crazy when you think about it.

We'll probably never get the full story as the big players are all gone now. The biggest surprise was Haugheys involvement as he had no track record of involvement or much interest in Northern Ireland before it, seemed like a power play for Taoiseach and he backed the wrong horse! (pardon the pun, he fell of a horse and was in hospital when it all came out).

The big question that probably never will get answered is how much Lynch knew? Berry the big civil servant involved insisted he told him months before, but he was in hospital at the time and in a bad way and heavily sedated. Lynch said he basically couldn't understand him. Lynch didn't go public with it when it came to a head, which backs the idea that he did know more than he let on.

On the other side, he never was a staunch Republican and he acted swiftly and decisively when it did come out.

Cathyht · 14-10-2013 08:58PM

Allowing the south to be a separate entitiy from the North in 1949. If there was Guerrilla activity by the British/Loyalists then in the 70s the Irish Government should have had the guts to fight for the Irish/Catholics stuck in the North being terrorised and murdered by the British army/Loyalist factions. Any help given to the Irish in their persecuted state in the north was really a duty of the Irish government, it was entirely rational they should give it correctly, not underhandedly. The only problem I see is the elaborate plan to give help furtively rather than getting the Irish army or the UN right up there to defend suffering Irish people.

BuilderPlumber · 14-10-2013 09:00PM

We all thought that Haughey was the king of the corrupt chancers ..... until we got Bertie and Seanie!!

K-9 · 18-10-2013 01:21AM

Probably as good a thread to mention it as any, Aiden Gillan is playing Haughey in a RTE drama that has started filming, focuses on 78-93.

Shame there was no focus on his rise to prominence in the 60's, the Arms Trial and the "chicken and chips" circuit in the 70's which covered his rise from backbench ignominy to leadership.

This thread made me re-read Bruce Arnolds book about him, was printed in 1995. Arnold was one of the journalists phone tapped by the Haughey administration in 1982, eventually brought him down 10 years later.

Haughey had a phone system fitted to the Dail that meant phone calls could be eaves dropped on. Nothing ever was connected to Charlie of course.

TeddyTedson · 18-10-2013 02:16AM

This thread create a lot of anger with continued reading. These ****ers need to have their assets seized by CAB :mad:

IvaBigWun · 18-10-2013 08:00PM

K-9 wrote: »

Probably as good a thread to mention it as any, Aiden Gillan is playing Haughey in a RTE drama that has started filming, focuses on 78-93.

When is it to air?

MurdyWurdy · 18-10-2013 08:03PM

As soon as I saw this thread title I thought - Charles Haughey. Bertie was his protege as well

mikemac1 · 18-10-2013 08:30PM

Leonard McNally, all around general backstabber

In his day he was a moderately successful playwright and a very well known barrister, one of the best around.

Thought to be an Irish Patriot and was a founding member of the United Irishmen.
Later betrayed Lord Edward Fitzgerald though that was never revealed until decades later.

Defended many 1798 rebels and they went to the gallows as he sold his legal defence plans to the prosecutors.
Did the same again to Robert Emmett. He certainly was a famous lawyer and with his background he was the lawyer of choice for rebels but hire him and you were fecked.

Nobody knew any of this during his lifetime. He died around 1820 a popular man and an Irish Patriot.
The Brits stopped his secret pension and the family kicked up a fuss over it. And then the full story came out.....

K-9 · 21-10-2013 10:26PM

IvaBigWun wrote: »

When is it to air?

Not sure, seems to be in production at the minute so some time next year I presume.

hidinginthebush · 21-10-2013 10:49PM

Haughey seems like a real piece of work. Can anyone recommend a book on him that shows all this?

Sunnyisland · 21-10-2013 10:57PM

The Kerry babies scandal,

The time Ben dunned got caught with a prostitute and then went on to spill the beans on corrupt payments to politicians from both sides,

The fas expenditure,

Pmpa, aib, etc etc and nothing really changing as far as I can see.

Sunnyisland · 21-10-2013 11:00PM

Suppose the biggest scandal of all is that the people of Ireland still re elect the same two parties into government over & over again...

