05.01.07
Bertie under pressure
Greens, all is forgiven. Keep it up. From Ireland.com
“Pressure mounted today as Opposition party leaders united in their call for Mr Ahern to explain himself to the public before voting begins on May 24th.
Green party leader Trevor Sargent accused the Taoiseach of hiding behind the tribunal and called on him to make a public statement about his financial affairs ahead of the election.
He said Mr Ahern had “many questions to answer” about his finances and said the adjournment of the Mahon tribunal yesterday “does not mean the Taoiseach is off the hook”.
Mr Sargent said Mr Ahern owed it to the people “not to hide behind the tribunal” and said the public was “entitled to know what they are voting for”.
“The peculiar nature of Bertie Ahern’s financial arrangements demands an effort to clarify matters before the public cast their votes. That’s the way a democracy should work,” he said. ”
Justin said,
May 1, 2007 at 4:05 pm
I wish we had a green to vote for in Dublin North Central who wasn’t a fucking crackpot.
ang said,
May 1, 2007 at 4:10 pm
this ‘financial’ story has the feel of a blister… always there and sore when rubbed… What is the 30,000 stamp duty on a rented property? Does anyone understand how our Taoiseach has been running his financial affairs for the last God knows how long? There are just too many rumours of cases of money floating around for them all to be smears and the fervent imagination of the journos.
Caoimhe said,
May 1, 2007 at 4:30 pm
seriously……..we make the Italians look tame when it comes to corruption…alas will it really affect the apathetic irish voters?? Lets bloody hope so..
Gordon Davies said,
May 1, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Trevor Sargent is playing with fire – any attack on Ahern will probably boost his ratings and lose votes for the Greens.
The amazing thing is that FF still have delusions about doing a deal with Labour after the election.
Gordon
PS Bertie doesn’t seem to have much confidence in his paymasters, the builders – £30,000 to renovate an almost new house!
Sarah said,
May 1, 2007 at 5:32 pm
yes but as long as the Greens keep it on the agenda and take any possible hits themselves, that’s fine by me! Besides, I know Bertie got a boost after the Dobson teary interview, but I think the fact that he took money stuck with people. If Celia’s going around with suitcases of money, SURELY this will make people think twice? Or are they hopeless and don’t care?
Justin said,
May 1, 2007 at 8:13 pm
After the teary interview, an in-law from Monaghan was happily insisting he’d still be voting FF — “sure they’re all doing it”.
steve white said,
May 2, 2007 at 3:37 am
hiding behind the tribunal what about hiding behind two of (non-politician) partners?.
Gordon Davies said,
May 2, 2007 at 9:19 am
Please don’t exagerate – whatever Ahern may have taken in the way of financial inducements pales into insignificance compared to the money made by Chirac in France and Berlusconi in Italy. However, some pepole have been convicted in both these countries.
In many ways it is not the money itself that counts it is the hypocricy, the lying and the expression of contempt for the people of Ireland that are Ahern’s and FF’s real crimes.
Gordon
Leon said,
May 2, 2007 at 11:04 am
We don’t know that Gordon, we only know what has been uncovered. Look at how Hockey outstripped our imaginings.
I doubt that Ahern holds the people of Ireland in contempt and I fail to see the hypocrisy in a FFer taking money from his ‘friends’.
blankpaige said,
May 2, 2007 at 11:08 pm
I’m a real ‘the bottles is half empty’ gal, I know. But with all this Bertie-gate shite, did anyone catch what Fine Gael’s message was for the last few days?
Bertie is a crafty f#$%@-er and know that while he might be spoiling his own campaign in the early days, he’s making shite out of Enda’s media management.
Did we not learn anything from the last election?
Paige
Tim Ruttledge said,
May 3, 2007 at 7:09 am
It’s like Garret Fitz and Charlie all over, except Bertie is more clever than Charlie and Enda is less intelligent than Garret.
Gordon Davies said,
May 3, 2007 at 7:20 am
Ahern holds the people of Ireland in contempt – the proof is that he regularily lies to them, witholds facts and continues to maintain that he knew little or nothing about the widespread coruption in which he was both an active participant and an accomplice. It is hyprocritical to call money paid by “friends” a loan that was never repayed. It is hypocritical to claim that there is no link between these payments and the nomination of these drinking buddies to public bodies…
FF hypocricy – read Cowen’s attacks on FG/Labour stamp duty policy then compare this with the policy he is announcing today.
Gordon
omaniblog said,
May 3, 2007 at 9:22 am
Sarah and others,
Is it possible that commentators have missed this point: whatever about the truth about the money (and that is indeed shrouded) one thing is certain.
There is no audit trail. An accountant without an audit trail! That is enough for me.
Leon said,
May 3, 2007 at 12:01 pm
It is not hypocritical; it is dishonest.
It would be hypocritical if he held himself out as a pillar of probity: he doesn’t.
There is a difference between hypocrisy and dishonesty. There is nothing hypocritical about appointing your friends to public bodies, when everyone knows that’s what you.
Gordon you need to put out that joint, comb your hair, shine your shoes and join FF.
graham said,
May 3, 2007 at 1:48 pm
It continually shocks me that people are willing to give Bertie the benefit of the doubt and that they continue to claim that he’s innocent and just got caught up in all the corruption, but that he wasn’t really apart of it. Bertie acts dumb, but we all know he’s far more cunning than that.
As far as I’m concerned, the latest scandal and the way he’s gone about hiding it all, prove to me that he was/is just as corrupt and at fault as Charlie was and as such he should not be in government. I don’t care what people think of the other parties, the leader of FF has serious questions to ask and should not be up for re-election. Is anyone ever going to demand that people face the music in this country??
tom hickey said,
May 7, 2007 at 7:55 pm
the bertie is your only man to run the country
Donald Quinn said,
May 17, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Keep up the good work Bertie, my seven kids are all working in jobs they enjoy, not like myself who had to terrible time getting work of any kind from my first job at 14. to use the PD slogan, “don’t throw it all away”
Some people think good times were always here.