More proof of Healy Rae gombeenism

Liam Byrne

bluewolf wrote: »

Given everything else that's happened then I think resigning is a bit much for abuse of the phone lines?
What else do you think should happen or do you think he should resign too? And how likely is that given that as someone else said, he was nowhere near Dublin anyway so nobody could prove it?

Irrelevant. He repeatedly refused to admit that it was wrong and an abuse of taxpayers money.

THAT is why he needs to resign.

Whoever made the calls should obviously be fired, but Healy-Rae is unsuitable for public office because he doesn't know right from wrong.

BaZmO*

dpe wrote: »

Its not the corruption per se (bad as that is), its the nod and wink that goes with it, the general acceptance that brown envelopes are the way things get done in Ireland. Feathering one's nest is routinely condoned with a "wish I'd thought of that" admiration. You only have to look at the inexplicable (and continued) popularity of a certain former Taoiseach to see that.

You'd swear I was an apologist for any corruption that goes on here. I'm not. I was just making the point that the corruption/nepotism/nod and a wink culture, call it what you will, happens in every country. And I'm certainly not saying it's right, but you you can't say that the whole international community thinks we're a back water when it's not the case.

dpe wrote: »

Sorry, but you don't. Relative to Greece or Italy maybe, but that's hardly a good place to be.

In the short term maybe, but as a country (and going back to my original point) we generally have a good reputation internationally. Look at the amount of international companies that have set up base here. If we were such a corrupt despot nation they wouldn't come near us. For a population of 4 million we punch well above our weight.

dpe wrote: »

(in everything from political corruption to church pedos).

But how many other countries could that apply to? The church thing was a Catholic church issue that was covered up in many other countries. I agree with your general point though, but again it happens in other countries too. The impression being given is that the rest of the world sits and looks at Ireland and thinks that we're a total mess, the rest of the world don't really give a sh1t about our day to day domestic stuff.

dpe wrote: »

Hell, the Italians have even managed to put Berlusconi on trial for something. Who's in the dock here?

Putting a politician on trial means nothing unless the accusations stick, as we've learned from the many tribunals.

kippy

HellFireClub wrote: »

I'm sorry you take offence, I think what I have said about this country is dead accurate and spot on. Why do you think the country is in the state that is in, do you think like that it just happened!?! That we just woke up one morning to find the place in bits?!?

What is going on here, is a direct result of the sickening greed that is tolerated by EVERYONE living on this island. Greed that is the subject of this thead.

If you think there is anything of substance that is positive about Ireland at the moment, then by all means, throw them up here and we'll discuss them. I can't see any, the place is a disgusting place to live. People, almost stupidly, fail to see any connection or relationship between the state of the country at every level, (be it anti-social behaviour that infests every community, and their own responsibility as citizens.

Here's an example, if you are ever in a minor road traffic incident in this country, as in a very minor scrape, you can bet your only arsehóle on the fact that the person who you tipped, will go off and get a main dealer estimate done, maximising the cost to you and your insurance, they will make a claim against you, get a cheque for 2K off you or your insurance company, and then never get the work done or pay some poor Polish fúcker 50 quid to get it sorted on the cheap!

This is the mentality that runs straight through this country, where any person will use the first opportunity to put a saddle on you.

Everyone - really?
Like the young people? Like those (like yourself and many more) who franticilly bash the keyboard when things like this happen?

You'll hear plenty stories of people who have had minor tips and nothing happens with them - theres lots of good people here, unfortunately, as with most things you'll only normally hear about the bad on message boards.

anymore

bamboozle wrote: »

By Fiach Kelly Political Correspondent

Saturday April 02 2011

THE Healy-Raes are still keeping it in the family -- with new TD Michael hiring his brother Danny as his Oireachtas secretary and giving his vacant council seat to Danny's son.

