Martin Cullen and La Dolce Villa

washman3

Tellox wrote: »

Fair play to him, he's a gentleman, and did a lot of work for Waterford despite his Career being marred by false accusations over a number of years.

€120k/yr is a decent enough retirement package, which to be fair I think is quite low considering he had to deal with the bull**** and begrudging attitudes of the Waterford people as a whole for as long as he did. To be honest, in his position, I'd demand double before I'd even consider listening to the **** that some of you manage to come out with. Accusing him of tax dodging, stating he shouldn't be allowed to live in another country.. ****ing hell, I'm surprised you managed to turn on your PC and type that **** out.

Anyway, back to the point - fair play to him. I hope he enjoys himself over there.

And here my friends is exactly where our country has arrived at.
we can only despair when we read posts like this.
as long as there are attitudes like this, charletens like Cullen,Lowry,Ahern et al will always flourish.
He must be having some laugh today in the Florida sun flanked by his new blonde partner as they drive their new Jag into the garage of their luxury mansion, safe in the knowledge that there are still apologetic clowns in his corner.:mad:

Tellox

washman3 wrote: »

And here my friends is exactly where our country has arrived at.
we can only despair when we read posts like this.
as long as there are attitudes like this, charletens like Cullen,Lowry,Ahern et al will always flourish.
He must be having some laugh today in the Florida sun flanked by his new blonde partner as they drive their new Jag into the garage of their luxury mansion, safe in the knowledge that there are still apologetic clowns in his corner.:mad:

I'm not apologetic. I'm not a fan of any Irish politicians over the last decade - In fact, I'm not that interested in politics at all, but when they have to put up with idiots like you on a daily basis? They should be paid double.

Like I said, if you think you can do better, join/form a political party, start campaigning, outline your campaign goals alongside information on how you intend on achieving those goals. If the general public believe in your motives, they will vote you in, and following that you can set about completing your goals. I'll even give you my vote as a freebie for running.

merlante

Fair play to him.

People may wish that he broke some law, but he didn't. He was elected to the Dail by the people of Waterford on numerous occasions, topped the poll with a huge tally on more than one occasion, was elevated to the cabinet where he served for a number of years. Then he retired and got his ministerial pension. The same option was open to anyone on here, but I suspect that most would not have the talent to get to where he got to (yes, talent), and if they did (judging by some odd posts on the 'I lost my wallet and it was handed in with cash still in it' threads) they would probably have made out like even bigger bandits.

Are people annoyed because he did something bad that they genuinely wouldn't have done in his situation, or is it because it was him, and not them, that made it? I wonder.

washman3

Tellox wrote: »

Fair play to him, he's a gentleman, and did a lot of work for Waterford.

Ah shure didnt he secure the planning permission for Joe and Sheila's new bungalow next to Joe's parents house when everyone else failed. A great man altogether. :D
Joe and Sheila will shortly be paying €1000 per year for Martin's hush hush favour...;)

Tellox

washman3 wrote: »

Ah shure didnt he secure the planning permission for Joe and Sheila's new bungalow next to Joe's parents house when everyone else failed. A great man altogether. :D
Joe and Sheila will shortly be paying €1000 per year for Martin's hush hush favour...;)

I have no idea of who they are or why they got planning permission, mostly because I don't really give a flying **** about what sounds like a minor domestic issue. He's a Minister. Not your local planning permission office. Sounds like he did a favour for a friend of his? If so, what's the issue with that?

edit; Actually, what has he actually done from a Ministerial point of view that you disagree with? So far you've only thrown back to the Cullen/Leech case (of which it was found to be fabricated tabloid ****ology, which only served to **** up the lives of two families), alongside making some reference to some bloke getting planning permission for his house. Comments like yours are in around the reasons of why if I was elected as a Minister in Waterford, I wouldn't arrive to the office and say "What's on the minds of my townsfolk?", but rather stumble in with a 5 O'Clock Shadow, and a terrible hangover, muttering "What the hell do these idiots want now?"

Black Suir

gscully wrote: »

I wondered how long it would take. Going off topic now, but get your facts straight. U2 are not dodging tax. They moved part of their business to Holland to avail of lower taxes. They still pay taxes in both Holland and Ireland. We didn't complain when the likes of Def Leppard moved here to avail of the low 'artist' tax. If there was a loophole we could exploit, we would do it. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Cullen has every right to live in another country and invest his money as he likes. My only gripe is that he has a pension with such a high value when I've worked hard for the last fifteen years to see mine valued at around €10k per annum, or when the workers of Waterford Crystal got practically nothing. Cullen is a small part of a big dirty picture, but until things change, we just have to live with it. Sadly.

