(OT - Slightly) Want to dine with a Government Minister?

DonegalMan

Was listening to a report on the RTE One news this evening about a report by Richard Curran, Business Editor with the Irish Independent concerning Fianna Fail's latest fund raising effort.

Groups of about 20-30 wealthy business people are invited to a private dinner with a Government minister, in return for which they make voluntary donations of up to €5,000 each, raising up to €150K per dinner.

And who is one of the main organisers behind this? No less than Peter Lynch, Chief Financial Officer with Eircom.

Curran diplomatically pointed out that there is nothing new about this sort of fund raising - other parties have done the same thing in the past - but that events like this are generally organised by retired or semi-retired business people with strong links to the political parties concerned, and that it is 'unusual' for such a prominent person still active in business to be involved, especially anyone from an organisation subject to the level of regulatory control that Eircom are.

Full Irish Independent story here

jbkenn

DonegalMan wrote:

Was listening to a report on the RTE One news this evening about a report by Richard Curran, Business Editor with the Irish Independent concerning Fianna Fail's latest fund raising effort.

Groups of about 20-30 wealthy business people are invited to a private dinner with a Government minister, in return for which they make voluntary donations of up to €5,000 each, raising up to €150K per dinner.

And who is one of the main organisers behind this? No less than Peter Lynch, Chief Financial Officer with Eircom.

Curran diplomatically pointed out that there is nothing new about this sort of fund raising - other parties have done the same thing in the past - but that events like this are generally organised by retired or semi-retired business people with strong links to the political parties concerned, and that it is 'unusual' for such a prominent person still active in business to be involved, especially anyone from an organisation subject to the level of regulatory control that Eircom are.

Full Irish Independent story here

For those of us with more limited means, I am planning a less grandiose function
Date: any Saturday morning (should'nt interfere with your busy schedule)
Time: between 9.45 and 10 a.m.
Location: Statoil Station, Dock Road, Limerick.
Refreshments: I recommend the traditional builders breakfast roll €4.99 and coffee €1.50.
Dress Code: wear something warm, when the wind blows up the Shannon it would shave you.
Seating arrangements: We will sit on the front wall of the station.
Agenda: Anything that comes into your head, when the Minister arrives, overcoat a flapping, on his morning constitutional, we will "how do you do" him, and, as is his way, he will gladly engage us on any subject.

jbkenn

p.s. anyone from Limerick will know the Minister I am talking about