Michael Healy-Rae was previously secretarial assistant to his father Jackie, whose Dail seat he has now taken -- and Danny will now take up the assistant's role, which has a starting salary of around €23,000.
Danny is also a councillor with Kerry County Council, and his son Johnny Healy-Rae will now sit beside him in the council chamber.
Michael last night said he needed someone he could rely on completely.
He has kept on Jackie's parliamentary assistant, a position that comes with a salary between €41,092 and €52,200.
The two brothers were embroiled in controversy last year when this newspaper revealed they were paid almost €110,000 between them for one year's service on Kerry County Council. Danny and Michael were paid a total of €196,000 for 2008 and 2009 in wages and expenses. And mayors, of whom Michael was one, get extra allowances while they hold the office.
Michael received €74,342 in 2008 and €39,663 the following year, with Danny getting €32,400 and €49,376 for each year respectively.

My own FF Td Michael McGrath passed his Council seat on to his brother Seamus and appointed him as his Secretary. He also gives his brother at least one page of the bi monthly full colour newsletter that is distributed in the constituency.

JP Liz V1

The Healy-Raes should have their own reality show

dpe

BaZmO* wrote: »

Putting a politician on trial means nothing unless the accusations stick, as we've learned from the many tribunals.

Tribunals aren't trials. And you're wrong; the perception is that things are swept under the carpet rather than there's a lack of evidence. The stuff that MHR is doing is no different to the expenses scandal in the UK, difference is that there MPs have been kicked out of office and some have gone to prison. Here everyone closes ranks. (which isn't to say I have faith in the incorruptability of the British political system, far from it, but when exposed, the system acts swiftly over there because I think they recognise its better to cut out the infection before the smell gets too overpowering).

HellFireClub

kippy wrote: »

You'll hear plenty stories of people who have had minor tips and nothing happens with them - theres lots of good people here, unfortunately, as with most things you'll only normally hear about the bad on message boards.

For the second time, if you have any positives that you see that outweigh the badness of this place, why don't you post them up here???

I don't see them, and I'm not asking for a report on the people who won the last tidy towns competition... What trait have we got in Ireland here, in terms of our ethic, and how we approach things, that is a positive???

The gombeenism, the corruption, the "I couldn't give a fúck 'cos someone else will be paying for it", the turning the blind eye, the nod and the wink, the brown envelope, the acceptance of a two tier society, the insiders -vs the outsiders, the haves -vs the have nots, the public sector -vs- everyone else...

What traits are you identifying that I can't see, that offset these traits above and make this country such a decent place to live???

GerM

anymore wrote: »

My own FF Td Michael McGrath passed his Council seat on to his brother Seamus and appointed him as his Secretary. He also gives his brother at least one page of the bi monthly full colour newsletter that is distributed in the constituency.

And Brendan Griffin, another one of the three south Kerry representatives in the Dáil, hired his wife Roisin as his secretarial assistant and his cousin Tommy Griffin as his parliamentary assistant. His cousin Matthew Griffin managed to secure his old seat in the county council.

Irish politics is rife with nepotism. Pick any consituency at random around the country and there's a very good chance that, on its Wikipedia page, you'll see the same surnames coming up in the list of TDs that have represented the area over the years. It's entertaining and galling at the same time.

IRISHSPORTSGUY

The only All-Ireland Kerry will win this year is cute-whorism. :pac:

lucozader

when i used to work in the public sector. Three of the guys on my floor had nothing to do all day. So they rang premium call competition numbers all day with the tax payer footing the bill. This is typical of the waste that goes on in the public sector.

GSF

So is there anything in the Croke Park agreement on premium rate telephone numbers?

dan_d

Hmm. Well I look at it like this.

In my last job, shortly after I started, there was uproar about calls made to Australia from the office phone on Saturdays. In other words, for several weeks, someone had been working Saturday mornings and had used the office phone to call friends in Oz. I never knew the full details, because I was just in the door, but I know they lost their job and the phones in all the offices were cut off from making calls outside Ireland. And that's when times were really good.

As money got tighter (construction), the work phones that the company issued as part of the job were monitored closely. People were specifically requested not to use them outside work and if they did, they were charged.

I can only imagine what would happen to anybody in any company right now if they ran up 2500eur of a bill ringing one number outside the job, over and over again. Let alone a premium number.