I am sure that Martin is also paying tax on both sides of the Ocean just as U2 are.

Black Suir

Dan133269 wrote: »

That's the biggest crock of shite I've read in a long time. The man is a disgrace, wasted 52 MILLION euro on electronic voting, then turned around and referred to it as "small change". Small change, which would have made a huge difference to those attending underfunded schools in his constituency and people travelling to Dublin for cancer treatment because there is no radiotherapy in the south east.

People were campaigning for a second bridge for a long time, it eventually came, built by public-private partnership and charging a toll allowing a private company to make a profit. People campaigned for a University? Did he deliver? He insulted everyone by telling people that the WIT was a University in all but name, and in his opinion it was just as good as a University. If so, why didn't he use his position to try and make it a University? He said these words at the same time Mary Hanafin said there was no plan to turn WIT into a University. So, not only did Martin Cullen not adhere to the principle of collective cabinet responsibility, he was prepared to patronise the people of Waterford by speaking to them out of one side of his mouth and speaking out of the other at the cabinet table.

What did he do for those who lost their pensions in Waterford crystal? Sweet fuck all.

He got money for the Viking Triangle, at a time when there was literally more money available for funding than at any time in the history of the State. That's the only good thing he did. He's a disgrace.

Was that not Noel Dempey, but the media alway tag the idea with Martin Cullen.

Smiley Burnett

Tellox wrote: »

Fair play to him, he's a gentleman, and did a lot of work for Waterford despite his Career being marred by false accusations over a number of years.

€120k/yr is a decent enough retirement package, which to be fair I think is quite low considering he had to deal with the bull**** and begrudging attitudes of the Waterford people as a whole for as long as he did. To be honest, in his position, I'd demand double before I'd even consider listening to the **** that some of you manage to come out with. Accusing him of tax dodging, stating he shouldn't be allowed to live in another country.. ****ing hell, I'm surprised you managed to turn on your PC and type that **** out.

Anyway, back to the point - fair play to him. I hope he enjoys himself over there.

Do you realise that he gets a tax-free cheque EVERY MONTH to the value of €10,000????

That is the equivalent of WINNING THE DEISE DRAW EVERY SINGLE MONTH!!! Tis time now that people copped on!!!!!

mikom

Smiley Burnett wrote: »

Do you realise that he gets a tax-free cheque EVERY MONTH to the value of €10,000????

That is the equivalent of WINNING THE DEISE DRAW EVERY SINGLE MONTH!!! Tis time now that people copped on!!!!!

Now you know where your household charge is going Smiley.
100 of them each month.....

Smiley Burnett

Tellox wrote: »

I have no idea of who they are or why they got planning permission, mostly because I don't really give a flying **** about what sounds like a minor domestic issue. He's a Minister. Not your local planning permission office. Sounds like he did a favour for a friend of his? If so, what's the issue with that?

edit; Actually, what has he actually done from a Ministerial point of view that you disagree with? So far you've only thrown back to the Cullen/Leech case (of which it was found to be fabricated tabloid ****ology, which only served to **** up the lives of two families), alongside making some reference to some bloke getting planning permission for his house. Comments like yours are in around the reasons of why if I was elected as a Minister in Waterford, I wouldn't arrive to the office and say "What's on the minds of my townsfolk?", but rather stumble in with a 5 O'Clock Shadow, and a terrible hangover, muttering "What the hell do these idiots want now?"

He paid Monica leech in excess of ONE THOUSAND EURO PER DAY to do work that we were already paying a civil servant to do!!! Nothing illegal about it, but please don't say that it was money well spent!!!!!

Smiley Burnett

mikom wrote: »

Now you know where your household charge is going Smiley.
100 of them each month.....

Agreed!!! These obscene pension payments should stop!!!!

Tellox

Smiley Burnett wrote: »

He paid Monica leech in excess of ONE THOUSAND EURO PER DAY to do work that we were already paying a civil servant to do!!! Nothing illegal about it, but please don't say that it was money well spent!!!!!

You got any legitimate proof of that, besides Joe Duffy?

