Labour Party Conference report

Posted on 4th March 2015 by Anthony

I see Irish Examiner journalist Michael Clifford has written a lovely propaganda piece for the Labour Party conference.

I wonder will he be writing an objective analysis of the event?

Posted in Labour Party, Media coverage | Leave a comment

Economist Dan O’Brien: A seriously confused man

Posted on 4th March 2015 by Anthony

Economist Dan O’Brien is a seriously confused man.

On the one hand he believes Ireland is heading toward a state of ungovernability because of a very serious lack of trust in institutions like government, business, media and NGOs.

There is no other country among the 27 covered in the world-wide survey in which people have less trust in their nation’s politics and civil society institutions.

On the other hand O’Brien is adamant that such institutions are no worse than similar institutions in other countries.

While Irish media, NGOs and businesses have all been guilty of wrongdoing – and it is easy to find examples where each has undermined trust – I simply do not believe that they are all to be distrusted more than their counterparts in almost every other country.

O’Brien was responding to the findings of a world-wide poll taken by a public relations firm late last year which – he concludes;

Suggests that something is seriously awry in Irish society. And not just among those who feel excluded.

And this is where O’Brien is confused.

On the one hand Ireland is no worse than any other country while on the other there is something seriously awry in how our country is governed.

If O’Brien follows the logic of his own thinking then all 27 countries polled are suffering from serious flaws in how they are governed. This, I’m sure he would agree, is not the case.

So why is Ireland different, what is seriously awry in how we are governed?

The answer is as simple as it is stark – Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state.

Like all countries Ireland has always suffered from a degree of corruption but this all changed in 1979 when the criminal politician Haughey came to power. His corrupting influence infected every level of Irish society but in particular, his corrupt activities transformed the political and financial sectors into little more than co-operating mafia outfits.

It is these two corrupt pillars of Irish society that are directly responsible for the catastrophe that occurred in 2008. Nothing whatsoever has changed since then. The same corrupt political system is still in power, the same financial sector is as corrupt as ever and the same so called regulatory agencies continue to look on with approval.

The Irish people have lost trust in the political system because that system has betrayed them time after time. This is not just opinion, the facts speak for themselves.

In the run up to the 1992 general election the leader of the Labour Party Dick Spring adopted a very strong anti-corruption stance going so far as to accurately describe Haughey as a cancer on the body politic. But once elected, Spring promptly betrayed the trust of the people by abandoning his principles and joining forces with the cancerous Haughey.

Similarly the Progressive Democrats, a party that came into existence in response to Haughey’s corruption, also abandoned their integrity and principles in exchange for power and influence. Once again the people were betrayed.

Then we had the Green Party, full of laudable principles while in opposition but once in government they too abandoned their political integrity in exchange for the benefits of power.

The complete absence of political courage, vision or integrity within the body politic led to the evolvement of a culture where financial institutions, property developers, the legal system and practically every other individual, group or organisation with access to political favour were allowed to indulge in serious criminal activity with total impunity.

The inevitable catastrophe came to pass in 2008 when the whole system collapsed under the sheer weight of its own putrid rottenness.

The 2011 election was the last desperate attempt by the Irish electorate to elect a decent, accountable government but once again their desperate pleas for honest and courageous political leadership was thrown back in their faces.

Rampant political corruption is the reason Irish citizens have lost trust in the political system. Rampant political corruption lies at the heart of all our problems.

Mr. O’Brien is confused because he simply cannot bring himself to believe that reality.

Sadly, for Irish citizens such denial from influential opinion makers will only serve to protect and encourage the corrupt and prolong Ireland’s agony.

Copy to:
Dan O’Brien

Posted in Banks & Finance, Body Politic, Government | Leave a comment

‘Journalist’ Jim Cusack: A spineless lackey

Posted on 3rd March 2015 by Anthony

Sunday Independent journalist Jim Cusack has claimed several times over the past few weeks that the Provisional IRA is still in existence and operating in the border area.

If true, this could have very serious consequences for the Good Friday Agreement and could, potentially, lead to a return to conflict in Northern Ireland with all the associated death and destruction.

Obviously, no self-respecting journalist would make such a serious claim without strong supporting evidence. Sadly, it appears that Mr. Cusack is no longer the self-respecting journalist he used to be because, as far as I can see from his reports, there is not one shred of evidence to back up his claims.

So why would a previously respected journalist abandon his journalistic principles to peddle a story without any supporting evidence?

I can think of only three reasons:

One: The claim is actually true and Mr. Cusack will eventually produce credible evidence to back up his claims.

Two: He is being fooled by a source that is feeding him false information.

