Another one bites the dust (FF TD shocker)

gandalf

TBH I laugh when people say sure WE voted them in. I never voted for them and I never would. The ex-public representatives and current ones that are convicted of a crime should have all pension entitlements removed.

Mr.Micro

All the voters who voted in FF now are expected to accept a freeze in the Health Service and Cancer patients and all seriously ill people will suffer and others will go undiagnosed for longer and possibly miss a window where early diagnosis would help etc. What happened to all the huge surplus of tax receipts,vat,stamp duty that FF were boasting about ? Spent buying the election ........ again ,like the last election .The great HSE even could not employ proper accountants to manage the books .What sort of clowns are running the country? There must be a shortage in the circus .

Mr.Micro

El Stuntman wrote: »

well, let's try to put some numbers on this then

here's my (highly unofficial) tally of dodgy FF TDs, allegedly etc:

CJ Haughey - corruption on a grand scale
Ray Burke - corruption on a grand scale
Liam Lawlor - corruption on a grand scale
Michael Collins - convicted of tax evasion
Padraig Flynn - corruption, received £50k from Frank Dunlop
Beverly Cooper Flynn - facilitating tax evasion
GV Wright - received payments from Frank Dunlop, drink driving causing serious injury
Ivor Callely - received kickbacks, attempted to buy off public servant wth offer of free car
Mattie McGrath - charged with assault causing harm
Jim McDaid - drunk driving (driving down the wrong side of a dual carriageway while off his head)


did I miss anyone?

Bertie in waiting to join the above honourable elite .

padser

It really says a lot about this country that a party with that kind of history - and many of those same people still heavily involved in it gets elected.

I do think though that people giving out about FF taking back BCF are missing a crucial point. If the people of of her constituency are willing to re elect her - knowing full well what her and her father got (probably are still getting) up to WHY should FF not re admit her? In fairness to them they actually did kick her out - which is pretty unusual - and the electorate just went and said - we don't care, we will elect her anyway? If the electorate don't care enough to not re elect her why should FF take the moral high ground??

Jackie laughlin

El Stuntman,
May I ask you to develop your list in two ways? Firstly, could you add wrongdoers from all parties? Secondly, could you assemble the list in order of seriousness of offence?

Does anyone think that convicted criminals should be banned from ever standing for election? What about my suggestion that wrongdoers be required to sign a statement apologising for their past behaviour and condemning such activity BEFORE they can stand for election?

Mr.Micro

As far as I am concerned any Politician who has been found to have done anything illegal or taken money or bribes should not be allowed to stand ever again.Would one keep going to a shop , a bank that was consistently short changing you ?No. Or a doctor .lawyer or whoever who was not up to scratch.


People should wake up to the power they give these people and the damage they can do in power.Its like giving a conman or thief a job in the bank.

Jackie laughlin

That would mean that someone could never be rehabilitated and make a fresh start which involved going into poltics or continuing in politics. This is why I thought that a signed statement apologising for past wrongdoings might be a more just approach.

As it happens, I cannot recall an elected politician accepting that past criminality was wrong.

Hotblack Desiato

Exactly. More shame on us for electing these crooks.

Edit: that was in response to Mr. Micro's post. I couldn't disagree with you more Jackie.

Mr.Micro

Jackie laughlin wrote: »

That would mean that someone could never be rehabilitated and make a fresh start which involved going into poltics or continuing in politics. This is why I thought that a signed statement apologising for past wrongdoings might be a more just approach.

As it happens, I cannot recall an elected politician accepting that past criminality was wrong.

With respect JL .I am not against people being re-habilitated and a fresh start ,but human nature is not like that ,we dont give each other a chance or will not deal with a professional person if he /she done us wrong.Power itself corrupts and many succumb to its allure so Politicians must be above reproach (not that that is ever going to happen)

Jackie laughlin

What exactly are you saying here? That anyone ever convicted of a crime be disbarred from running in any election? That anyone convicted of a crime, criticised by a tribunal, or losing a civil suit be disbarred rom running in any election?

The first possibility is clearcut but would leave some major chancers untouched.

Mr.Micro

Jackie laughlin wrote: »

What exactly are you saying here? That anyone ever convicted of a crime be disbarred from running in any election? That anyone convicted of a crime, criticised by a tribunal, or losing a civil suit be disbarred rom running in any election?

The first possibility is clearcut but would leave some major chancers untouched.

Its impossible to get the perfect person ( as we are human and open to tempation ) but at present there appears to be nothing bar bankruptcy( this does not include moral bankruptcy) to stop a candidate from running for the Dail .I dont have the answer alas, but why should tainted ,convicted or dubious Politicians be acceptable if we expect such high standards from all other professions?

Jackie laughlin

I tend to agree. There is nothing morally wrong in itself about going bankrupt yet a convict can run for the Dail and take a seat.

I'm worried about your "There's none of us perfect" line. Very few of us have committed crimes, been criticised by tribunals, advised tax evaders, kept company with people whose money travels in a suitcase, etc. Within all this there is also a "hierarchy of wrongdoing"; some offenders are much worse than others.