On that, although your above numbers are hilariously inaccurate, so what? The doors are open for anyone to get into a well paid job. Like I said, if I was dealing with morons all day, I'd really be asking for a lot more.

Smiley Burnett

Tellox wrote: »

You got any legitimate proof of that, besides Joe Duffy?

On that, although your above numbers are hilariously inaccurate, so what? The doors are open for anyone to get into a well paid job. Like I said, if I was dealing with morons all day, I'd really be asking for a lot more.

I do actually. All this info is in public domain already.

Cabaal

Smiley Burnett wrote: »

I do actually. All this info is in public domain already.

Please post this info then, from a reliable source of course.....

Shouldn't be a problem for you if it's out in public domain

Black Suir

Smiley Burnett wrote: »

He paid Monica leech in excess of ONE THOUSAND EURO PER DAY to do work that we were already paying a civil servant to do!!! Nothing illegal about it, but please don't say that it was money well spent!!!!!

I am lead to believe that you MAY be a member of Fine Gael. Forgive me if i am wrong, just going on what i was told, But what the difference between this and what Fine Gael and Labour Ministers are doing since the last election. How many have appointed friends or friends of friends as some sort of special advisors, on a salary of over €100,000 a year.

Tellox

Smiley Burnett wrote: »

I do actually. All this info is in public domain already.

That's nice, so can you present it? Again, note that Joe Duffy/Soliders of Fortune/Any tabloid sensationalism or general bullshíttery promoting moronic opinions of the uneducated doesn't count.

Black Suir

Smiley Burnett wrote: »

I do actually. All this info is in public domain already.

Do you have any links where either he or Monica Leach confirmed this, or even a member of a department he served in, or are they just the work of a journalists. If its the latter, paper never refuses ink and lots of what they say could be dismissed.

4MWD

Martin Cullen's greatest legacy to us is the M9 motorway which would not be there without him having being a Government minister at the time. For that reason alone he deserves the gratitude of Waterfordians, as for many, many years to come it will be a huge benefit to the whole region.
I personally thought I'd never see a proper road between Dublin and Waterford in my lifetime and after years of hating driving on what was really just a big dirt track I now love the journey.
What other TD ever got so much for the Deise? Austin Deasy, with Ardkeen Hospital, is the only other person I know of who EVER delivered anything much for Waterford.

Tellox

Black Suir wrote: »

Do you have any links where either he or Monica Leach confirmed this, or even a member of a department he served in, or are they just the work of a journalists. If its the latter, paper never refuses ink and lots of what they say could be dismissed.

Indeed. There's a reason every single newspaper lost their Court battles against them - they were fabricating a serious amount of bull, which lead to even more bull being created by even dumber people; ala, the birth of Soldiers of Fortune. In short, they managed to dumb down the entire population of the Country. And yet, even after the tabloids have to apologise for their practises, people are still stupid enough to think they were still correct in their reporting.

Seriously, you couldn't pay me enough to babysit the minds of the idiots that believe this shít. I'd propose Genocide within my first month on the job. Sorry to push the point home, but for Minister Cullen, who spent so long listening to the begrudgery and thankless nature of the town that he spent so long working for, I wish him all the very best in his endeavours abroad. I only hope we didn't leave too sour a taste in his mouth.

Black Suir

4MWD wrote: »

Martin Cullen's greatest legacy to us is the M9 motorway which would not be there without him having being a Government minister at the time. For that reason alone he deserves the gratitude of Waterfordians, as for many, many years to come it will be a huge benefit to the whole region.
I personally thought I'd never see a proper road between Dublin and Waterford in my lifetime and after years of hating driving on what was really just a big dirt track I now love the journey.
What other TD ever got so much for the Deise? Austin Deasy, with Ardkeen Hospital, is the only other person I know of who EVER delivered anything much for Waterford.

Ciara Conway and Paudie Coffey keeps the local papers ticking over as much as possible with all the statements they send them or are sent to them on their behalf. Thats someting i suppose.

Tellox

4MWD wrote: »

Martin Cullen's greatest legacy to us is the M9 motorway which would not be there without him having being a Government minister at the time. For that reason alone he deserves the gratitude of Waterfordians, as for many, many years to come it will be a huge benefit to the whole region.
I personally thought I'd never see a proper road between Dublin and Waterford in my lifetime and after years of hating driving on what was really just a big dirt track I now love the journey.
What other TD ever got so much for the Deise? Austin Deasy, with Ardkeen Hospital, is the only other person I know of who EVER delivered anything much for Waterford.

