Barry Cowen sacked

Jinglejangle69

Bass Reeves wrote: »

As far as I know it's an allowance not a mileage claim. It is block no matter what mode of transportation you use.

Imagine people travelling to normal jobs everyday got a travel allowance.

What does it actually mean??????

Darc19

McMurphy wrote: »

Barry Cowen failed his roadside breathalyser test, is that not an arrestable offence? Could've sworn it was.

No. His level was low (under 50mg) and the option was there to take a fine and 3 months ban.

That was an option until the recent changes.

Bass Reeves

McMurphy wrote: »

Barry Cowen failed his roadside breathalyser test, is that not an arrestable offence? Could've sworn it was.

Yes and he would have been taken to the station and had to give another breath sample or blood/ urine. When this came back below 50 as it was his first offence. He received 12 penalty points that automatically put him off the road for three months. These 12 points were expunged after he served his time off the road. Any other points he may have had remained.

Koolguy

Bass Reeves wrote: »

At the side of the road yes. If you fail that and get to the station you can opt for breath, urine or blood.

Urine was a big choice for women 15-20 years ago as there had to be a female to go into the room with the person giving the sample.
Back then there might not have been a Ban Garda on for that shift

Breath is the intoxylyzer?

You get 3 choices at the station?

Witcher

Darc19 wrote: »

You don't seem to understand the difference between a fixed penalty that requires no arrest or court case and therefore no publicity and an arrest for refusing to provide a breath specimen when asked to do so by a garda, thus leading to arrest and being brought to the Garda station where she ensured a decent delay. (she was in the station for over 2 hours)

And due to this very well planned delay, her test came back 30% under the limit. (and well above Cowens test cos limits had changed and he stupidly had provisional license)

There seems to be a bit of confusion over how drink driving is prosecuted.

Barry Cowen failed a roadside breath test, he definitely was arrested and a breath sample was taken at a station. This returned a result which was eligible for an FCPN. The sample that is given in the a station is the evidential sample, the roadside sample is a simple pass/fail...it doesn't provide an actual result of your alcohol level.

Anyone who fails a roadside test is arrested.

McMurphy

Darc19 wrote: »

No. His level was low (under 50mg) and the option was there to take a fine and 3 months ban.

That was an option until the recent changes.

You sure?

I thought the procedure was that if you failed the roadside breathalyser test, you were automatically arrested for the purposes of being detained so as you could be taken to the station with a proper machine (sorry but the name of the machine escapes me right now)

It's on this machines test results that determines whether or not you are charged. The roadside breathalyser isn't accurate enough or something.

Admittedly, I'm neither a guard nor been through the procedure before, but I know a few people who have.

McMurphy

Witcher wrote: »

There seems to be a bit of confusion over how drink driving is prosecuted.

Barry Cowen failed a roadside breath test, he definitely was arrested and a breath sample was taken at a station. This returned a result which was eligible for an FCPN. The sample that is given in the a station is the evidential sample, the roadside sample is a simple pass/fail...it doesn't provide an actual result of your alcohol level.

Anyone who fails a roadside test is arrested.

Yes - this is what I would ha e been led to believe, thanks for confirming.

Koolguy

Witcher wrote: »

There seems to be a bit of confusion over how drink driving is prosecuted.

Barry Cowen failed a roadside breath test, he definitely was arrested and a breath sample was taken at a station. This returned a result which was eligible for an FCPN. The sample that is given in the a station is the evidential sample, the roadside sample is a simple pass/fail...it doesn't provide an actual result of your alcohol level.

Anyone who fails a roadside test is arrested.

How do you know a breath sample was taken at the station

Didn't he have a choice

Witcher

Koolguy wrote: »

How do you know a breath sample was taken at the station

Didn't he have a choice

After alcohol was detected in the initial test he was then brought to a Garda station where he was breathalyzed again and found to be over the limit.

https://www.thesun.ie/news/5617800/dad-girl-killed-motorist-calls-agriculture-minister-barry-cowen-step-down/

The person only has a choice in providing a sample of blood or urine if there is no intoxilizer in the station, it's not working or they are physically incapable of providing a breath specimen. A breath specimen must always be taken if the option is available

Koolguy

Witcher wrote: »

https://www.thesun.ie/news/5617800/dad-girl-killed-motorist-calls-agriculture-minister-barry-cowen-step-down/

The person only has a choice in providing a sample of blood or urine if there is no intoxilizer in the station, it's not working or they are physically incapable of providing a breath specimen. A breath specimen must always be taken if the option is available

So generally the Garda would bring you to a station with a working intoxylyzer?

Witcher

Koolguy wrote: »

So generally the Garda would bring you to a station with a working intoxylyzer?

Very few stations have them...wouldn't be worth travelling for the sake of using one, most drink driving cases are prosecuted on blood or urine samples.

Bass Reeves

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

Imagine people travelling to normal jobs everyday got a travel allowance.

What does it actually mean??????