So....explain to me again why this situation should be any different? We're the tax payers, it's our money. We have every right to demand accountability. Furthermore, we put them in that job. And truth be told, I think both the Healy-Raes should be booted out on the back of this. Can't even be trusted to use phones without abusing them? Yep, there's the door, don't let it hit you on the way out.

kippy

HellFireClub wrote: »

For the second time, if you have any positives that you see that outweigh the badness of this place, why don't you post them up here???

I don't see them, and I'm not asking for a report on the people who won the last tidy towns competition... What trait have we got in Ireland here, in terms of our ethic, and how we approach things, that is a positive???

The gombeenism, the corruption, the "I couldn't give a fúck 'cos someone else will be paying for it", the turning the blind eye, the nod and the wink, the brown envelope, the acceptance of a two tier society, the insiders -vs the outsiders, the haves -vs the have nots, the public sector -vs- everyone else...

What traits are you identifying that I can't see, that offset these traits above and make this country such a decent place to live???

Theres zero point in doing that as it wont change your opinions.

kippy

lucozader wrote: »

when i used to work in the public sector. Three of the guys on my floor had nothing to do all day. So they rang premium call competition numbers all day with the tax payer footing the bill. This is typical of the waste that goes on in the public sector.

I am not sure what area you worked in but phone bills are closely monitored where I work - (that doesn't mean they are as cheap as they could be (VoIP still not used) but premium rate calls are blocked, only certain people have rights to dial national and mobile numbers and any anomalies are investigated.
Either way, what was goin on here shouldnt be tolerated in any way shape or form, someone needs to walk.

take everything

dell1211 wrote: »

AFAIK the charity does not get all of the cost of the telephone call, RTE gets a cut and so do a few other companies so his argument that its okay because it went to charity is a load of crap

True.
And even if it did all go to charity, it still wouldn't hold up.
He used Leinster House to do it and the cost was incurred there.
Even if he did it but didn't use Leinster House to incur the cost it's still an incredibly cynical attempt to raise his vote-getting profile.
There's so much wrong about this, it's breathtaking in its cynicism.
What a scumbag.

xflyer

Apparently the system in use can't tell which phone or office was used. This in itself is an indictment of Oireachteas system. Back in the late eighties early nineties my company could tell who I called and when I called to the minute. What kind of pathetic system do they have in there?

As for the Healy-Raes well they were always a standing joke, stage Kerrymen, stage Oirish. Comedy politicians. But they're no joke now.

Let's sum it up: A national competition was manipulated for Healy-Rae to win, fraud. Worse still it was orchestrated from the Dail, thus ensuring that the caller didn't have to pay a penny and the whole bill was footed by the taxpayer.
This came to the attention of the officials but nothing was reported apparently. It seems they didn't think it important enough to inform anyone.
Now we have Healy-Rae washing his hands of it.

Now imagine this happened in Britain or the USA or anywhere frankly where corruption is frowned upon.

But as it happened in Ireland and Irish politicians particularly gombeen men like the Healy-Raes have no conscience and the Irish people are complicit in every form of political corruption you can think of. Nothing will happen.

We deserve everything we're getting right now.

I too am frustrated by the system in this country like so many others. We are a joke in Europe now. Not as big a joke as Greece but not far behind.

There was a bit of optimism after the change of government. There was a promise of change. I always felt it was misplaced. This government is doomed to fail and always was. Getting rid of a bunch of corrupt incompetents and replacing them with another bunch of slightly less corrupt incompetents was never going to solve the problem. They are all of the same political system that bred our downfall. Until that system changes we are doomed to repeat our mistakes. The political class in this country are by and large self serving careerists with little interest in the country as a whole only their own job and those in their golden circle.

The whole edifice is rotten to the core.

Liam Byrne

xflyer wrote: »

Apparently the system in use can't tell which phone or office was used. This in itself is an indictment of Oireachteas system.

This claim was debunked earlier by someone who seemed to know their stuff.

If it turns out that the system can indeed log the extensions used, then the malaise is even worse than we thought because it will mean that someone is lying in order to avoid allocating the necessary responsibility.

The last time the Healy-Raes were asked their opinion on something that involved wasting our money they said "but that's the system", as if taking / using what you don't deserve / aren't entitled to isn't a choice.