Three: He is being pressurised into making false claims to serve the hidden agenda of some other power.

Let’s deal with these one by one.

If Mr. Cusack’s claims are true then his story has international implications as the Good Friday Agreement involved the hard work and commitment of the United States, the European Union and the UK and Irish governments.

If the claims were true Mr. Cusack and Independent Newspapers would have immediately informed all concerned of this extremely serious reversal in the Peace Process. To my knowledge this has not happened.

Neither Mr. Cusack nor Independent Newspapers are telling the world about the sensational ‘fact’ that the IRA is still in existence, still operating as a terrorist organisation. He, and Independent Newspapers, are simply treating the story as a local Irish issue.

It is highly unlikely that Mr. Cusack is being fooled by a source feeding him false information. Even the most inexperienced journalist knows that checking information from sources is the first rule of professional journalism.

The third reason is probably the truth. Mr. Cusack seems to have abandoned his journalist integrity because he is willingly or being forced to serve the hidden agenda of somebody who has influence over him.

That agenda seems to have just one aim – to discredit and damage the credibility of Sinn Fein as a legitimate, democratic political party. The motive behind the agenda appears to be the growing fear among the ruling elite of the rise of Sinn Fein’s political popularity.

Sinn Fein, rightly angry over this campaign of black propaganda, contacted the Garda Commissioner on the issue. She replied, in writing, that Mr. Cusack’s claims had no foundation in fact whatsoever. In addition, the Commissioner quoted the conclusion reached by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) that the Provisional IRA had indeed disbanded.

In a recent article Mr. Cusack arrogantly dismissed the word of the Garda Commissioner and the IMC, effectively accusing them of lying or, at least, covering up what he considers to be a fact based on his pathetic conclusion that the IRA is still in existence because the PSNI are (apparently) operating as if the troubles were still in full flow.

Good, professional journalism demands integrity, strong principles and an unwavering dedication to reporting the truth.

Journalists who allow themselves to be manipulated by powerful forces pushing a secret agenda are nothing more than spineless lackeys.

Copy to:

Jim Cusack

Posted in Media coverage, Sinn Fein | Leave a comment

RTE: The listeners can wait

Posted on 26th February 2015 by Anthony

It’s 2 pm and I need to access RTEs Late Debate from last night, but, once again, it’s not available – 16 hours after broadcast.

I rang the programme and was told it would be up in an hour or two. I asked why the long delay and was told something about somebody not being in.

I asked about their technology, was it up to date? I mentioned how stations like Newstalk put their shows on archive even as they’re going out live. Pat Kenny, for example, frequently reminds listeners that they can listen to the first part of the show while he’s live on air.

So why can’t RTE do the same? Well, it appears they can, they do have the technology.

It just seems to be a case of – feck the listeners and journalists who may need the service, let them wait.

Posted in RTE | Leave a comment

Vincent Browne: Captured by the bankers

Posted on 12th February 2015 by Anthony

US banking expert Professor Bill Black recently gave evidence at the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry where he pulled no punches.

He effectively stated, correctly, that at the time, Ireland was a country without a financial regulator, governed by a bunch of morons.

Later he appeared on the Tonight with Vincent Browne show where we witnessed a perfect example of the mindset that makes it possible for our country to be governed minus a financial regulator and led by a bunch of morons.

Professor Black was telling us (correctly) that the bankers were lying about the state of their finances in the run-up to the crisis.

Vincent Browne took great exception to this smear on the reputation of bankers.

Wait a minute now, this is quite serious, the insinuation on the bankers who went to see the Government that night is very serious, and I know some of them, and I don’t believe they said something they knew was untrue.

Yes, you heard right; Vincent Browne is saying he believes the bankers told the truth to Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan on the night that our economic sovereignty was handed over to the Troika.

Even the most ignorant, the most disinterested, the most ill informed Irish citizen knows that the bankers lied through their teeth that night.

So why is it that a journalist who has spent decades investigating and analysing scandal after scandal in the Irish financial sector can mouth such an idiotic comment?

The answer can be found in these six words spoken by Browne:

And I know some of them.

This comment confirms a disturbing trend in Irish journalism. A trend that sees some journalists loses their objectivity after coming ‘to know’ those they are investigating.

And this is not the first time Vincent Browne has lost his professional objectivity as a result of ‘getting to know’ financial/political criminals.

For many years he was a strong critic of the criminal politician Haughey but in Haughey’s latter years Browne enjoyed some great nights out in Abbeyville drinking wine and discussing the old days with the gangster.

Before long he was a great admirer and defender of the traitor/criminal.