Yes people tarvelling to normal at times work on an allowance basis. However TD's attending the Dail are elected in there constituency and still return, live and carry out activity in this area. Attending the Dail is not a normal job. Most meeting/voting takes place in the evening/nights so those serving have to travel and live in Dublin part of the week. As often they may need to return to the constituency during the week and reattend the Dail an allowance mechanism is the most effective method of paying expenses.

If we had a expenses mechanism and they all booked into. Lads would be giving out if TD's were staying in the Shelbourne or the Merrion as well and claiming expenses

James Brown

Darc19 wrote: »

You don't seem to understand the difference between a fixed penalty that requires no arrest or court case and therefore no publicity and an arrest for refusing to provide a breath specimen when asked to do so by a garda, thus leading to arrest and being brought to the Garda station where she ensured a decent delay. (she was in the station for over 2 hours)

And due to this very well planned delay, her test came back 30% under the limit. (and well above Cowens test cos limits had changed and he stupidly had provisional license)

I am not talking about how serious Cowen's offense was. Just the fact it wasn't covered while we got every detail of Daly's.
The latest on Cowen continuing to take full expenses is worth looking into too.
As is how the press decide which story to bury and what to go to town over.

VillageIdiot71

Bowie wrote: »

I am not talking about how serious Cowen's offense was. Just the fact it wasn't covered while we got every detail of Daly's.
The latest on Cowen continuing to take full expenses is worth looking into too.

Absolutely, any politician at this stage should expect such questions.

Bowie wrote: »

As is how the press decide which story to bury and what to go to town over.

Absolutely. Still not a peep from any corner of the press about new Minister Roderic O'Gorman's endorsement of Peter Tatchell.

The Phantom Jipper

With the development regarding his expenses now, he surely has to go.

Bass Reeves

The Phantom Jipper wrote: »

With the development regarding his expenses now, he surely has to go.

It's an allowance

ohnonotgmail

Bowie wrote: »

I am not talking about how serious Cowen's offense was. Just the fact it wasn't covered while we got every detail of Daly's.
The latest on Cowen continuing to take full expenses is worth looking into too.
As is how the press decide which story to bury and what to go to town over.

covered how? he got a fixed charged notice. he had no court appearance. how could a reporter report on it? are you suggesting that a garda should have tipped off a reporter?

The Phantom Jipper

Bass Reeves wrote: »

It's an allowance

The allowance is designed to cover expenses. By the sounds of it, his main expense should have been a rail ticket costing a couple of hundred quid a month. I'd be intrigued to hear the rest of his expenses that brought him up over 2k a month for months in a row.

Koolguy

Has anyone figured out what he's hiding about the driving licence

Homelander

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

covered how? he got a fixed charged notice. he had no court appearance. how could a reporter report on it? are you suggesting that a garda should have tipped off a reporter?

It's been explained to him several times in this thread which he repeatedly ignores and keeps banging his lunatic conspiracy drum.

Bass Reeves

The Phantom Jipper wrote: »

The allowance is designed to cover expenses. By the sounds of it, his main expense should have been a rail ticket costing a couple of hundred quid a month. I'd be intrigued to hear the rest of his expenses that brought him up over 2k a month for months in a row.

TD's are paid a fixed allowance to cover travel meal and accomodation per day they are in the Dail. It immaterial whether you drive, cycle or take public transportation. It immaterial whether you stay in a hostel or the Shelbourne hotel or eat in supermacs or in Chapter one. It's a fixed amount per sitting

JP Liz V1

How was this not in any media at the time?

If he was driving alone on a Learner Permit and over the limit why was his car not impounded on the spot

Limpy

How did the press get Claire Daly's information and not his?

ohnonotgmail

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

How was this not in any media at the time?

If he was driving alone on a Learner Permit and over the limit why was his car not impounded on the spot

how would that get into the media? he didnt appear in court

Limpy

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

how would that get into the media? he didnt appear in court

Claire Daly wasn't in court?

ohnonotgmail

Limpy wrote: »

Claire Daly wasn't in court?

is clare daly a he?

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

How was this not in any media at the time?

If he was driving alone on a Learner Permit and over the limit why was his car not impounded on the spot

Bass Reeves

Limpy wrote: »

How did the press get Claire Daly's information and not his?

A Garda who should not have done it. Just like she should not have been handcuffed at the scene.

Homelander

Limpy wrote: »

Claire Daly wasn't in court?

Someone within Gardai tipped the media off about Clare Daly.

The same didn't happen with Barry Cowen.

Absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with media coverups or "burying stories", putting aside the laughable notion that an entire countries media conspired to protect a rural TD in an unpopular, out of power party.

EB_2013

Would this even be as big of a story if he wasn't related to Brian Cowen. He's going to be hounded out of the office if he makes any mistakes.

JP Liz V1

So a Gardai contacted the media about Daly but all was kept quiet on Cowan (a prominent TD in cabinet and brother of a former Taoiseach)

If this was about an SF TD, I'm sure all parties would be demanding resignation