Media silence over Niall Collins story

Cluedo Monopoly · 07-05-2023 1:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565278#Comment_120565278

100% it's actually mighty.

FFG have blocked reform for a long time. The Public Standards Reform bill 2015 is inexplicably gathering dust and SIPO will never get the powers it needs. Avenues like the Ditch will help.

VinLieger · 07-05-2023 1:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565178#Comment_120565178

The only squeeling and gnashing seems to be coming from people like yourself who are happy that the ditch is going after people you don't like and refuse to see the motives behind those who fund the ditch should be questioned, basically saying the ends justify the means which is pretty childish and very shortsighted.

Dav010 · 07-05-2023 1:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565326#Comment_120565326

No it doesn’t, not by a long shot. It shows that they have lost their focus and are now publishing any crap that comes their way. Had they done their research they would have seen that Collins, according to the FOI, played a minuscule part in the sale of the property by the CoCo. Again, I would refer you to the latest piece on the Ditch about an “Ex Fine Gael TD” who sold a nursing home last year, the guy hasn’t been a TD since 2002. Is that a relevant story in political corruption? If not, why make such a big deal about the fact that the guy is an ex FG TD? Stories like that don’t make the Ditch relevant, it makes them look like they are scraping the bottom of the barrel and trying to go to any length, no matter how tenuous, to link the political parties to wrong doing.

That is not relevance, I’ve posted it before here, you are their target audience, you believed the insinuations and allegations about Niall Collins and even though they have subsequently been shown to be paper thin, you think it is relevant, it isn’t. They should focus on real corruption, do their research before they publish, and try not to discredit what good they have done before.

jackboy · 07-05-2023 1:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565354#Comment_120565354

They have had a few stories about Collins including his planning permission shenanigans. This adds to that. Collins behaviour is not appropriate for a politician or anyone else. He has not been fired but the electorate will be better informed next time, that is important.

Dav010 · 07-05-2023 1:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565362#Comment_120565362

The electorate have been informed about Michael Lowry for 30 years, and he still topped the poll every time he ran, so don’t be naive.

jackboy · 07-05-2023 1:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565368#Comment_120565368

That is democracy. People have a right to vote for a dodgy politician but if they do so knowingly they are responsible for the potential negative impacts.

Cluedo Monopoly · 07-05-2023 2:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565345#Comment_120565345

So people you like such as Robert Troy and Damien English and Paul Hyde did nothing wrong in your eyes?

The multiple cases against Paul Hyde for blatant cronyism probably should be throw out of court too eh?

Overheal · 07-05-2023 4:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565178#Comment_120565178

Or wrong. Terrible shaky logic you have there.

There was a lot of gnashing of teeth over Project Veritas reporting over the years too. Virtually none of their reporting was faithful or accurate. The US spent tens of millions of dollars investigating its fetus tissue for money allegations and found them lacking - in all of over a dozen states that were jointly and independently investigated even by Republicans. They recently parted ways with their founder to try and gain a modicum of credibility

jackboy · 07-05-2023 4:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566003#Comment_120566003

What are you talking about? The Ditch have exposed true corruption proven by the politicians and others that have been sacked.

JP Liz V1 · 07-05-2023 4:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120562173#Comment_120562173

Yes if untrue then why isn't Niall Collins taking a case against The Ditch or answering any questions in The Dail or doing any interviews etc.,

Overheal · 07-05-2023 5:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566020#Comment_120566020

Yeah a couple of people quit their jobs over project Veritas reporting too. This however fell far below a reasonable batting average there as well. Reporting any two or more unrelated cases does not make the reports both or more all true if only one of them is. No amount of getting other people fired for example, from completely unrelated stories, came back around and gave any legitimacy to their fetal tissue reporting, which all turned out to be bunk still.

Similarly if Daft reporting got a few politicians sacked or retired in the past doesn’t mean each additional new report doesn’t need to stand on its own legs. And these legs have been reportedly found wanting.

Overheal · 07-05-2023 5:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566021#Comment_120566021

maybe he’s waiting for the Ditch to plug all the holes in their reporting still. Maybe he has better things to do than give oxygen to it. Politics 101.

Dav010 · 07-05-2023 5:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566021#Comment_120566021

To what end? The story is dead.

