Tribunal Newsflash - Bertie's money

**Lim till i die** · 26/09/2007, 12:12 PM

There is actually a que around the Fianna Fail stand (guessing it's societys day) outside the Computer Centre

This fcuking country..........

**jebus** · 26/09/2007, 7:04 PM

Hadn't realised Bertie might be out by half eight tonight now that Enda has tabled a motion of no-confidence, heres hoping anyway, although I don't really want a man as ugly as Brian Cowan as our head of state

**Risteard** · 26/09/2007, 11:40 PM

Wow. 3 votes short.
Not too much confidence.
Does that mean some of the government independents backed the motion?

**Lim till i die** · 27/09/2007, 9:30 AM

Originally Posted by Risteard

Does that mean some of the government independents backed the motion?

Beverly Flynn and Michael Lowry

I say it again.........this fcuking country

**jebus** · 27/09/2007, 9:49 AM

This has to be the only non-Chinese ran country that would allow a leader, who obviously is as on the take and hasn't got the support of even all of his party, to remain in government, purely because he makes some wise cracks about Man Utd tickets and likes a bit of sport. What LtiD said this rotten country

Makes me think that what the Brits said about the Irish not being able to govern themselves was more spot on then we care to talk about

**OneRedArmy** · 27/09/2007, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by jebus

This has to be the only non-Chinese ran country that would allow a leader, who obviously is as on the take and hasn't got the support of even all of his party, to remain in government, purely because he makes some wise cracks about Man Utd tickets and likes a bit of sport. What LtiD said this rotten country

Makes me think that what the Brits said about the Irish not being able to govern themselves was more spot on then we care to talk about

I'm totally against what Bertie has done but we aren't a patch on the Italians in the graft and curruption stakes.

Still nothing to be proud of.

**anto1208** · 27/09/2007, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by jebus

This has to be the only non-Chinese ran country that would allow a leader, who obviously is as on the take and hasn't got the support of even all of his party, to remain in government, purely because he makes some wise cracks about Man Utd tickets and likes a bit of sport. What LtiD said this rotten country

Makes me think that what the Brits said about the Irish not being able to govern themselves was more spot on then we care to talk about

Every politician is on the take these political donations all ways strike me as odd . Look at the states where they actually have lobbyists . If you have seen Moores new film it shows Hilary Clinton was going to reform the health insurance industry until she got a political donation of nearly a million dollars from the insurance companies and suddenly she changed her mind .

Same thing happens here it�s the reason buildings/roads get planning permission in places that it just shouldn�t be granted its why public / private hospitals are coming , why private health insurance is being pushed , why cannabis will never be legalised and fags and beer will never be made illegal .

The only thing that surprises me is that people are surprised that a politician took money

**jebus** · 27/09/2007, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by anto1208

The only thing that surprises me is that people are surprised that a politician took money

Not surprised that he is on the take, surprised that when he is found out he isn't booted out of office though, or that he doesn't have the dignity to resign.

As for Italy, well they voted Silvio out last time around, so at least they have shown that they had enough of his Bertiesque nonsense. Over here we would probably have combined the offices of the Taoiseach and the President and handed him an indefinite run in office

**geysir** · 27/09/2007, 9:59 PM

Originally Posted by Calcio Jack

Two reasons:

(1) He has denied ever getting a dollar "donation" from anyone

(2) If it was proved that someone did give him $45k , it would lend credence to the theory that when on a trip to the USA circa 1994 , it is documented that he met with a number of American based associates of O'Callaghan, who were interested in re-developing into a Las Vegas stlye casino the land in and around the Phoenix Park racecourse. The speculation is that they might of donated some funds to BA as he was the then Minister of Finance and it would of been within his remit to change our then "gambling" legislation to allow for a casino.As I say sure it's all only speculation !!

Or it could be as V. Browne suggests, that some bad minded people might make the connection between o�Callaghan�s reputed IR30,000 donation to Berties construction fund and its exact currency equivalent of $45,000.

Two things are emerging
Gilmartin heresay evidence that Bertie had taken charge of IR30,000 and IR50,000
and Bertie juggling nervously with those sums of money.

**kingdom hoop** · 27/09/2007, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

Two things are emerging

Uh-oh, I think a third, turd even, is now as well.

(Kingdom hoop races out of the room to punch one out)

**OneRedArmy** · 28/09/2007, 8:39 AM

Surely the most damning indictment of our country is that a vote on the Governments position towards a regional airport finished closer than one where its leader accepted large amounts of cash in dubious circumstances and then, repeatedly, didn't fully account for the money.

Pariochal politics rule.

**pete** · 28/09/2007, 10:08 AM

I still can't believe that the leader of the government can get away with saying he can't remember what happened to such a large sum of money. 50k would have a reasonable enough house that would cost 300-400k today. 50k would have been maybe 3 times the average salary in the country too. It makes you think want kind of sums of money Bertie was dealing in that he forgot about the small change...

Surely at the very least he will have a tax liability?

**mypost** · 29/09/2007, 3:04 AM

It's all very well tabling no-confidence motions now, but the election has passed, and the song is still the same. For all the country's problems, greed and "fear" for the economy were the votes that won out. Not a single FF TD lost his seat, even Martin Cullen kept his.

Bertie has seen off 3 other party leaders since the election, and the inertia continues.

Shannon Airport?? Tribunals??

It won't matter for another 4,5 years, when we're called to vote FF in again.

**Macy** · 12/10/2007, 7:19 AM

I see that Dunphy, who was a co-conspiracy with O'Callaghan in the Dublin Dons, is going into the tribunal and will say that O'Callaghan told him that Ahern was brought.

**OneRedArmy** · 21/12/2007, 12:47 PM

Tribunal has got very interesting in the last few days. After moving in forensic detail through each individual transaction counsel is starting to pull it all together and making a few allegations, in a roundabout manner.

Bertie's getting very hot and bothered by it and his stories make less and less sense by the day.

**pete** · 21/12/2007, 1:24 PM

Bertie always hits back when he is asked questions he does not like. This is the same in the Tribunal & the Dail.

Bertie setup the Tribunal in the first place so he can hardly start to complain about the terms of reference just because he doesn't like it.

Interesting to hear one of "contributers" to the "hand out" saying he thought he was giving a political donation at the time.

I think by the time the Tribunal finishes Berties political career will have finished but the report could take the shine off it.

**Clifford** · 21/12/2007, 1:39 PM

Joker of the highest order, untouchable in everything he does and says. Yet again he thinks everyone else is lying and he's the only honest man left in the world. Good grief when will he give it up.

**jebus** · 21/12/2007, 2:00 PM

Originally Posted by Clifford

Joker of the highest order, untouchable in everything he does and says. Yet again he thinks everyone else is lying and he's the only honest man left in the world. Good grief when will he give it up.

Maybe This Christmas Charlie Brown

**dahamsta** · 21/12/2007, 8:18 PM

I was surprised to hear Newstalk refer to the so-called "dig-outs" as "so-called" today. I've always been very annoyed at their propogation of his explanation without question. It's about time the so-called news hounds in this country stopped kow-towing to the man and started reporting Bertie's explanations as the farce and lies that they so clearly are.

adam

**CollegeTillIDie** · 22/12/2007, 11:48 AM

It's interesting to see the link between the failed Dublin Dons project and political corruption.
However the Tribunal as thus far FAILED to substantiate any direct financial link between Owen O'Callaghan and Bertie.
What it has uncovered is a lot of other donors to the Bertie cause, who don't seem to have gotten any bang for their bucks