Was I alone in feeling nauseated at the rally in Ballyconnell for Sean Quinn and his family, including those imprisoned and fugitives? When I posted here about the imprisonment of Fred Forsey Jnr, the former town councillor imprisoned for corruption, I hoped it might be a sign of intolerance of corruption and fraud.
Ballyconnell may give the lie to that optimism: Fr Brian Darcy (how many Hail Marys need I say, Father, to absolve me of stealing and bearing false witness to the courts that underpin our democracy?); Mick O’Leary’s letter of support (what else to expect of somebody who treats the hoi polloi, whose extra kilos of luggage pay his wages, as cattle – inferior to his prize-winning herd, of course); Mickey Harte and the sleeveenism and nepotism of the GAA...
Like Beckett, I can’t go on, I’ll go on.
The best way to fight both hubris and sycophancy is to humiliate those in public life whose actions are corrupt, but whose arrogance allows them to see themselves as victims, or justified. Some may have salted away ill-gotten gains, but reputations remain to be lost.
It may be a small ripple that barely stirs the scum atop the pond, but it is worthwhile. We know Quinn, Fitzpatrick, Wallace and others, but there are more, particularly locally, whose infamy extends no further than the local paper. It’s not just the great but the small, too, whose dirty linen I’d like to see exposed, and their reputations sullied.
In deference to Adam, who I’m sure has better things to do than defend the site against libel actions, can I ask that posts are factual and, where possible, linked to a credible and accurate source?
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
To get the ball rolling, allow me to introduce two characters gracing the current issue of Phoenix:
‘Fine Gael Galway county councillor Tom McHugh – who ran unsuccessfully in last year’s general and Seanad elections – pleaded guilty last month in Tuam District Court to one count of not passing on payments to the Construction Workers Pension Scheme, while his company, Thomas McHugh (Kilcloghans) Ltd (TMK), was fined €1,000.’ (p7 or www.thephoenix.ie with subscription)
Perhaps the ultimate in showing you don’t give a proverbial about your employees... I await with baited breath the debate in Galway Co Co where the other councillors, enraged and ashamed, call on him to resign, which any person of honour in political life would accept as their bounden duty.
‘What a fall from Grace for Cork legal eagle Deirdre Foley – a former Fianna Fáil local election candidate – who has just been struck off the Roll of Solicitors by the President of the High Court, Judge Nicholas Kearns. Foley’s wrap [sic] sheet is lengthy and she was found guilty of 15 charges of misconduct when she was hauled up before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) last year, mainly relating to her extensive property portfolio.
‘Foley ... ran in the 2009 local elections for the Cork South East Ward of Cork City Council, although she finished last in this race with only 307 first preference votes.’ (p16)
This rather naughty lady received a mortgage on several properties, some of which were already mortgaged - one had even been sold... But using client money to pay stamp duty on her transaction...tsk tsk! Fair play to the legal firm she where she was a partner for dealing with her. And shame on her for claiming that her partners should have been more diligent on her behalf.
Any more for the Hall of Shame?
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Sadly the only thing to laugh about the near lifelong trail of destruction in Tom McFeelys wake is in the attempt by the former IRA hunger striker to hide behind his British citizenship to avail of more lenient bankrupcy treatment.
He may not like the crown -but he's plenty loyal to the half-crown alright.
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
EG, I both agree with and understand your feelings towards the Ballyconnell rally, in fact the whole farce of one man fleeing this jurisdiction makes it beyond a joke or farce. His cousin rots in an Irish jail (an exaggeration of course) and he goes to matches, regardless of the code. Maybe the GAA can solve it, with a week bit of help from our corrupt and inept government (and the clowns running the defunct Anglo). Put a reward for his safe return and you will be guaranteed a fleet of Renaults with WW registrations heading north! I thought of this myself, if the government allow rendition flights in Ireland, why can't he be snatched. Dogg the Bounty Hunter could even do a show on it!
Mayo judge Mary Devins will have to be added to the list for claiming that social welfare was a "Polish charity" - you'll get good and bad characters in every community, but the crimes that immigrants commit do seem to be reported disproportionately to their number, and such comments will hardly help matters.
An American journalist, Henry Demarest Lloyd, once wrote that 'publicity is the great moral disinfectant'.
So, step forward Sean Kelly, MEP (FG) who, having misjudged the mood on the ground with his voters and party when he went to Ballyconnell, is now wringing his hands after getting a public caning from Enda Kenny:
'FINE Gael MEP Sean Kelly was forced to distance himself from bankrupt tycoon Sean Quinn yesterday after coming under fire from his own party.
He got a slap on the wrist from Taoiseach Enda Kenny and also attracted criticism from Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney.
'The former GAA president had aroused anger in Fine Gael with his comments about how the 4,000 people attending the pro-Quinn rally in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan were giving "moral support" to the bankrupt businessman.
'Mr Kelly had to backtrack yesterday by issuing a statement to insist that he was not supporting the Quinns or what they had done.'
(http://www.independent.ie/business/i...e-3187100.html)
More of this, please!
But one other former GAA bigwig, Peter Quinn, won't be letting his son go to jail in the bold republic. Poor Peter Darragh is 'not afraid of prison [hurrah!] but believes he has no chance of getting "fair play or justice" because of what he claimed was the corrupt way the case had been handled.' As LR pointed out, the notion of die-hard republicans hiding behind the Queen's skirts is laughable. ER II is welcome to her pair of loyal subjects in this case.
