John O'Donoghue and his travel spending spree

thebman

Liam Byrne wrote: »

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!

lol yeah but that doesn't attract the masses obviously.

Free Taytoes, a bit of music and a few drinks would probably be a more Irish style protest.

bonzos

What is going on with the expenses in this country is nothing short of steeling!!!its getting to the stage where someone will snap and treat one of these guys to the same justice as an intruder steeling from their home.they may break the law but they would get alot public support and save county a fortune.

murphaph

Go to 22 seconds into this and then think of what's happening now with O'Donoghue. This party (in particular) are a lying pack of sh!tes;

Bertie Ahern talks about corruption

lazygal

My parents marched in the 60s in London against Vietnam
No change.
In the 80s in Dublin against massive tax increases
No change.

Marching does nothing. I have never seen a politician do a u-turn because of a march-the pensioners' anger was tapped into as much on Joe Bloody Duffy as the march, and I think the politicians did a cost-benefit analysis on the votes they would lose and gave in.
Children don't vote, so the Government could care less about a child benefit/special needs/other education needs march-I say this as someone in education. Every time the union suggests a march, it very quickly becomes clear that a march is a vast waste of everyone's time.

What would be effective is mass lobbying of all TDS.
Go to their constituency clinics and block the systems.
Waste their time, filibuster like there's no tomorrow when you are in their offices and make sure they know votes will be lost-the ONLY thing they care about is votes. Email like crazy-let them know we despise their profligence with our money. Tangle them up in their own system-it's easy to ignore a march, but not so easy to ignore 40 or 50 people in your office for an hour at time. If everyone wasted a hour of their TDs time telling them a few home truths, would it really be such a bad thing? Might be the best hour you'll spend.

My 2cents anyway.

Liam Byrne

Since they're meant to be OUR EMPLOYEES, any chance of mounting a legal challenge so that they don't get paid until they stop lying and cheating and start actually doing something worthwhile ?

dodgyme

No one should let a politician (from any side) lobby them for Lisbon until they explain why they let JOD off the hook.

Liam Byrne

dodgyme wrote: »

No one should let a politician (from any side) lobby them for Lisbon until they explain why they let JOD off the hook.

You'll get the usual bull**** about it being a "separate issue".

Fact is, though, that it represents them not doing their jobs; they're happy to "do the job" of canvassing, while not doing anything in the more day-to-day interests of society.

Here's the approach I'm going to take if any actual TDs show up:

Them: "We're here to canvass"
Me : "While you're here, actually, can I ask you something ?"
Them : "Go ahead"
Me : "About John O'Donoghue; why didn't you...."
Them : "Separate issue"
Me : "Are you canvassing on Dail expenses and work-time yourself ?"
Them : "Er...."
Me : "Because let me remind you which of the two of us is an employee here, and which is paying the other's wages. You're answerable to me. So why haven't you done your job ?"
Them : "Er...."
Me : "Why have you turned up on my doorstep to do something you WANT to do, while avoiding an issue that you DON'T WANT to deal with ? Call back to me when you've done your job on the important issues and I'll listen to you then."

Darsad

murphaph wrote: »

Go to 22 seconds into this and then think of what's happening now with O'Donoghue. This party (in particular) are a lying pack of sh!tes;

Bertie Ahern talks about corruption

Ah but you cant see he has his fingers crossed under the lectern

Liam Byrne

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Call back to me when you've done your job on the important issues and I'll listen to you then."

I guess the obvious answer to that is that some could argue that Lisbon and the future of Europe is more important than the CC's limo bill...outrageous as that may be...

dodgyme

Deleted User wrote: »

that Lisbon and the future of Europe is more important than the CC's limo bill.

Not in this thread , its not;)

Liam Byrne

Deleted User wrote: »

I guess the obvious answer to that is that some could argue that Lisbon and the future of Europe is more important than the CC's limo bill...outrageous as that may be...

No argument, as long as Lisbon is being sold to you by people you can respect and trust......at the moment it's not. If they haven't done their duty in terms of the corruption, then how do we know that they've done their duty while negotiating the "best possible offer" ?

And - slightly off-topic - they DEFINITELY haven't negotiated the "best possible offer" with former FAS bosses or NAMA, so basically we cannot trust these weasels (the chief weasels of FF and the stay-oh-so-quiet follow-the-status-quo weasels of The Green Party and Fine Gael, etc.

