John O'Donoghue and his travel spending spree

optocynic

Deleted User wrote: »

Ah, my error. Sorry.

Think I'd share your suspicions about Haughey alright. And probably at least two other former Taoisigh who are still alive...

I'm starting to think that the best hope for the Lisbon Treaty is for O'Donoghue and Coughlan to say 'No'. Coughlan could always claim afterwards that she meant yes anyway, and it was just another slip of the tongue...

Haughey was a corrupt, pocket lining bully who had dirt on everyone (i can only assume)... but he did do a lot of good for us.
This doesn't excuse any of his personal antics, but I will always give credit where it is due.

optocynic

optocynic wrote: »

Haughey was a corrupt, pocket lining bully who had dirt on everyone (i can only assume)... but he did do a lot of good for us.
This doesn't excuse any of his personal antics, but I will always give credit where it is due.

Starting to hear this more and more. I guess there was bound to be a bit of revisionism, now that we know politicians are corrupt pocket lining bullies and incompetent we yearn for the days when we had a corrupt one who got the odd thing right!

murphaph

Deleted User wrote: »

Starting to hear this more and more. I guess there was bound to be a bit of revisionism, now that we know politicians are corrupt pocket lining bullies and incompetent we yearn for the days when we had a corrupt one who got the odd thing right!

This is the sorry state of affairs we find ourselves in in 2009. An indictment of modern politicians that anyone could yearn for Haughey back. It's true though...he had a spine at least and made the cuts (while spending even more on himself of course!) that had to be made. I wouldn't have him back but I can understand the sentiment.

dodgyme

Big cuts are needed (we should knock 20% off the PS wage bill to start with)., however how can FF ask the PS to take pay cuts while basically endorsing JOD's behaviour. How can FG expect FF to make the hard choices when they think its ok to let FF off the hook. How can you ask teachers to take a paycut when the second in command doesnt know who Darwin is? - that reminds me of the teachers conference earlier in the year when they had words incorrectly spelt on posters - and they are educating our kids. :rolleyes:

Remember the "STOP VANDALING EDUCATION" poster brought to a teachers conf earlier in the year. 60k average salary for that?

Oh this country is donkey arsed place

Sizzler

Very apt photo btw :rolleyes:

http://www.tribune.ie/article/2009/sep/20/the-ceann-ccmhairle-and-his-solicitor/

wrote:

A solicitor who was hired by the Ceann Comhairle, in an attempt to prevent the Sunday Tribune from publishing details of his expenses, was appointed to four separate state bodies by John O'Donoghue while he was in office.




It has emerged that Gordon Holmes, the chairman of the firm that prepared the legal threat, was originally appointed as a member of the Garda Complaints Board in February 2000 before being named chairman in April 2002.




The appointment came two months before O'Donoghue was moved from the Department of Justice to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, where he amassed enormous travel expenses.




A year earlier Holmes had been appointed chairperson of the Interim Parole Board, a position he later took on when the Parole Board was created and the interim board ended.




In November 2000, Holmes had also been appointed chairman of the Commission on Liquor Licensing. All three appointments were made while O'Donoghue was a minister.




When O'Donoghue was moved to Arts, Tourism and Sport in a reshuffle, he again appointed Holmes to chairmanship of a state body, the Betting Appeals Board.




During O'Donoghue's time in office, Gordon Holmes also served as chairman of the Turf Club's referral and regulations committee, appointed by the Turf Club.




Horse Sport Ireland also appointed him as chairman of an expert group set up to examine doping in the Irish equestrian sector.




According to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, Holmes served on the Bookmakers' Appeals Committee during the period from 1994 to date, where he was paid IR£1,000 a year as well as travelling expenses.




In a letter to the Sunday Tribune by Holmes, O'Malley and Sexton, John O'Donoghue accused the newspaper of having "fundamentally misled the Irish people". O'Donoghue provided no further details on how the public were "misled" before being forced into two public apologies last week as a result of overseas expenses of more than €550,000.




A fellow member of the committee from 1994 to 2003 was Kate-Ann O'Donoghue, the minister's wife. Neither of them was appointed by O'Donoghue, who was not in government at the time of the original appointment.




Further details of O'Don*oghue's travel expenses – as Ceann Comhairle – are expected to be made public this week. In a second apology on Wednesday, O'Donoghue said: "I have instructed officials... to place in the Dáil library – as soon as practicable – the records of all travel, accommodation and related cost incurred and paid since I was elected Ceann Comhairle."




The documents had already been sought by the Sunday Tribune under the Freedom of Information Act and had a deadline for release on 25 September. This means the documents will be made available just a day or so before they would have to be released publicly under the FOI Act.

thebman

lol he likes digging.