Is there seriously no-one in Ireland who won't wash their hands of corruption and waste and stand up and say "XXX is wrong" ? Other than those who'll say it if "the other crowd" do it, even when it's right ?

Is there not 166 people in this country who would ensure that this sort of two-fingered insult to the decent people of this country doesn't happen ?

The odd standard phonecall maybe, particularly if you were being paid feck-all; but 3,600 phonecalls to PREMIUM numbers ?

And those who say those numbers should be blocked are ignoring the malaise that's endemic in Irish society; it shouldn't be about prevention, it should be about common decency and ethics.......and we should be entitled to expect that those exist.

I look forward to this being exposed and the details of someone being fired over it.

If not, then I'd nearly personally tear up the Irish Constitution because it has failed us.

gandalf

I acknowledge that Michael Healy-Rae did not make the calls but he should condemn the fact that they were made using taxpayers money unreservedly. The fact he doesn't makes it very clear imho that he knows who did it. I would suspect it was the "person" he hadn't talked to before he gave that pathetic interview on Newstalk this morning.

Several things should happen here.

A full and prompt investigation should be carried out to identify those who made the calls, if they are Oireachtas staff they should be fired. If it is a past or present member of the Oireachtas they should named and be made pay the bill with interest. (I personally do not believe that the system in place cannot identify the number used).

The person in charge of the phone systems should be disciplined, those type of lines should have been blocked anyway. Personally I would fire them outright.

As has been said already for people who are unemployed that is a lot of money. Start to multiply waste like this and it is clear it could help keep beds in hospitals open or be used in the education of our children.

At the end of day until we change things so "pot-hole fillers" like the Healy-Raes cannot get elected and milk the system dry any more nothing is going to change. It is obvious that a lot of the electorate cannot or will not make the distinction between national and local politics therefore the system needs to be changed so they are separated.

thebman

Nobody with two brain cells believes the system can't trace the call.

What phone system can't record its own usage?

The very idea that such a system exists for use in places like the dail is ridiculous.

The only logical excuse would be if they were instructed to specifically setup a system that can't trace calls and if that is the case then we the people have a right to know why such a system is required.

Most likely he is lying though in an attempt to get his voters who can't put two and two together to believe that Dublin is ganging up on him after he got one over on them again and he is great.

urbanachiever1

xflyer wrote: »

We are a joke in Europe now. Not as big a joke as Greece but not far behind.

I'm curious to know why you think Greece is a joke. Personally I admire the Greek people for going out and demonstrating (peacefully - as the vast majority are) against paying for the mistakes of government, big business and banking systems.

Maybe if we were more active in our protests against abuses of power something might be done to make Healy-Rae accountable for this disgrace.

Inverse to the power of one!

BaZmO* wrote: »

That's just blatant cynicism.

I've been involved in a couple of minor tips and one major "tip" during my years driving.

Major one went through insurance so I don't now the garage that did the work. As for the minor tips, first one the girl just went to a local garage. Second one, I gave the woman my details and she never followed up on it. Third one, someone hit me and I just let it go.

What are you basing your estimates on?

The price of car insurance?

HellFireClub wrote:

I'm sorry you take offence, I think what I have said about this country is dead accurate and spot on. Why do you think the country is in the state that is in, do you think like that it just happened!?! That we just woke up one morning to find the place in bits?!?

What is going on here, is a direct result of the sickening greed that is tolerated by EVERYONE living on this island. Greed that is the subject of this thead.

If you think there is anything of substance that is positive about Ireland at the moment, then by all means, throw them up here and we'll discuss them. I can't see any, the place is a disgusting place to live. People, almost stupidly, fail to see any connection or relationship between the state of the country at every level, (be it anti-social behaviour that infests every community, and their own responsibility as citizens.

Here's an example, if you are ever in a minor road traffic incident in this country, as in a very minor scrape, you can bet your only arsehóle on the fact that the person who you tipped, will go off and get a main dealer estimate done, maximising the cost to you and your insurance, they will make a claim against you, get a cheque for 2K off you or your insurance company, and then never get the work done or pay some poor Polish fúcker 50 quid to get it sorted on the cheap!

