Stephen Donnelly apparently driving with no motor tax for 8 months now

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637902#Comment_120637902

I don’t have a care personally for any of your two or three letter parties and couldn’t tell them apart from one another. And I just happen to think the report is entirely lacking in substance. If the Washington Post tried on a report that bare they’d be hung out to dry.

Overheal

Real corruption in Ireland to the tune of millions could go entirely under the rug while the public was still chattering about a politicians wifes allegedly erroneous expired car tax disc

monkeybutter

neither of my cars are taxed, its a victimless crime, like shoplifting

Brussels Sprout

I'm genuinely intrigued what The Ditch will do when SF get into government. Do they just shut up shop at point?

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120639188#Comment_120639188

If it’s as you say they’d just switch to attacking the minority.

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637816#Comment_120637816

He is a minister I don't particularly like in a party I don't particularly like..tbh I don't like any of them...I think the system needs reforming to have an element of rewarding politicians snd policy makers if their decisions result in long term improvements to the way things work...and removing or downgrading pensions etc if their decisions result in disaster or are clearly pro cyclical and **** the future etc

I just happen to think its a bit of a nothing burger of a story, seems petty to me.....if the health system was measurably improving I'd give not a single fook about it...now perhaps taking a look at the current state of play there maybe I should be on his case

I wish people would get more worked up and demand heads for what happened with the children's hospital or handing our toll roads over to a private company instead if running them ourselves and harvesting the income to be put to good use in the country (and not just tax on profits which can be sheltered) or why people are still running around free as a bird with hundreds of convictions etc

But no, let's get in a tizzy about a ministers wife's car that allegedly isn't taxed...such bumholery....if the ditch actually dug up something good on the mismanagement of large projects etc I'd have more time for it...in fairness some of the earlier stuff regarding property was an eye opener but this....meh

wetlandsboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120639188#Comment_120639188

Short answer: yes… And, like everything to do with SF/IRA, if anyone in the media questions them, their motivations or backers, they will be shut down and told that they’re ‘government puppets’. Democracy is hard won, but very easily lost.

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637886#Comment_120637886

Oh god no. I don't care enough to see/wonder if he's involved in anything else. I'm just pointing out that some criminals appears squeaky clean until something minor is discovered and it can open the floodgates. Not saying this is it. It was also tongue in cheek.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120638024#Comment_120638024

Possibly. Or he could be the head of a tax evasion cartel! Who knows! Either way, it's just wrong for a government official to break laws like this. As many have said, they should be held to the highest standard, we're paying them well enough. This isn't someone on €24k a year, this is someone on over €150k a year with €25k specifically for him to drive from Wicklow to Leinster House and maybe stay over. Even if it is paid, it should be displayed. Separate issues. Just the lack of standards we have for our politicians is shocking. We* seem to prefer celebrity over action.

And just because we're discussing this, doesn't mean bigger things should be ignored. We can discuss it all, and it will paint a better overall picture. In my opinion, if unpaid, he believes himself above the law. If paid but not displayed, he shows himself as forgetful which is not something I want a government minister to be.

* - The people, I don't vote. No one represents single males.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120640727#Comment_120640727

All that's perfectly fine except it was his wife's car....

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120640762#Comment_120640762

Which he was driving. The driver is responsible to ensure the discs are valid and displayed.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120640966#Comment_120640966

LOL sure... because every single person in the country checks the discs of their spouses car everytime they drive it.

I think donnelly is a two faced tool who has no business running a hot dog cart let alone the department of health but this is all absolute nonsense.

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120640997#Comment_120640997

Well, they should. It's a legal requirement. Again, for most people I couldn't care less, we even have a brave and stunning poster above who openly admits to never taxing the car as it's a "victimless" crime... But it's not acceptable for an elected government minister/TD to flaunt the laws. If it was a Garda there'd probably be uproar. This lad is higher than Gardai and, nah, tis grand shur.

Maybe I expect too much of our 159k+ a year elected officials. They can't do the job they're elected to do, so I'd have hoped they'd at least be able to keep the simple things in order. Just incompetent through and through.

It seems to boil down to peoples personal opinions on which laws are ok to break and which aren't.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120641086#Comment_120641086

I'm not saying it's grand, he should tax his car and have to pay the fines BUT this is not a story worth the amount of outrage and attention some people are intent on giving it. Be outraged at ED queues, trolleys, the children's hospital or the endless number of issues around health in this country but if this is what's getting you worked up about Stephen Donnelly you are just playing the man not the ball which is pretty fvcking sad considering there's a fvck ton of balls on the pitch that are more important.

Potential-Monke

I'm not worked up about much tbh. And people are already worked up about those issues, but nothing is happening. Now we see that inadequecy (to be a bit sensationalist) in his private life too. Sounds like he should be booted out tbh, he doesn't have the ability to do either right by the looks of it. And yeah, playing the man because he's the man in charge. No point shouting at a position. If he can't sort these issues, who should we be getting on to?

But again, yeah, none of this really bothers me, I just hate seeing anyone get a free pass for breaking the law, regardless of how minor it is. It's ignoring these minor issues is why we have roads full of self-entitled knobs thinking the road is theirs.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637902#Comment_120637902

I'm not an FFG fan boy at all. Donnelly is an arrogant spoofer and incompetent in his job

Paddy Cosgrave is a pathetic detestable vendetta driven troll who thinks his play games are worthy of the entire countrys attention. They're not. If FFG had supported his event you wouldn't hear him have a negative word to say about them.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120644127#Comment_120644127

Ah will you stop.