People only remember what they want to remember. And the unfortunate attitude of the Waterford people has been largely to immediately hold a grudge against anyone who has done well for themselves; regardless of how much good that person may have done for them. Martin Cullen did a huge amount of good for Waterford - albiet we still don't have a radiotherapy unit, he put a huge amount of effort into our campaigns for one. Alongside that, we literally didn't have a decent road in the County until he came along. Now we've one of the better road systems in the Country.

He did some great things for Waterford, and it's an insult to the general intelligence of the entire region that the people of Waterford choose to remember him for the false reporting that marred the lives of both him and the other accused party - even after it was proved false, and on top of this, begrudge him his pension, which in my opinion, is too little considering the hell he went through thanks to the people he spent his career working for, even spending his days working when his health was deteriorating.

Black Suir

Does anyone know, did Martin Cullen also help secure some sort of grant through some special areas project to develop Walsh Park in the city, but the then county board in their wisdom turned it and his work down so that they could get involved with WIT in Carriganore. I heard a figure of something between €17,000,000 and €30,000,000 was mentioned. The money i am told was to go towards the cost of putting propper terracing at the ground and propper facilities, which are very much lacking at the ground.

christmas2012

dlofnep wrote: »

How is he dodging tax? Are you suggesting that anyone should be forced to live in Ireland? Christ, I hate Fianna Fáil as much as the next guy - but this is just absurd.

hes left for florida and lives there after years of bankrupting ireland and profiteering out of ireland,but not happy to pay his way..

Smiley Burnett

Read the gleeson report. All the details are there. Cullen and leech sued rte/newspapers and won because of lies which were printed about them (and rightly so!!). There is only aspect of it the entire episode that I am critical of --the massive waste of taxpayers money hiring a PR consultant whilst we already had civil servants paid to do the same job!!!!

jimmyw

washman3 wrote: »

Ah shure didnt he secure the planning permission for Joe and Sheila's new bungalow next to Joe's parents house when everyone else failed. A great man altogether. :D
Joe and Sheila will shortly be paying €1000 per year for Martin's hush hush favour...;)

See this is the problem with politicians and the voters, if they do great things in their eyes, no matter what else they have done and no matter how bad or corrupt it is, they still clap them on the back just because they "Shur they got them their medical card" or "they did great work for such and such a county".:(

That does not make it right.But of course its a case of shoot the messenger :mad:

decies

jimmyw wrote: »

See this is the problem with politicians and the voters, if they do great things in their eyes, no matter what else they have done and no matter how bad or corrupt it is, they still clap them on the back just because they "Shur they got them their medical card" or "they did great work for such and such a county".:(

That does not make it right.But of course its a case of shoot the messenger :mad:

Have always felt that Irish people should have a IQ test before they vote , just listen to them give reasons why they voted for a certain politician or voted yes or no in a European treaty confirms this to me. Ban stupid people from voting would be my slogan !!!!

Bards

decies wrote: »

Have always felt that Irish people should have a IQ test before they vote , just listen to them give reasons why they voted for a certain politician or voted yes or no in a European treaty confirms this to me. Ban stupid people from voting would be my slogan !!!!

And it was some very smart people who got us into this financial mess.

Define stupid please?

rasper

Hes waterfords version of Healy Rae or Lowry , we get the government we deserve , I hate the parasites we vote in , but we consistently return these clowns , imagine a 120k pension and he's 58 , by the time they finished with us they won't be a state pension till you re 75
ActuAlly funny thAt we r so placid

Darkest Horse

rasper wrote: »

imagine a 120k pension and he's 58 , by the time they finished with us they won't be a state pension till you re 75
ActuAlly funny thAt we r so placid

Would YOU turn down that pension in his position? I suppose you would, kind soul that you are. It's not Cullen's worry or concern that Rasper has a MORAL issue with what he is LEGALLY entitled too under the governmental policy of the time. It's just sheer jealousy and begrudgery.

Regarding a retirement age of 75? It's about time. Those of the human race who aren't on a fastrack to obesity are living much longer and are far more physically and mentally capable at 65+ than ever. This was always going to happen and so it should.

Darkest Horse

Bards wrote: »

And it was some very smart people who got us into this financial mess.

Define stupid please?

To be fair to him, there's no definition required. You just have to look back over some of the posts in this thread to see it in full working motion.