Bertie Ahern helped businessman get passport

[pete]

That second quote you highlighted is brilliant.

The Irish Times has a very funny article on it yesterday. I think they called it a quadruple negative

[Ringo]

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...s-1280144.html

FINE GAEL leader Enda Kenny held meetings with promoters of two major Dublin casino projects, including business partners of controversial businessman Norman Turner, the Sunday Independent has learned.

Mr Kenny also met with representatives of the Rehab-Crockford casino consortium headed by Frank Flannery, the Fine Gael director of elections at last year's general election

A spokeswoman for RTE said last night that details of Mr Turner's Irish parentage were not relayed to the station from the Government Information Service (GIS) until 9:10pm when chief news correspondent Charlie Bird was notified shortly after he had concluded his report

Interestingly, Mr Hogan did not release details of Mr Hynes informing Mr Furlong that Bertie Ahern shared his personal misgivings on the acceptability of the scale of the gambling operations envisaged by Mr Turner's consortium for the Phoenix Park.

According to the FOI records, Mr Hynes said Mr Ahern had shared his "misgivings about a casino operation in which there would be a significant gaming machines element".

The high moral ground can be a lonely place. No wonder Enda's been so quiet about over the last few days

[Macy]

Yeah, it's exactly the same. A Minister for Tourism meeting a Hotel Group in an official capacity and then recommending against the casino is exactly the same as the Minister for Finance and TD for area meeting Hotel Group Chief at a football match, recieving undeclared donations, pursuing the project with the national lottery, denying even really knowing him and then processing a passport application for him

The point about the passport is that Ahern has said several times he doesn't know Turner in a personal capacity, yet his passport application is processed by his office. Forget all the guff about the number of other applications, it's evidence that he did know Turner. Then tie it in with the timing of the 10k to Berties bagman that we know came from Turner, never mind the timing compared to other lodgements that Bertie can't explain in the very week of the passport application.

As for the Tax Clearance situation, Ahern is between a rock and hard place. Full disclosure to Revenue will lead to a settlement there. If he declares what's in the public domain now, and the tribunal uncovers more donations/ digouts/ payments (delete as applicable to todays version of events) that he didn't declare to the revenue then he's committed a criminal offence. Come totally clean with the revenue and he could risk putting more money out there for the tribunal to investigate. Hence we have the nonsense of the last week and his quadruple negative response in the Dáil (shamefully not in official transcripts) to try and continue the muddying of the waters as to when Revenue can make a decision. They can make a decision tomorrow if he gives full disclosure.

[pete]

No news scandals for Bertie this week or did I miss any?

If a politican leader in another country was getting so much bad press we would be laughing at the stupidity of their voters e.g. Bush in the US.

[Macy]

If a politican leader in another country was getting so much bad press we would be laughing at the stupidity of their voters e.g. Bush in the US.

Why would be expecting a good 40% of the electorate to suddenly start wanting high standards in high office. Never bothered them about Dev syphoning off funds for his own benefit; never bothered them about Haughey being corrupt; it doesn't bother them that our elected leader wouldn't get a taxi licence (or a waste licence or a C2 card or a contract with a state organisation) because of his tax situation or that he took payments from business men that at the very least he subsequently appointed to state boards.

[Bald Student]

it doesn't bother them that our elected leader wouldn't get a taxi licence

Thar's probably a good thing, didn't the tribunal discover that he doesn't have a driving license.

[Macy]

So Bertie's version of full cooperation with the Tribunal is very much taken from the Haughey/ Burke/ Lawlor school. What exactly is he trying to avoid being cross examined on? He either lied to the Dail or lied to the Tribunal - no other logical reason that he'd try and avoid being questioned on it.

"Your obstruction, stinks of corruption" as pigeonhed nearly said...