John O'Donoghue and his travel spending spree

john-joe

anyone know the odds on the next cc??

Biggins

john-joe wrote: »

anyone know the odds on the next cc??

Dunno yet but you can be sure it might appear soon here: http://www.paddypower.com/bet/politics

Rebelheart

Lads, lads, lads, please listen to me once:

John O'Donoghue is a symptom. All 226 members of the Oireachtas (166 in Dáil Éireann; 60 in Seanad Éireann) have been allowed to have "expenses" without producing receipts. In what other walk of life could you do this? It doesn't happen. It-does-not-happen. It may be legal; to state the obvious, these guys make the laws they benefit from. It is not, however, moral. You don't have to listen to the Jesuit Peter McVerry talking about homelessness in Ireland on RTÉ's Drivetime to know this. These expenses are morally wrong, wrong, wrong. The people who create these expenses clearly lack the empathy to represent the more marginalised members of Ireland's society. On that basis alone (and I am using my words very carefully), they should be removed from office in this state, Ireland.

They, all members of the Oireachtas, are all in this. This explains why they have been so very, very slow to come down on O'Donoghue. Gilmore has correctly sensed public opinion, but in reality what he has done is take the risk by acting on it: they all sensed public opinion. If every single member of the Oireachtas has to reveal that we, for instance, paid for their daughter's 21st party/college tuition/dental repairs and much, much else the biggest can of worms will be opened in the history of independent Ireland (and Patrick Bartholomew Ahern, the instigator of so much of this profligacy, will be seen more clearly for what he is.)

walshb

Rebel, well said. We all know these scum hide behind the legal jargon that
the other shower have created, but never can this kind of thievery be condoned or explained away by using legalities.

Biggins

Rebelheart wrote: »

Lads, lads, lads, please listen to me once:

John O'Donoghue is a symptom. All 226 members of the Oireachtas (166 in Dáil Éireann; 60 in Seanad Éireann) have been allowed to have "expenses" without producing receipts. In what other walk of life could you do this? It doesn't happen. It-does-not-happen. It may be legal; to state the obvious, these guys make the laws they benefit from. It is not, however, moral. You don't have to listen to the Jesuit Peter McVerry talking about homelessness in Ireland on RTÉ's Drivetime to know this. These expenses are morally wrong, wrong, wrong. The people who create these expenses clearly lack the empathy to represent the more marginalised members of Ireland's society. On that basis alone (and I am using my words very carefully), they should be removed from office in this state, Ireland.

They, all members of the Oireachtas, are all in this. This explains why they have been so very, very slow to come down on O'Donoghue. Gilmore has correctly sensed public opinion, but in reality what he has done is take the risk by acting on it: they all sensed public opinion. If every single member of the Oireachtas has to reveal that we, for instance, paid for their daughter's 21st party/college tuition/dental repairs and much, much else the biggest can of worms will be opened in the history of independent Ireland (and Patrick Bartholomew Ahern, the instigator of so much of this profligacy, will be seen more clearly for what he is.)

Been indicating that for ages - thus the "Greed" section on a site of mine.
Been also saying that here a couple of times.
Its a case of they are afraid they will be seen as a case of "the pot calling the kettle black".

They are all the damn same.
Jeasus, I had to laugh at Jackie Healy Rea giving out today and he last year on 89,000 expenses (this year 69,000 so far)!
Classic hypocrisy.

Rebelheart

walshb wrote: »

Rebel, well said, We all know these scum hide behind the legal jargon that
the other shower have created, but never can this kind of thievery be condoned or explained away by using legalities.

I've never been so incensed. What these guys are spending on, for instance, a trip from one terminal to another is an absolute fortune to me. I can think of so many real improvements I could make with that money, wasted money. Never mind the €11,000 curtains. Disgusting. I am absolutely certain that every single person reading these boards, ordinary people (and I mean that in the best and most honourable way, of course), could appreciate the value of that money just as well as I can.

With these "expenses", it's like we, the citizens of this republic, are dealing with an ascendency.

john-joe

Biggins wrote: »

Been indicating that for ages - thus the "Greed" section on a site of mine.
Been also saying that here a couple of times.
Its a case of they are afraid they will be seen as a case of "the pot calling the kettle black".

