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Read more about: Bertiegate, Corruption, Scandal, Tribunals
Further deterioration today in the Dail relationship between Bertie Ahern and Eamon Gilmore (Bertie: “Is Deputy Gilmore deaf as well as stupid?”). The underlying issue in the extremely testy exchange seems to be that Bertie may well have diary commitments at Mahon beyond what is currently evident from the website to which Bertie kept referring: he’s due there on the 20th and 21st of this month, as the only listed witness. Gilmore apparently suspects he has to go back in the New Year, as the questions (not least Gavin’s list thereof) pile up. Note incidentally that the Mahon 2008 witness list contains two deceased persons, which could provide a talking point for either side in how long the tribunal has gone on. But one reason it’s gone on so long is the stalling. Finally, Gilmore was pressing the casino issue, as for now it is the most tantalising link between Bertie and dollar donations.
Ahern looks increasingly rattled. Resign, Ahern!
The FF PR exercise has been interesting. Fleming and O’Dea tryin to muddy the waters in relation to what O’Connor said.
RTE seem to have forgotten that the Dobson interview did not happen in the tribunal, and therefore is the most obvious thing to pose questions on. So too the idea that he had 50k in savings, spent it, but didn’t, and then lodged 30k four months after needing a digout - that he didn’t need.
Ahern is playing right into Gilmore’s hands.
The game goes like this:
Gilmore says something to wind Ahern up, Ahern bites and gets all angry, the clip of which gets relaid across the various news media for the rest of the day… then the public and politics-watchers start to talk about how grumpy Ahern seems to be lately and how he keeps losing his cool… then people start to suspect that he’s getting nervous about something, then they start to assume the Tribunals and his detractors have hit a nerve and there’s some truth to the accusations.
Then Bertie becomes a liability and Gilmore gains his first scalp!
Surely any Opposition party would want to keep Bartholomew exactly where he is for as long as possible (until the next election). While he gently roasts on a spit of his own making the Government is increasingly ineffectual,a nd the prospects of a lasting electoral collapse increase.
Gordon