Still no sign of change

dodgyme

Well there is a reason this thread has kept going, people want to see him gone.

bonzos

the problem is the most of the people repling to this thead have a conscience and morals.the like of JOD,Rody Molloy,CJH,Bertie,Ray Burke,the Fynns etc...are driven by total greed for money.they are protected by this BS of entitlement which means the the are unaccountable for any of their actions! meanwhile back in the real world familys are sick with worry because the banks throwing them out of their homes,our kids cant get cancer vaccines and businnesses are closing down.there is no way the JOD or most of the other clowns in the dail are worth a 3rd of their pay.just because he pulled a few strings with the locals over the years to keep them happy does not mean he is a great fellow.

bonzos

dodgyme wrote: »

Well there is a reason this thread has kept going, people want to see him gone.

this thead should be kept going until he is forced out!the first question asked of any of the mupets(from any party) knocking on doors for lisbon is why was JOD let off the hook when the public were enraged over it?sorry is not enough!hopefully the papers will keep up the pressure

Dr Galen

bonzos wrote: »

when the public were enraged over it?

there's the problem right there. I've not seen any signs of mass public rage over this, or indeed any other recent scandal. The population at large don't seem to care enough

Tony EH

It's not that people don't care, it's that they are truly powerless to do anything about such matters.

Dr Galen

one recent example, where the people did effect change at government level.

REYKJAVIK - Thousands of Icelanders demonstrated in Reykjavik on Saturday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde and Central Bank Governor David Oddsson for failing to stop a financial meltdown in the country.


It was the latest in a series of protests in the capital since the financial meltdown that crippled the island's economy.


Hordur Torfason, a well-known troubadour in Iceland and the main organiser of the protests, said the protests would continue until the government stepped down.


"They don't have our trust and they are no longer legitimate," Torfason said as the crowds gathered in the drizzle before the Althing, the Icelandic parliament.


A separate group of 200-300 people gathered in front of the city's main police station demanding the release of a young protester being held there, Icelandic media reported.


Police in riot gear used pepper spray to drive back an attempt to free the protester during which several windows at the police station were shattered. The protester was later released after a fine he had been sentenced to pay was paid.


Iceland's three biggest banks -- Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir -- collapsed under the weight of billions of dollars of debts accumulated in an aggressive overseas expansion, shattering the currency and forcing Iceland to seek aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).


This week, the North Atlantic island nation of 320,000 secured a package of more than $10 billion in loans from the IMF and several European countries to help it rebuild its shattered financial system.


Despite the loans, Iceland faces a sharp economic contraction and surging unemployment while many Icelanders also risk losing their homes and life savings.


A young man climbed onto the balcony of the Althing building, where the president appears upon inauguration and on Iceland's national day, and hung a banner reading: "Iceland for Sale - $2.100.000.000", the amount of the loan Iceland is getting from the IMF.


The rally lasted less than one hour and as daylight began to wane, demonstrators drifted away into the nearby coffee shops where the price of a cup of coffee has shot up to 300 kronas in the last few weeks, up by about one third from before the crisis struck, as the currency has tumbled.


Opposition parties tabled a no-confidence motion in the government on Friday over its handling of the crisis, but the motion carries little chance of toppling the ruling coalition which has a solid parliamentary majority.


"I've just had enough of this whole thing," said Gudrun Jonsdottir, a 36-year-old office worker.


"I don't trust the government, I don't trust the banks, I don't trust the political parties, and I don't trust the IMF. We had a good country here and they've ruined it."

murphaph

Tony EH wrote: »

It's not that people don't care, it's that they are truly powerless to do anything about such matters.

I strongly disagree. People are perfectly capable of taking to the streets if they want change enough.

thebman

Tony EH wrote: »

It's not that people don't care, it's that they are truly powerless to do anything about such matters.

Exactly there is an opposition party, where is their outrage? :mad:

I think ordinary people are busy trying to keep the economy afloat and hold onto their jobs.

Tony EH

murphaph wrote: »

I strongly disagree. People are perfectly capable of taking to the streets if they want change enough.

And what use would that be?

Probably things won't go far enough and nothing will change or things may go too far and you end up with a criminal record, no job and no future.

It isn't as easy as simply "...taking to the streets".

Dr Galen

thebman wrote: »

Exactly there is an opposition party, where is their outrage? :mad:

this I can agree with. Unless they're afraid of what could come out in the wash if they draw too much attention to it?

I think ordinary people are busy trying to keep the economy afloat and hold onto their jobs.

I'm sorry, but unless everyone is working 24/7 then there is plenty of time to get outraged. I hear plenty of talk about NAMA and banks/builders getting bailed out, but how many people made the effort to go to any anti-NAMA protests of marches.

murphaph

Tony EH wrote: »

And what use would that be?

Probably things won't go far enough and nothing will change or things may go too far and you end up with a criminal record, no job and no future.

It isn't as easy as simply "...taking to the streets".

What's the alternative when the government and opposition are in cahoots to fleece the taxpayer of their hard earned money?