They are all the damn same.
Jeasus, I had to laugh at Jackie Healy Rea giving out today and he last year on 89,000 expenses (this year 69,000 so far)!
Classic hypocrisy.

well said by both

john-joe

Rebelheart wrote: »

Lads, lads, lads, please listen to me once:

John O'Donoghue is a symptom. All 226 members of the Oireachtas (166 in Dáil Éireann; 60 in Seanad Éireann) have been allowed to have "expenses" without producing receipts. In what other walk of life could you do this? It doesn't happen. It-does-not-happen. It may be legal; to state the obvious, these guys make the laws they benefit from. It is not, however, moral. You don't have to listen to the Jesuit Peter McVerry talking about homelessness in Ireland on RTÉ's Drivetime to know this. These expenses are morally wrong, wrong, wrong. The people who create these expenses clearly lack the empathy to represent the more marginalised members of Ireland's society. On that basis alone (and I am using my words very carefully), they should be removed from office in this state, Ireland.

They, all members of the Oireachtas, are all in this. This explains why they have been so very, very slow to come down on O'Donoghue. Gilmore has correctly sensed public opinion, but in reality what he has done is take the risk by acting on it: they all sensed public opinion. If every single member of the Oireachtas has to reveal that we, for instance, paid for their daughter's 21st party/college tuition/dental repairs and much, much else the biggest can of worms will be opened in the history of independent Ireland (and Patrick Bartholomew Ahern, the instigator of so much of this profligacy, will be seen more clearly for what he is.)

.

john-joe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZldlyeR8DU


Orwell hit the nail on the head with this tale, couldn't be more relevant today then when it was written...


JJ

spongeman

Enda was very slow in all this, SF and Labour had to fire the gun.......

catching_streams

spongeman wrote: »

Enda was very slow in all this, SF and Labour had to fire the gun.......

This was an incredible opportunity for Kenny to take point and show some real leadership on. He passed it over and will in my opinion be remember in a bad light for it.

dlofnep

Good post Rebelheart!

Rebelheart

I agree with both of you about Kenny, and be assured that Gilmore will take much flak from his colleagues for pushing this. On the other hand, it has to be said that the entire establishment have been extraordinarily slow in pushing this. It has been galling to listen to Fine Gael and Labour dance around this. Indeed, if any of you have noticed, the media has generally danced around the wider consequences of the reaction to O'Donoghue. The benefits which all these national politicians are receiving from the current "expenses" set-up have been attenuated while the focus was on a single, implicitly exceptional, politician, John O'Donoghue.

O'Donoghue is not exceptional. The exceptional ones are those who had their lunch out of a lunchbox in Stephen's Green or in a cheap restaurant. Don't kid yourselves about this. The journalist, Olivia O'Leary, was on Drivetime this afternoon talking about how she met a civil servant - a civil servant - who wanted them to meet in Patrick Guilbaud's restaurant (expenses paid by us taxpayers). That is, in Ireland's most expensive restaurant. A mere civil servant eating there on a daily basis when the vast majority of this society could not afford to eat there in our entire lives. But, if O'Leary's tale is an example of how journalists have been wined and dined by these politicians then it speaks volumes about why journalists are being so quiet about the wider expenses issue now. Think about it.

john-joe

11,000e on curtains...

school in cork asking parents to pack bum roll for the childs arse!!

SHAME ON YOU CC!!!!

You are a disgrace to the people of this island, although you acted within the 'rules' it is no excuse for your behaviour!:eek:

bring back public flogging!!!!:mad::mad::mad:





Only one Bull McCabe!!!!

john-joe

Rebelheart, you have my vote for the new Ceann Comhairle!

Dublin1600

Is there any chance that PARASITE JOD will receive similar treatment here!!! :mad:

Former London deputy mayor sentenced over expenses

A former deputy to Mayor of London Boris Johnson was given a suspended jail sentence today for "flagrantly and arrogantly" misusing his expenses.

Ian Clement (44), had admitted using his City Hall corporate credit card to buy lunches for himself and his lover while claiming he had been meeting leaders of local councils.

Clement was given a 12-week jail term, suspended for 18 months, at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

He was ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid community work and to abide by an overnight curfew for 12 weeks.

Judge Quentin Purdy told Clement the offences had "cost you dear and will haunt you for some years to come".

He said Clement had "flagrantly and arrogantly" abused public money to indulge himself with meals.

Clement resigned from his £127,000 a year post at the Greater London Authority as Mr Johnson's deputy mayor for external relations in June.

Clement admitted three offences between November 20 and 28 last year. He had claimed for the cost of three lunches where he said he had separately entertained the leaders of Enfield, Barnet, and Kensington and Chelsea councils.

But police discovered he had in fact shared two of the meals with his lover Claire Dowson and one with a female public relations executive.