(http://www.independent.ie/business/i...l-3188094.html)
Quinn came to my school when he was president of the GAA. I think I understood that day the meaning of the phrase: 'so narrowminded he could look through a keyhole with both eyes at the same time.'
Last edited by Eminence Grise; 02/08/2012 at 3:35 PM.
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Senator Healy Eames. Doesn't pay for train tickets, doesn't tax her car. I think I read they're in trouble for not paying for work done on their house too. A wonderful example of an Irish politician.
Was just going to add here there
She also accidentally built a two story garage on to her house (the builder got the wrong plans) and later had to apply for retention. The builder thing was found against her husband and not her, but was another crazy story that fits in with the pattern of the others.
This is pretty damning: http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/arti...tax-revelation and it's written by the lady herself!
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
In fairness, I was always under the impression that you could pay for your ticket on the train, I think too much is being made out of that one!Originally Posted by dahamsta
Ah 'Fidelity' Healy-Eames... where would we be without her? 'Better off,' you say? Who am I to argue with so many?
Here's a gent making today's Irish Times, perhaps not in need of a naming and shaming as it seems he did things by the book, but his actions point to some looseness in how NAMA does its business.
'THE PURCHASE of a house by an employee of the National Asset Management Agency, which was on the agency’s books, should be referred to the Garda for further investigation, said Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath.
'Enda Farrell, a former portfolio manager with Nama, bought the five-bedroom house in Lucan, Co Dublin, earlier this year.
The house was one of the properties owned by businessman Thomas Dowd which Nama took under its control. Mr Dowd paid €1.4 million for the property, Sundaywell, in 2004.'
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...321568504.html
Now it seems that Farrell, while undergoing compliance training with NAMA, was told he could buy NAMA property as a principal residence, and the house was bought at market price, so he didn't gain any advantage in that regard. Fair enough, but if NAMA is to operate with full transparency it must be wary of making itself a hostage to fortune. 'Caesar's wife' rings true for companies and their employees too.
Last edited by Eminence Grise; 06/08/2012 at 5:43 PM.
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
I think it used to apply when the ticket office in a small station wasn't open, or there was no ticket machine. But these days, you can book online and a vending machine issues a ticket in less than a minute so claiming you arrived too late to queue for a ticket isn't an excuse. I suppose it came as a surprise to many, but, along with the car being towed and the court case, some might think it points to, shall we say, a somewhat cavalier attitude towards rules and regulations?
Last edited by Eminence Grise; 06/08/2012 at 5:44 PM.
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Oh I'm only defending the train ticket story. It was an early morning train from a small station? Good chance there was only one vending machiene there and somebody was using it, or that the train was there when she arrived and she had to run! And if it's true that she paid for it on the train a week before, I would have also told the inspector to "fu*k off"!
The abuse she's getting for that incident alone is over the top, some people really just want to have a go!
The other incident comes off as total codswallop, which suggests that the train ticket was just her chancing her arm. It's ok for me or you to chance our arms, we're just regular joes*. She's not, she's a public representative.
* In hindsight, it's only a matter of time before a high horser takes me up on this. I'm being facetious. Or Oirish. Take your pick.
No!! It's not OK for regular joes to chance their arm - regular joes might not have gotten off with just paying the standard fare!!I'm sure she, a pillock, sorry, pillar of society, is immune to Regular Joe Syndrome! If it happened elsewhere, she might not have been able to put it behind her so easily. Remember the Swedish minister who resigned ... because she had not paid her TV licence fee (although 16 years evasion was urinary extraction even FF might think brazen!)? http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1016/chiloc.html
Meanwhile NAMA appear to be contradicting friend Farrell, about whom I posted yesterday. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...321631034.html
Good to see that the charge for transparency and ethics is being led by FF...
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Bump... with an interesting story in today's Irish Times.
The developer alleged to have bribed former Dungarvan councillor Fred Forsey Jnr (who was found guilty of corruption last year) is pleading not guilty to having made corrupt payments. Forsey's ex-wife, who testified against him, is lined up to give evidence.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...329430890.html
And sure you have to the the Quinn family a dishonourable mention as well, or at least his daughter 'Collect' Quinn.
'Colette Quinn, a daughter of bankrupt businessman Seán Quinn snr, has told the Commercial Court she has few documents or receipts indicating what had happened to some €327,000 paid to her by Russian companies.
'She also confirmed she had withdrawn some €16,000 in 20 transactions mainly from ATMs in Belturbet and Cavan town over a period of two hours on June 14th, 2012. She was concerned about being asked about such matters for legal reasons and on grounds including her personal security, she said.
'Ms Quinn said some €340,000 was paid into her Ocean Bank account in Moscow in summer 2011 and there was about €12,500 left in that account last August.'
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking28.html
No receipts for the old petty cash? Sure we've all been there, haven't we?
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
16000 from ATMs in Belturbet and Cavan town? in 2 hours? My eye!
The report on the last word last night was just breathtaking!
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Did she use a JCB?
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
The Fermanagh one is a classic
I couldn't post that video! Stupid blocker in work.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
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