Tony EH

thebman wrote: »

Exactly there is an opposition party, where is their outrage? :mad:

I think ordinary people are busy trying to keep the economy afloat and hold onto their jobs.

They won't raise their heads above the parapet. They might get too much of a spotlight on their own misdemeanors

Tony EH

murphaph wrote: »

What's the alternative when the government and opposition are in cahoots to fleece the taxpayer of their hard earned money?

There aren't many alternatives...that's "democracy" for ya

Either way, if people did "take to the streets", perhaps some small change may occur. But, in the end, the rot will set back in.

The entire political system needs gutting.

...and that a big "ask" for any "people".

Dr Galen

well a big ask maybe, but not impossible. We did it in this country not even 100 years ago. There are many many incidences of similar changes across the world. I've already cited the Iceland example.

I find the typical attitude of "sure we'll never change anything" to be all too common in this country. You hear it in all walks of life, not just related to politics.



btw Tony thats not a dig at you more of a general statement

thebman

Mystik Monkey wrote: »

this I can agree with. Unless they're afraid of what could come out in the wash if they draw too much attention to it?



I'm sorry, but unless everyone is working 24/7 then there is plenty of time to get outraged. I hear plenty of talk about NAMA and banks/builders getting bailed out, but how many people made the effort to go to any anti-NAMA protests of marches.

Ok so say everyone does go walk down a street with a placard?

What would change?

Nothing because the opposition wouldn't do anything still and RTE probably would act like it never happened so everyone would have walked down the street for nothing.

There were NAMA protests and nothing changed. Baring we go stone politicians nothing will change and I don't think anyone should do that TBH.

Dr Galen

thebman wrote: »

Ok so say everyone does go walk down a street with a placard?

What would change?

Nothing because the opposition wouldn't do anything still and RTE probably would act like it never happened so everyone would have walked down the street for nothing.

There were NAMA protests and nothing changed. Baring we go stone politicians nothing will change and I don't think anyone should do that TBH.

about a year ago I remember pensioners marching through Dublin, and they got change didn't they? A

Tony EH

Mystik Monkey wrote: »

well a big ask maybe, but not impossible. We did it in this country not even 100 years ago. There are many many incidences of similar changes across the world. I've already cited the Iceland example.

I find the typical attitude of "sure we'll never change anything" to be all too common in this country. You hear it in all walks of life, not just related to politics.

btw Tony thats not a dig at you more of a general statement

WELL, I'M TAKING AS A DIG AGAINST ME AND I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!


...ah feck it, nothing'll change.

murphaph

thebman wrote: »

Ok so say everyone does go walk down a street with a placard?

What would change?

Nothing because the opposition wouldn't do anything still and RTE probably would act like it never happened so everyone would have walked down the street for nothing.

There were NAMA protests and nothing changed. Baring we go stone politicians nothing will change and I don't think anyone should do that TBH.

If a million people walked down the street with placards calling for O'Donoghue's head (for a start) and a complete overhaul of expenses and so on, it would happen.

Tony EH

Mystik Monkey wrote: »

about a year ago I remember pensioners marching through Dublin, and they got change didn't they? A

I have my doubts that the medical card proposition was ever THAT serious though. More of a feeler...

But, simply put...if a government REALLY want to push something through, they'll get it through...one way or another.

Dr Galen

i think it was serious alright, but they never factored in the grey powah they had unleased. A bit like when the Nazis opened the Ark of the Covenant in Indiana Jones.

Tony EH

Wouldn't it be great if Fianna Fail opened the Ark of the Covenant.

I'd love to see Mary Harney melt.

Might take a while though and there'd be a hell of a mess...plus it'll probably come out of taxpayers money to clean it all up.

Jesus...just cannot win.....

sceptre

A'right Tony, back in the box. Serious thread for serious thoughts and all that...:)

thebman

murphaph wrote: »

If a million people walked down the street with placards calling for O'Donoghue's head (for a start) and a complete overhaul of expenses and so on, it would happen.

How would you get a quarter of any country to turn up for a protest?

Better chance putting on a festival in the streets if you want to get anywhere near that number of people to turn up TBH. I think the whole idea of protesting puts people off. Protesting is just seen as boring and not achieving anything because so many of them don't.

It needs an image change TBH. Make it more appealing to people like they will have a good time as well as pushing for change rather than nagging and nothing achieving anything with only a certain type of person attending current protests.

Liam Byrne

thebman wrote: »

It needs an image change TBH. Make it more appealing to people like they will have a good time as well as pushing for change rather than nagging and nothing achieving anything with only a certain type of person attending current protests.

What ???? The whole idea OF a protest is to BE serious, and to allow people to have a good - or at least decent enough - time for the rest of their lives without Fianna Failure shafting them doggy-style!

If someone wants to have a good time, let them join the Dail or become Taoiseach or Ceann Comhairle - they won't even have to pay for it!