Reuters

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1006/breaking73.htm

lugha

The most depressing thing about all of this is that if JOD is ousted as CC and has to stand for election next time around I would bet my bottom dollar that the fine people of Kerry South will back him to the hilt, just like the Tipp folk did with Lowry or the Mayo folks did with Flynn. And I wouldn’t be too sure that Burke or Lawlor would necessarily have come up short if they had had another tilt at the Dail after their “troubles”. Truth is, for all our huffing and puffing, we as a nation consider integrity and honest to be grand enough traits for our public representatives to have, but they are by no means necessary. And certainly not if the iffy PR in question is a good ‘ol local boy.

john-joe

COWARD,

he should be tarred and feathered! *

*of course the taxpayer would be billed for the tar & feathers

murphaph

Philip,

Sorry for the delay in responding to you.

The issue of political expenses in general and in particular in relation to
the Ceann Comhairle John O'Donohue is of concern nationally. It's a concern
that is fully shared by politicians.

The matter has been raised in the Dail and John O'Donohue has issued a
number of statements on the matter.

When asked about the situation by the media on Monday afternoon (October
5th) Minister Harney referred to the independent constitutional position
occupied by the Ceann Comhairle and the fact that this constitutional
position was now embroiled in controversy. She advised the journalists that
she did not want to make remarks that would add to that controversy.

However she added that already major changes have been made to the
regulations and guidelines covering ministerial expenses and she also
remarked on the need for change given the deterioration in our public
finances.

Minister Harney referred to the changes that have been made to her schedule
on the basis of the changed economic times.

Meanwhile the Ceann Comhairle John O'Donohue had indicated that he intends
to address this issue at a meeting of the Oireachtas Commission tomorrow
Wednesday 7th of October.


Yours Sincerely,


Ms Rhonwen Hayes,
Personal Assistant to Mary Harney, T.D.
The Minister's Constituency Office,
Department of Health & Children
Hawkins House
Dublin 2
Tel: 01-6353135

....a load of bloody waffle as you can see. Keep the pressure on folks and let's get O'Donohue out (starter for 10 as Bamber Gascoigne would say). I had to send the email three times to actually get that 'answer'.

Quint

Heard on the radio today that part of his expenses on a trip somewhere was a €1 donation to Unicef. He actually claimed that back. The guy is sickening:mad:

namloc1980

lugha wrote: »

The most depressing thing about all of this is that if JOD is ousted as CC and has to stand for election next time around I would bet my bottom dollar that the fine people of Kerry South will back him to the hilt, just like the Tipp folk did with Lowry or the Mayo folks did with Flynn. And I wouldn’t be too sure that Burke or Lawlor would necessarily have come up short if they had had another tilt at the Dail after their “troubles”. Truth is, for all our huffing and puffing, we as a nation consider integrity and honest to be grand enough traits for our public representatives to have, but they are by no means necessary. And certainly not if the iffy PR in question is a good ‘ol local boy.

Depressingly...I suspect you are right.

DublinWriter

I wonder if Biffo will try to 'buy him off' like Bertie did when he demoted him from a Cabinet position to speaker?

One thing is for certain - O'Donoghue knows where all the FF bodies are buried.

Can anyone honestly say that 800 years of English occupation hurt this country more than FF's incompetence in the last 10?

'The Republican Party' my hoop.

Seth Brundle

Presumably JOD will be removed as CC.
However, will there be any further action over this controversy? Will a normal system of expenses be brought in? I doubt it!

Berti Vogts

Alan Shatter just said on Radio 1 that O'Donoghue has indicated to the Labour and FG whips that he is willing to resign subject to being allowed to stay on until next Tuesday.

Seth Brundle

Whats next tuesday?

Stark

Why next Tuesday I wonder? Wonder if it has anything to do with the timing of the Green party conference.

Berti Vogts

Not sure, he didn't say why next Tuesday. Might be to do with the Green Party conference. In theory they could pull the plug on the government at the weekend and if JOD is still CC, then he would be returned automatically.

Ludo

Probably something to do with length of service or something like that...bump to his pension etc etc

gizmo555

thebman wrote: »

Your suggesting everyone that uses public transport is lower class?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhLvOI6zfsc

deadhead13

kbannon wrote: »

Presumably JOD will be removed as CC.
However, will there be any further action over this controversy? Will a normal system of expenses be brought in? I doubt it!

Ken Foxe one of The Sunday Tribune reporters who broke the story was on Morning Ireland today, he mentioned in passing that they also looked at other Ministers expenses. If the papers keep going like the Telegraph did in the Uk then this could run and run.