This is the mentality that runs straight through this country, where any person will use the first opportunity to put a saddle on you.

If your offended by what HellFireClub has to say, then let me put it in a milder but none the less serious way....Our society is seriously ill. I could spend the entire day listing the fine people in our country, but our illness is that of tolerance, the cancer gnaws at our healthy flesh leaving only disease behind and our unwillingness to take the pain of chemotherapy means it only grows. We have tolerated and ignored it for so long, it is now ingrained to a point where our white blood cells are powerless to a point where they don't even have the means to attack the cancer anymore.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

The Irish reality.

jimmycrackcorm

To add insult to injury, on RTE news, JHR.jr wore a peaked cap in explaining that it had nothing to do with him.

Surely the wearing of such a cap is evidence of untertaking such an idiotic gombeen effort as using Dail phone facilities in such a manner.

thebman

Disappointed by VB coverage of this. Basically tried to sweep under the carpet saying it wasn't important and it was an insignificant amount of money compared to our current situation.

Which is fantastic except it undermines the political system and people voted for the current system to represent change. They could at least have said what the governments plan was to ensure no such offense could occur again but no, we get told, ah sure it was only a few grand like.

The Scientician

urbanachiever1 wrote: »

I'm curious to know why you think Greece is a joke. Personally I admire the Greek people for going out and demonstrating (peacefully - as the vast majority are) against paying for the mistakes of government, big business and banking systems.

They have a bizarre sense of economic entitlement, coupled with a reluctance to pay tax. They are a joke, economically speaking.

cast_iron

gandalf wrote: »

I acknowledge that Michael Healy-Rae did not make the calls but he should condemn the fact that they were made using taxpayers money unreservedly.

He did on Matt Cooper earlier.

A full and prompt investigation should be carried out to identify those who made the calls, if they are Oireachtas staff they should be fired. If it is a past or present member of the Oireachtas they should named and be made pay the bill with interest. (I personally do not believe that the system in place cannot identify the number used).

Even after 4 years? Regular phone companies only have to keep records for 6 months. Why would the Dail keep them for 4 years? And given the fact that they didn't appear to be able to keep detailed records back then, what use would an investigation today be?

The person in charge of the phone systems should be disciplined, those type of lines should have been blocked anyway. Personally I would fire them outright.

So if the Dail wouldn't sanction/ didn't want a system that would record all details, should the head of the communications dept still be disciplined?

As has been said already for people who are unemployed that is a lot of money. Start to multiply waste like this and it is clear it could help keep beds in hospitals open or be used in the education of our children.

Even for those who are employed, it's alot of money. That's just unnecessary drama. I don't think anyone is saying it's a legitimate spend.

At the end of day until we change things so "pot-hole fillers" like the Healy-Raes cannot get elected and milk the system dry any more nothing is going to change. It is obvious that a lot of the electorate cannot or will not make the distinction between national and local politics therefore the system needs to be changed so they are separated.

Indeed finally I agree with you. But they (and everyone else involved in this) can only be judged on the system in use at the time. You can't blame the people of Kerry for doing what's best for their area within the current setup. If they don't someone else will. B it right or wrong, that's human behaviour.

Chuck Stone

BaZmO* wrote: »

While he certainly wasn't a Grade A student, he liked to portray the 'country bumpkin good ol American boy' image.

Yep, the dunder-head war criminal.

Deleted User wrote: »

As much as I cannot stand the Healy Raes I commend them for playing the Irish system so well and getting some good deals for the people of Kerry, I wish my town had someone like them! this is small fry compared to what some of our political leaders are up to and the scams that are in operation in Dublin, don’t hate the players hate the game! The Healy Ray's are fairly cute and fair to them for having the balls, there are far bigger gombeens in Leinster house and the Civil Service that are a much bigger embarrassment to this country and a lot more crooked imo but they talk with suave accents and talk the talk so people buy into it

This is so true. Damn those blasted Healy-Raes doing what TD's do.

Dermo wrote: »

TD's are supposed to be doing work on a national scale. If you want them to look after their own area and interests then elect them as Councillors.