As for it being "the future of Europe"; quit the dramatics, please; it's a possible future of Europe, but it's by no means the only possible future.

bonzos

The sickening thing is that if lisbon gets a yes vote then FF will take give themselvies bucket loads of credit when in fact half the country hate the sight of the crooks

akaredtop

Liam Byrne wrote: »

No argument, as long as Lisbon is being sold to you by people you can respect and trust......at the moment it's not. If they haven't done their duty in terms of the corruption, then how do we know that they've done their duty while negotiating the "best possible offer" ?

And - slightly off-topic - they DEFINITELY haven't negotiated the "best possible offer" with former FAS bosses or NAMA, so basically we cannot trust these weasels (the chief weasels of FF and the stay-oh-so-quiet follow-the-status-quo weasels of The Green Party and Fine Gael, etc.

As for it being "the future of Europe"; quit the dramatics, please; it's a possible future of Europe, but it's by no means the only possible future.

That is a very good point considering their negotiating results with Molloy, Neary etc.

bonzos

bonzos wrote: »

The sickening thing is that if lisbon gets a yes vote then FF will take give themselvies bucket loads of credit when in fact half the country hate the sight of the crooks

Not sure. I'd say the most likely reaction in FF would be 'whew...one bullet dodged...for now...'

bonzos

Biffo said not so long ago(on the late late i think) that the public reaction to lisbon,nama and the budget would judge him not all these opion poles.If lisbon is passed biffo and co wiil be pictured smilling at us from the front page of every paper taking credit for it.These guys never miss a chance to milk things out when it suits them.

Liam Byrne

bonzos wrote: »

Biffo said not so long ago(on the late late i think) that the public reaction to lisbon,nama and the budget would judge him not all these opion poles.If lisbon is passed biffo and co wiil be pictured smilling at us from the front page of every paper taking credit for it.These guys never miss a chance to milk things out when it suits them.

If the country DOES end up voting for Lisbon, I'll chip in something towards a full-page ad along the lines of the bull**** Cowen fed us when the economy collapsed; e.g.

Don't DARE milk it, Brian!

As you told us when YE ****ed up the economy, it's about the GLOBAL RECESSION" :rolleyes:

bonzos

There is a very good saying "tell me who your friends are and ill tell you who you are" and i think it hits the nail on the head when you look at the people who run this country....Despite what biffo says his friends (JOD and co) and the likes of rody malloy who he describes as honourable are a cancer in this country and are milking it for every last penny they can get away with for personal gain....its a total disgrace

Biggins

bonzos wrote: »

There is a very good saying "tell me who your friends are and ill tell you who you are" and i think it hits the nail on the head when you look at the people who run this country....Despite what biffo says his friends (JOD and co) and the likes of rody malloy who he describes as honourable are a cancer in this country and are milking it for every last penny they can get away with for personal gain....its a total disgrace

For the record!



It appears that the 1 million pay-off given to FAS Rody Molloy is not the first this year to a senior civil servant. Mr Patrick Neary the former financial regulator who oversaw the collapse of the Irish banking system, left office with a package worth more than €600,000 and and pension more than three times the annual wage.
In addition to being on an annual salary of €285,341, he received a lump sum of €428,000 and can look forwards to a pension of €142,670, or €2,750 a week every year for the rest of his life! :eek:

Then there is the retiring department of Foreign Affairs secretary general Dermot Gallagher who also got a bumper package then within nine days was moved to a new additional €150,000 state job as chairman of the Garda Ombudsman Commission!

Isn't it nice to look after friends! :mad:

jmayo

Biggins wrote: »

For the record!



It appears that the 1 million pay-off given to FAS Rody Molloy is not the first this year to a senior civil servant. Mr Patrick Neary the former financial regulator who oversaw the collapse of the Irish banking system, left office with a package worth more than €600,000 and and pension more than three times the annual wage.
In addition to being on an annual salary of €285,341, he received a lump sum of €428,000 and can look forwards to a pension of €142,670, or €2,750 a week every year for the rest of his life! :eek:

Then there is the retiring department of Foreign Affairs secretary general Dermot Gallagher who also got a bumper package then within nine days was moved to a new additional €150,000 state job as chairman of the Garda Ombudsman Commission!

Isn't it nice to look after friends! :mad:

So how much would we save by their permanent departure ?

walshb

Biggins wrote: »

For the record!



It appears that the 1 million pay-off given to FAS Rody Molloy is not the first this year to a senior civil servant. Mr Patrick Neary the former financial regulator who oversaw the collapse of the Irish banking system, left office with a package worth more than €600,000 and and pension more than three times the annual wage.
In addition to being on an annual salary of €285,341, he received a lump sum of €428,000 and can look forwards to a pension of €142,670, or €2,750 a week every year for the rest of his life! :eek:

Then there is the retiring department of Foreign Affairs secretary general Dermot Gallagher who also got a bumper package then within nine days was moved to a new additional €150,000 state job as chairman of the Garda Ombudsman Commission!