NuckingFacker · 21-10-2013 11:44PM

Nama. Probably. It'll just take another generation to post about how massive a ride it was.

feargale · 22-10-2013 12:25AM

Haughey was found out. Haughey is dead. Now for a few questions relevant to today:
1. How many of our legislators have attempted to do anything about the fact that millions of the people's money has gone into rescuing banks while the banks still call the shots, and stubbornly refuse to do follow the government's wishes, the piper having been paid, yet calling his own tune?
2. How many of our legislators are up to their necks in debt to the banks, (or do they differ from most people in this,) and are thus s##t scared to upset the banks?
3. How many of our legislators ( as well as other powerful and influential people in the media, law enforcement etc. ) got special terms from the banks to keep them sweet, and are s**t scared that the banks will out them if they say boo to the banks?

K-9 · 22-10-2013 12:54AM

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Haughey seems like a real piece of work. Can anyone recommend a book on him that shows all this?

Bruce Arnold wrote a great book about him, but it was printed in 94/95. Tbh I don't have much interest after that, the doubts about Haugheys wealth, and character were known long before that.

Indeed, Arnold to his credit, points to it when Haughey eventually got Taoiseach. Haughey didn't introduce his cabinet as would be the norm, instead it was Fitzgerald, the rest of the FG front bench, Labour and the rest of the opposition giving speech after speech about how flawed he was.

Arnold was a huge critic of him, but even he had to comment about how remarkable it was that the opposition benches were filled vs. nobody on the Governemnt benches barring CJH, political theatre. The cynic in me suggests CJH put himself vs. the opposition, as the sympathy vote, knew exactly what he was doing, but I'd have to feel sorry for his family watching on, even Arnold did.

hidinginthebush · 22-10-2013 01:17AM

K-9 wrote: »

Bruce Arnold wrote a great book about him, but it was printed in 94/95. Tbh I don't have much interest after that, the doubts about Haugheys wealth, and character were known long before that.

Indeed, Arnold to his credit, points to it when Haughey eventually got Taoiseach. Haughey didn't introduce his cabinet as would be the norm, instead it was Fitzgerald, the rest of the FG front bench, Labour and the rest of the opposition giving speech after speech about how flawed he was.

Arnold was a huge critic of him, but even he had to comment about how remarkable it was that the opposition benches were filled vs. nobody on the Governemnt benches barring CJH, political theatre. The cynic in me suggests CJH put himself vs. the opposition, as the sympathy vote, knew exactly what he was doing, but I'd have to feel sorry for his family watching on, even Arnold did.

Would it be "Haughey: His Life and Unlucky Deeds"? Looks like Bruce himself had it for free download a while back, though the links don't load anymore. It's not on amazon as an ebook as far as I can see, looks like I'll be paying a visit to the local library.

Sunglasses Ron · 22-10-2013 01:50AM

Some of the FAI boards down the years, particularly this:

In 1965 Ireland had to play Spain in a one-off qualifying match and the winner would go through to the World Cup. We had beaten them 1-0 in Dublin and lost 4-0 in Madrid. Back in those days English clubs refused to release Irish internationals for International matches that were far away (and the bigger clubs considered Dublin too far away), hence why we lost to them in Madrid by so much but won in Dublin.

Anyway, we were due to play Spain in this one-off play off game to settle who would go to the World Cup. The match was to be played on neutral ground. Recognising that English clubs didn't like releasing Irish players for away matches, FIFA decided that the match would be played in London, so that the strongest Irish team could be fielded, including the likes of Shay Brennan, Tony Dunne, Charlie Hurley etc. Obviously the Irish players were delighted with the choice of venue. The Spanish FA however wasn't too excited about facing an Irish team even stronger than the one that had beat them 1-0 in a stadium that would be filled with Irish Londoners.

The Spanish FA proposed a financial settlement (bribe) with the FAI blazers to have the match moved to Paris. The FAI accepted the money and agreed to the venue change and an Irish B team with none of our England based stars went to Paris and narrowly lost in front of an all-Spanish crowd.

BuilderPlumber · 22-10-2013 02:05AM

castletownman wrote: »

A cat getting shot on prime-time television by a young lad wielding a loaded semi-automatic gun

A former actor from the show you describe who played a prominent gangster in it is now gonna play Charlie Haughey!! Very appropriate. And Nidge is playing PJ Mara as well. Playing gangsters and politicians is exactly the same in Ireland!!

kupus · 22-10-2013 10:20AM

PPARS how could that be forgotten, mmore wasted money.
also the evoting machines bought and stored all over the country? more waste of money.

The biggest Irish scandals/chancers ever?

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