Don't most TD's engage in this type of politics though? Their primary concern is their locale and their jobs/perks not the national interest. It's a systemic issue imo.

bijapos

xflyer wrote: »

Apparently the system in use can't tell which phone or office was used. This in itself is an indictment of Oireachteas system. Back in the late eighties early nineties my company could tell who I called and when I called to the minute. What kind of pathetic system do they have in there?

Note that Michael H-R has said "from what I've been told it's not traceable" or something to that affect. He has said this on a number of occasions today. Well its bolox Mr Healy-Rae, care to tell us who told you this? Thats right, nobody told you, its more lies made up to cover up your story.

As for the Healy-Raes well they were always a standing joke, stage Kerrymen, stage Oirish. Comedy politicians. But they're no joke now.

I get the impression its another win to the Healy-Raes and the joke is on you.

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I look forward to this being exposed and the details of someone being fired over it.

I get the impression that in the next few days a lowly secretary or such is going to be fired because of this. Essentially someone who is told to do a task by somebody much higher up will take the flak for it. I hope it doesn't happen as it won't solve anything.

Liam Byrne

cast_iron wrote: »

He did on Matt Cooper earlier.

He refused point-blank to this morning! So that's some u-turn!

cast_iron wrote: »

I don't think anyone is saying it's a legitimate spend

Again, since the objectionable individual in question repeatedly said that "it's unyooo-shoe-al Anton" this morning, and pointed out that it was "for charity", and refused to answer a basic "yes/no" to "is it wrong?" this is not the impression he was giving this morning.

He's obviously since copped on that enough people objected and is back-ordaining furiously.

Or else he's realised that they can't / won't trace the calls so therefore there will be no accountability and therefore it's now safe to "condemn" the "unknown" person who did this despicable fraudulent waste of our money.

If he'd objected this morning fair enough.

But he didn't, and he was as evasive as Ahern at a tribunal.

Lapin

bamboozle wrote: »

Gombeen Junior was on Newstalk this morning defending himself cause every penny went to charity, the poor fella didnt seem to realise that idiotic and arrogant waste of tax payers money cannot be justified by saying it went to charity.....at least thats what i think he was saying, he always ramps up the accent when on de wireless.

Between himself and the bull the voters of Kerry South could do us all a favour and not vote in the next election.

Well said there Bamboozle. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who believes the Healy Raes exaggerate their Kerry accents when speaking in public. Nobody I ever met speaks like that.

The whole Healy Rae bandwagon is a national embarrassment reflecting the ultimate type of Mé Fein politics that has fúcked this country up for decades.

As for the voters of South Kerry - they are like children.
Tell a child not to throw matchsticks into the fire and sure enough, when your back is turned, the child will throw the matchsticks into the fire.

Plead with the people in South Kerry not to vote for these parasites and sure enough, they'll turn out in their droves to do so.

At least children have the excuse of being children.

bamboozle

from newstalk this morning Minister Burton stated she has not heard back from MHR regarding her request that he resigns his seat on the Citizens information Board while it has transpired that JHR was written to in 2007 regarding these 3600 plus premium phonecalls but never responded to them....

raymon

The Healy Rae are a blight on politics. Always have been sneaky

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

Liam Byrne

bamboozle wrote: »

.....while it has transpired that JHR was written to in 2007 regarding these 3600 plus premium phonecalls but never responded to them....

I was stunned when I heard this ? How come he wasn't fired / suspended ?

Oh yeah - FF needed his support and they don't mind what level of individual gives it - they'll watch his back.

Padraig Mor

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I was stunned when I heard this ? How come he wasn't fired / suspended ?

Oh yeah - FF needed his support and they don't mind what level of individual gives it - they'll watch his back.

You could never prove he made them TBH, even if they came from his phone. And, even though I jokingly referred to it yesterday, it's highly likely he didn't actually make them himself; apparently it's suspected that some form of auto dialer was used. Note that JHR said yestreday he didn't make the calls - but didn't deny knowledge of them....

Liam Byrne

Padraig Mor wrote: »

You could never prove he made them TBH, even if they came from his phone.

Again, not the point.