Posted in Banks & Finance, Financial Regulator, Government, Media coverage, Regulatory Agencies | 6 Comments

Alan Dukes: Tax evasion and corruption at root of Greek problem

Posted on 9th February 2015 by Anthony

Former Fine Gael politician Alan Dukes on Greek debt and recent election of the far-left Syriza party (RTE).

There is in Greece a huge problem of tax evasion and corruption part of which is at the root of the difficulty they have.

If someone were to say to Dukes that the root problem in Greece is exactly the same as the root problem in Ireland they would be met with a blank stare of total incomprehension.

Posted in Uncategorised | Comments Off

Charlie Hebdo magazine in school: Why apologise?

Posted on 6th February 2015 by Anthony

The board of a multi-denominational school has apologised for allowing a Muslim child to be ‘forced’ to see a copy of the magazine Charlie Hebdo which depicts the prophet Muhammad in an unflattering pose.

The chairman of the school, Richard Allen, said the school would never set out to offend anyone and continued:

We live in a society where information flows freely, and we can’t be like we were in this country in generations past where we hid things. Children have a right to discuss these things, understand them and have a view, but also understand there’s an inherent responsibility that comes with free speech.

So, why the apology?

Posted in Uncategorised | 1 Comment

Junior Minister Dara Murphy: Not just politically stupid

Posted on 6th February 2015 by Anthony

In a previous article I described Junior Minister Dara Murphy’s decision to engage in political prostitution as stupid because it will obviously do a great deal more damage to his election prospects than any benefit.

But after doing some research on the man I find that he really is stupid, it’s not just political stupidity.

Here’s a video of the gombeen being justifiably torn to shreds by Vincent Browne.

He made the fatal mistake of sneeringly asking Browne whether he knew the difference between GNP and GDP.

Keep in mind that this idiot is the Minister for European Affairs and Data Protection at the Department of Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs and Trade.

He’s the man who negotiates Ireland’s business interests with our European partners, no wonder we’re broke.

Also note how he slyly tries to get off the (Vincent Browne) hook by dragging another panel member into the row.

Posted in Fine Gael, Government | Comments Off

Leo the liar

Posted on 6th February 2015 by Anthony

3 Nov 2013: (Leo Varadkar: Marian Finucane Show).

The property tax collected for 2013 went to central funds but the 2014 tax will go to local authorities to fund local roads, community centres, libraries, public parks and to a certain extent social housing.

5 February 2015: (RTE).

Irish Water received €439 from the Local Government Fund made up of motor tax and local property tax receipts for 2014.

Posted in Fine Gael, Government | Comments Off

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald is a political prostitute

Posted on 5th February 2015 by Anthony

When I read this article I genuinely thought it was a joke.

Junior minister Dara Murphy is charging supporters €85 to have breakfast with Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to raise funds for his general election campaign.

I’m not going to mince my words here.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald is a political prostitute. Junior Minister Dara Murphy is also a political prostitute. The man who organised the event, Fine Gael trustee Jerry Carey, is a political pimp.

The Minister’s office does not belong to her to abuse as she wishes, it belongs to the people of Ireland. The power and prestige of her ministerial position was not bestowed upon her so that she could abuse that power by engaging in sleazy election campaigns.

Her actions are disgusting and immoral particularly in light of what has happened to the people of Ireland since 2008.

I spoke about this yesterday on 96 FM where the presenter described my comments as ‘strong language.

He’s right, it is strong language but it’s well past time that Irish citizens spoke out against this abuse of democracy; it’s well past time we called a spade a spade.

Some might say I’m too harsh in my comments. Here’s why I’m angry.

Hundreds of thousands forced to leave their country because of political corruption.

Hundreds of thousands out of work because of political corruption.

Over a hundred thousand struggling in desperation to pay their mortgages because of political corruption.

Over a hundred thousand children living in poverty because of political corruption.

The suicide of thousands of citizens as a result of the stress caused by political corruption.

Millions who have lost hope in their own and in their children’s future because of political corruption.

Not only is this political prostitution disgusting, it’s also extremely stupid.

The number of people attending this scam will be tiny; they will almost certainly be people who are conservative and loyal members of the establishment. The scam will raise a couple of thousand and perhaps the promise of a few votes.

Meanwhile, judging from the reaction on the radio, thousands of Cork voters will rightly reject those who stupidly and arrogantly persist in abusing democracy.

Minister Murphy has warned (threatened?) that if Fine Gael is not leading the next government the economy will be severely damaged.

I have some news for this political prostitute and his fellow Fine Gael cronies.

Fine Gael will not be part of the next government; the party will be lucky if it still exists after the next election.

Copy to:

The political prostitutes and their pimp

Posted in Fine Gael | 3 Comments