I don't give a fiddlers who Cosgrave is or that he funded the Ditch. Their research and articles have exposed corruption in our corrupt political system and that's important to me. FG promised reform in these areas 12 years ago, the 2015 reform bill is "stalled".

I never liked Denis O'Brien and knew he was involved in dodgy deals (Esat, Moriarty and Siteserv) and corrupt FG politicians. However I still listened to Newstalk and bought the Irish Indo. I never discredited their articles because of their funder. The exception being when he fired Sam Smyth who was an excellent journalist. That was wrong.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120644151#Comment_120644151

I don't care that you don't care.

Your claims that everyone who gives out about Cosgrave/The Ditch are so called FFG Fanboys have proven nonsense.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120644219#Comment_120644219

Yeah sure, we'll never know I guess.

I thought my DOB point was well made but keep focusing on the messenger.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120644127#Comment_120644127

Remember when Brexit was happening and you had all these millionaires and billionaires in Britain tell everyone how great it would be, that the people should vote for it. Then once it happened they all made more millions and jumped ship ASAP. Dyson a great example.

Paddy Cosgrove is only interested in one person, Paddy Cosgrove. He has zero interest in Ireland or what is good for Ireland. The only fun part of this is watching to see exactly how many millions he is going to make when he gets what he wants.

In terms of the Ditch, they have exposed some massive issues in the Irish political system and hopefully will stop politicians at the dodgy carry on which went on for years.

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120646252#Comment_120646252

All the ranting Paddy Cosgrave does about corruption in Ireland but then he's perfectly happy to be doing business with other very questionable regimes. Yep. He is a hypocrite too.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120638074#Comment_120638074

If I am driving a car belonging to someone else, I am the one responsible for ensuring it is taxed before I use it on a public road. If Donnelly is driving a car belonging to his Wife, he needs to ensure it is taxed. Maybe he's not giving her enough pocket money. Coercive control 😂

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120646678#Comment_120646678

lol what a pisstake.

Im sure every time you’ve borrowed a friends car to drive them home etc you say woah slow down there partner I need to make sure the tires are adequately pressurized and the seatbelts are functional, the headlights work oh and the taxes are paid before we are going anywhere mister 😂

surprise surprise days once again go by after another ditch article without any evidence or receipts for claim

dismissed without evidence.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120647188#Comment_120647188

Yeah, as any responsible person would do.

Make sure the car is taxed (easy to see in an Irish reg'd car).

Insured (usually the driver has their own policy in Ireland).

Safe to drive...if the tyres are bald and the windscreen is covered in cracks and blood...I won't be driving it.

I got fined when I was a teen driving a family members scooter which had no tax disc displayed. I had my insurance temporarily transferred while my own scooter in for service and it's not uncommon for scooters and bikes not to have discs displayed. It was my responsibility to check and I paid the price for my ignorance. The disc was actually in a storage compartment, but as it wasn't on display, I still had to pay the fine. Since then, I've been more careful with such matters. I see cars with no up to date tax every day. It's ridiculously common. No Tax, Insurance, NCT...NO DRIVE.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120647311#Comment_120647311

That freak childhood trauma must really stoke the fear of hall monitoring into you but for the vast majority of people no we have no mind of this. And still more waffle another day where Ditch hasn’t provided any receipts or even a tacit explanation for how they even have a mere suspicion that tax isn’t paid though. Big ol nothingburger. Yum.

Stephen Donnelly allegedly drives his wife’s untaxed car he’s fit for The Hague but Ron DeSantis holds a statewide budget hostage for presidential campaign donations and nobody has batted an eyelid yet around here.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120647328#Comment_120647328

I wouldn't classify a random check-point incident as trauma inducing, but then i'm not in America, so there's no chance of being gunned down at a traffic stop here. For me, it was a lesson to always check what I am driving before jumping in. By all means, you go ahead and drive a car without the proper credentials. Meanwhile, responsible non-scumbag adults will do the right thing.

Nobody here gives a flying fúck about DeSantis.

Overheal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120647392#Comment_120647392

Or a flying **** about evidence apparently, which is still completely absent in this story.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120647703#Comment_120647703

If there were no truth to it, i'm sure Donnelly would be in front of the media to declare it as nonsense. But he hasn't. As has been said already, Donnelly has a history of forgetting to register things and pay tax. Seems to have amnesia when it comes to paying tax. As Minister for Health, he should have that looked into.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648052#Comment_120648052

Coming out to the media it the probably the worst thing any of the TD's can do. You have a clear divide in Ireland now for pro and anti government. In this situation the pro government will see this as a minor issue and not really news worthy. The anti government will want to blow it up to be a huge issue and it doesn't matter what the reason is or isn't.

So looking at it objectively it is better just to say nothing and let it die a natural death.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649244#Comment_120649244

Or show the country that it's fake news and to ignore. He's a TD, not a King.

Cosgrave seems to get up extremely angry every morning. Seems like a very unhappy fellow deep down. You’d have to wonder is everything ok with him.