He refused to reply to a letter about them, and that's enough in my book.

If you've nothing to hide then you don't need to refuse reasonable requests.

Rubik.

This was discovered when it happened in 2007, why is it only coming out now? Could it have anything to do with Healy Rae having a spat with a Government Minister over his position as a member of the Citizens’ Information Board?

Nijmegen

urbanachiever1 wrote: »

I'm curious to know why you think Greece is a joke. Personally I admire the Greek people for going out and demonstrating (peacefully - as the vast majority are) against paying for the mistakes of government, big business and banking systems.

Maybe if we were more active in our protests against abuses of power something might be done to make Healy-Rae accountable for this disgrace.

I agree protests are required to change our flawed system of government. As to Greece being a joke however, the country has a public hospital with 45 gardeners and no garden. That's about as good a punchline as I can think of in describing Greece as a joke.

We need a fully transparent and accountable state. The idea that the Oireachtas doesn't or can't keep records of who is phoning what from their lines strikes me as willful obstructionism of any such investigations. If we don't have the system, we don't have to inconvenience any of our members.

It's like the last great country club.

The call sheets for all members should be routinely published, along with all other statistics like the volume of mail they send out and so forth. Every red cent of my hard earned cash and your hard earned cash those people, and all people spending from the public purse, should be accounted for.

dpe

Padraig Mor wrote: »

You could never prove he made them TBH, even if they came from his phone. And, even though I jokingly referred to it yesterday, it's highly likely he didn't actually make them himself; apparently it's suspected that some form of auto dialer was used. Note that JHR said yestreday he didn't make the calls - but didn't deny knowledge of them....

You could work out if it was an autodialer if the premium rate provider has the call logs (incredibly I can't find any reference to requirements on storage of call logs in Comreg's premium rate code of practice, but I assume it must be somewhere in the regs). Calls from an autodialler will have a regular and repetitive time stamp. Of course a competition hotline should be discounting votes that come from the same place (as online votes tend to), but in reality these things aren't about honesty in the first place, just the money (which is why you can vote as often as you like on the X-factor).

Anyone know which phone system Leinster House uses? Then you could check the veracity of this claim that they can't track the extension number (which I'm convinced is bollocks by the way; I've never heard of a modern phone system that doesn't log calls, by volume and duration, even if it doesn't store the numbers - its usually a finance department audit requirement).

GerM

Oireachtas spokesperson has stated that the calls were not logged and there is no way to tell who made them. Deny deny deny by the bandits and it will blow over in a week with no documented proof.

Hopefully Burton takes him apart on his Citizens Info Board position though which gives him €6k a year plus God knows what expenses he is claiming on top of his TD salary of almost €93k. The man is a joke. His unashamed treatment of this country's tax payers is reprehensible yet he would be elected again tomorrow.

HellFireClub

Well what I'll be doing for my little bit, is: I'll be boycotting Kerry. I think the actions of the people of Kerry, by electing these two neanderthal knuckle dragging gombeen idiots, is an affront to the intelligence of the rest of the country, so I'll be boycotting Kerry from now on, for holidays and for all shopping purchases.

Maybe if we all sent them a clear message by leaving them too it and seeing how they get by when people start disrespecting them back by ignoring them and boycotting them, then they might start to see the bigger picture here.

dpe

GerM wrote: »

Oireachtas spokesperson has stated that the calls were not logged and there is no way to tell who made them. Deny deny deny by the bandits and it will blow over in a week with no documented proof.

Follow the money. Even if the individual calls weren't logged, I guarantee the money spent was. Have you ever worked in a business where the finance department didn't know the overheads of other departments? Of course not. That's how you find out where the calls came from. If the Oireachtas don't know their department costs, that's a tale in itself. This needs a determined journo and a Freedom of Information request. Surely we're allowed to see the finances of the Oireachtas in detail?

GerM wrote: »

Hopefully Burton takes him apart on his Citizens Info Board position though which gives him €6k a year plus God knows what expenses he is claiming on top of his TD salary of almost €93k. The man is a joke. His unashamed treatment of this country's tax payers is reprehensible yet he would be elected again tomorrow.