Isn't it nice to look after friends! :mad:

I wish you wouldn't print some of this stuff, not good for the blood pressure:mad:

dodgyme

Its a banana republic we seem to be living in.

Seth Brundle

Biggins wrote: »

For the record!



It appears that the 1 million pay-off given to FAS Rody Molloy is not the first this year to a senior civil servant. Mr Patrick Neary the former financial regulator who oversaw the collapse of the Irish banking system, left office with a package worth more than €600,000 and and pension more than three times the annual wage.
In addition to being on an annual salary of €285,341, he received a lump sum of €428,000 and can look forwards to a pension of €142,670, or €2,750 a week every year for the rest of his life! :eek:

Then there is the retiring department of Foreign Affairs secretary general Dermot Gallagher who also got a bumper package then within nine days was moved to a new additional €150,000 state job as chairman of the Garda Ombudsman Commission!

Isn't it nice to look after friends! :mad:

Surely he did everything that the Taoiseach of the time asked him to do so maybe he is entitled to it?

Biggins

kbannon wrote: »

Surely he did everything that the Taoiseach of the time asked him to do so maybe he is entitled to it?

Well not to be stating the obvious but part of Mr Patrick Nearys job would have been (I'm guessing) to maintain safeguards and/or put into place safeguards to protect the Irish banking system alone from damage, be it limited or total destruction!
Heck of a pay-off for someone that might have messed up slightly!

I wonder if I was partly responsible for possibly causing the next three generations at least to pay back the debts created, be paid off so handsomely and taken care of for the rest of my life?

Unbelievable stuff. If you wrote this crap in a novel, critics would claim it far too far fetched!

walshb

kbannon wrote: »

Surely he did everything that the Taoiseach of the time asked him to do so maybe he is entitled to it?

No no no, it's just plain cronyism and jobs for the boys. It's been like this for a very long time. Screw up in most countries and you get the sack. Screw up here, and you reap the rewards. How ****ed up is this?

Seth Brundle

but my point was that he didn't necessarily screw up - I suspect that his previous boss instructed him to ignore the rules and to allow banks lend recklessly, etc.

walshb

kbannon wrote: »

but my point was that he didn't necessarily screw up - I suspect that his previous boss instructed him to ignore the rules and to allow banks lend recklessly, etc.

And this is not screwing up? Sitting in high positions doin' damn feck all, and getting paid well
with no repercussions should they fail miserably. The banks did lend recklessly and he was
the man supposed to be reeling them in. He failed and in failing he gets rewarded. Not good enough

Either way, lets say he did a good job, don't you think the whole set up here is
over the top, over generous and over compensatory, especially when it's taxpayers money footing him and others. They are paid damn well, too well if the truth be known and then when they are sacked (:rolleyes:) or retire, it's more of the same. Something is morally corrupt here

Seth Brundle

Do we know what his job description entails?
For all we know his primary function may be to do what the Taoiseach instructs him - I don't know. It more than likely is down to cronysm but IMO there was a large amount of political interference in terms of his duties - there had to have been

Biggins

kbannon wrote: »

but my point was that he didn't necessarily screw up - I suspect that his previous boss instructed him to ignore the rules and to allow banks lend recklessly, etc.

His previous boss could have told him to do loads - but when he became his own boss, he could instruct others to do whatever HE wanted them to do - and could say "stuff you" to anything a previous (now retired) boss had told him to do!

...but thats besides the point. The point is that the job was not done well at all so why should this person get so crazy rewarded for the rest of his life?
Madness.

Seth Brundle

Agreed but lets say hypothetically that he was instructed on what to do, for all we know the instructor may have put things in writing which could give him leverage on the current government.
Was he his own boss though?


(I'm not trying to be cryptic here but trying hard to avoid libel).

Biggins

kbannon wrote: »

Agreed but lets say hypothetically that he was instructed on what to do, for all we know the instructor may have put things in writing which could give him leverage on the current government.
Was he his own boss though?

(I'm not trying to be cryptic here but trying hard to avoid libel).

Well it could go either way. IF he was indeed just following daily orders from up high, he probably(?) deserves all the rewards he can get for being treated like a trained lapdog, having his chain yanked by Bertie/Cowan and co.

It all culminates into one sad state of affairs.