Irish Election are pleased to announce our collection of Irish 
Corporate Donations
Read more about: Green Party, Irish Politics
Green Party calls on Fianna Fáil to outlaw corporate donations. Now I could be a cynic and say this is because the Green Party do not accept corporate donations and don’t want to be at a financial disadvantage but I wouldn’t. They say “”There is a clear distinction between the interest’s of private companies and the public interest. Politicians are custodians of the public interests.” But is the public interest served by private donations? Surely it is equally likely that a private person would look for favours as a corporation.
If a politician is going to take a corporate donation for a favour is it not a problem with the politician not with the donation? And will banning corporate donations change anything when personnel donations are still allowed? And do the government have any right in saying what corporations or individuals can or can’t support with their money.
As long as it is possible to describe a Bribe as a “Political Donation”, whether Corporate or Private, there will be a grey area, which will always be available to those who wish to fudge the facts.
The politician “who climbed every tree in North Dublin trying to find out the facts on Ray Burke” will understand this truism.
Those who saw no wrong in CJH using Brian Lenihan’s Liver Fund to buy his mistress expensive dinners & Charvet shirts for himself will equivocate.
The reality is that there is no room in honourable politics for “Donations”.
The IRA smuggle; extort; steal & kill to raise funds for Sinn Fein. Mayor Ferris considers this legitimate & Mary Lou seems not to care.
If we eliminated the murders, there is really no difference between either system.
Both are extortion; both amount to a corrupt system and can only be redressed if they are discontinued in their entirety.
The criminal system by legal means; the farcical system by consent.
So, the question will be asked:-
Q.
“How are the various parties supposed to pay:-
(a) the bills for their daily running costs?”
(b) their election campaigns?”
A.
(a): Members might donated X% of their earnings to the party of their choice & put their money where their mouth is. It seems to work for the fundamentalist churches in the USA.
(b) RTE and the other broadcasters take their authority from the State, by way of licences and License fees. Surely the State could demand that every broadcaster allocate FREE Radio & TV time to each party during the run up to an Election?
And what is wrong with more cold canvass calling?
There can be no room for compromise. “Donations” must end & end today.
The Soldiers of Fortune can equivocate forever that there are no favours expected from Developers etc.and none given.
MY ARSE!
They should re-write their slogan….
A LOT RECEIVED - A LOT MORE TO BE ASKED.