The guy has more front than Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I listened to him being interviewed on Newstalk about this and his chutzpah was breathtaking.

Padraig Mor

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Again, not the point.

He refused to reply to a letter about them, and that's enough in my book.

If you've nothing to hide then you don't need to refuse reasonable requests.

Unfortunately it is the point. While I agree with you about replying if you have nothing to hide, remember we're talking about Jackie Healy Rae here - the personification of 'neck like a jockey's bollox'; he will have nothing to do with any inquiry unless he is legally forced to. This is the man who refused to apply for a free travel pass (despite being entitled to it) so that he could keep claiming mileage - and did so for three trips per week every week without fail - for the Kerry - Dublin trip.


As for timing: I'd imagine this was an open secret round Leinster House and was only leaked now due to the recent hassle with Joan Burton.

bamboozle

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Unfortunately it is the point. While I agree with you about replying if you have nothing to hide, remember we're talking about Jackie Healy Rae here - the personification of 'neck like a jockey's bollox'; he will have nothing to do with any inquiry unless he is legally forced to. This is the man who refused to apply for a free travel pass (despite being entitled to it) so that he could keep claiming mileage - and did so for three trips per week every week without fail - for the Kerry - Dublin trip.


As for timing: I'd imagine this was an open secret round Leinster House and was only leaked now due to the recent hassle with Joan Burton.

i thought he was using he free travel by taking the train up to dublin for free yet was still claiming his mileage allowance? Either way Gombeen for which the people of South Kerry should be hanging their heads in shame (or at leat 6500 of them who gave MHR 1st preference votes)

bamboozle

Nijmegen wrote: »

I agree protests are required to change our flawed system of government. As to Greece being a joke however, the country has a public hospital with 45 gardeners and no garden. That's about as good a punchline as I can think of in describing Greece as a joke.

We need a fully transparent and accountable state. The idea that the Oireachtas doesn't or can't keep records of who is phoning what from their lines strikes me as willful obstructionism of any such investigations. If we don't have the system, we don't have to inconvenience any of our members.

It's like the last great country club.

The call sheets for all members should be routinely published, along with all other statistics like the volume of mail they send out and so forth. Every red cent of my hard earned cash and your hard earned cash those people, and all people spending from the public purse, should be accounted for.

i see your 45 gardeners and raise you the 2 thousand or so of HR staff employed* in the HSE

* I didnt use the words work or working as there is not enough work in the HSE to keep 2000 staff staff busy.

Lapin

Just heard he's decided to stump up the cash for the phonecalls.

24 hours too late now imo. Reputation tarnished for life.

Resign - And good riddance.

the groutch

Lapin wrote: »

Just heard he's decided to stump up the cash for the phonecalls.

24 hours too late now imo. Reputation tarnished for life.

Resign - And good riddance.

that imo is admission of guilt

hopefully there will be a motion of no confidence in MHR brought before the Dail

raymon

the groutch wrote: »

that imo is admission of guilt

hopefully there will be a motion of no confidence in MHR brought before the Dail

There is no way he will resign. Lowry and Callely have shown that the best policy is to keep your head down and let it blow over.

Harry Angstrom

raymon wrote: »

There is no way he will resign. Lowry and Callely have shown that the best policy is to keep your head down and let it blow over.

Irish politicians have necks like a jockey's bollix. The word "resign" is not in their vocabulary. Is it any wonder that we have no respect whatsoever for the bastards?

BaZmO*

the groutch wrote: »

that imo is admission of guilt

Exactly. How can he offer to pay for it and then not lose his job? It's corruption plain and simple.

Lapin

The more he clings on to that gig at the Citizens info board, the more credibility he loses.

I think he's dirtied his bib too much now - to the point where, even people in South Kerry are embarrassed by him.

Even if he does manage to slither and snake his way through the remainder of this Dáil term, I can't see him ever being re elected in the future.

The very fact that he buckled under pressure to pay us back for the cost of those phonecalls suggests that he is now aware that we are sick of the type of fúckology and gobshítery he peddles.

This is one political career that is destined to end in failure.

And the sooner the better.

HellFireClub

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