The Ditch have no assets, one of the clowns who owns it was just ordered to leave his home after running up rent arrears of €50k and relies on family benefit. The only thing Niall Collins would get is a substantial legal bill.

He made a statement outlining how the information relating to the sale of the property, and his role in it, which amounted to his presence at a local commitee meeting which didn’t even vote on the sale (which the Ditch got wrong by the way) is all available through FOI. Even the opposition, SF made no effort to make a song and dance about it, that was left to PBP.

Antipathetic · 07-05-2023 6:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565368#Comment_120565368

I'm hopeful that younger people are less tolerant of political corruption and that the days of corrupt politicians being re-elected is coming to a swift end, I get the impression that people are ready for change.

JP Liz V1 · 07-05-2023 6:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566066#Comment_120566066

I don't know maybe Niall wants to keep quiet so the story just dies away without answering anything

What's the story with the redacted documents/letters?

Antipathetic · 07-05-2023 6:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566146#Comment_120566146

Okay, that still doesn't explain why he hasn't stood up and answered questions on the matter from opposition politicians. If he was so innocent, wouldn't he want to stand up and clear his name, because at the moment he is cowering behind his party colleagues, hoping for the issue to blow over.

At least that is how I see it, and I hope those in his constituency see it the same way.

Allinall · 07-05-2023 6:59pm

The issue has blown over.

The opposition has stopped calling for a q & a session, as they have all the answers.

To coin a phrase- Its a nothing burger.

The only people trying to keep it alive are cranks on Boards, from what I can see.

Antipathetic · 07-05-2023 7:03pm

Well hopefully someone will put up posters reminding his constituents of all the controversy he has been embroiled in when election time rolls around.

Hopefully the people of his constituency will do the right thing and vote for someone else, preferably who doesn't have such a shady past.

elperello · 07-05-2023 7:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566568#Comment_120566568

You are probably not familiar with that part of Limerick.

Also you should look up the laws governing elections and posters.

Dav010 · 07-05-2023 7:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566533#Comment_120566533

He did what anyone else of us would do, he pointed to the facts and provided information under the FOI, that isn’t cowering. To be honest, I wouldn’t give Paul Murphy the platform to grandstand either.

There is no doubt that the electorate will have their say on the matter, but this is not the bullet you hope it is, more might come out which is more damaging though. That is the shame about this, it devalues what the Ditch has done previously, most can see that there really isn’t a story there, or if there is, it isn’t what the Ditch claims it to be. As more facts have come into the light, the “wrongdoing” becomes less of a scandal and more of an eye rolling exercise.

SnazzyPig · 07-05-2023 8:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565345#Comment_120565345

A real simple request-

Give me one example of me squeeling or gnashing my teeth.

Cluedo Monopoly · 08-05-2023 8:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566568#Comment_120566568

He lost 4000 FP votes in the last election (12k to 8k) in an election where FF did well. It's a 3 seater with a SF candidate breathing down their neck. He won't be elected after this shambles of a government completes. Guaranteed. Limerick people suffer more than most from the health crisis too.

Annasopra · 08-05-2023 8:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565326#Comment_120565326

Im not aware of anyone who was fired. People resigned yes.

Annasopra · 08-05-2023 8:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120566020#Comment_120566020

Do you even know what you are talking about? Nobody was sacked

Sono Topolino · 08-05-2023 9:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120568543#Comment_120568543

"Resigned" runs the whole gamut from stepping back for personal/family reasons to a simple face saving measure because you know you will be fired. It's a fair assumption that a large portion ministers who resign in scandal did so in part because they that knew they would be fired.

Cluedo Monopoly · 08-05-2023 9:54am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120568672#Comment_120568672

Yeah Troy held on as long as he could but by the end he knew he would be fired by Leo if he didn't resign.

Previously the Minister for Agriculture Cowen (FF) refused to resign and had to be sacked by Martin so they know how the game works. He did manage to call the Gardai liars when they maintained he tried to avoid a checkpoint. That's the level...

VinLieger · 08-05-2023 10:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120567047#Comment_120567047

The entire thread is people whinging about a non story, also note I said "people like yourself" so not neccessarily specifically referencing you but more those like you with a cosgrave sized chip on your shoulder attitude that your blind to the huge red flags around his and the ditches motives.