In August 2007, then Minister for Finance Brian Cowen gave an address to the Humbert Summer School.  It’s worth reading it all (scroll down to comments) to see the hubris that characterised this vintage of Fianna Fail – at a time when the banking system was already fatally compromised.

Note this part:

They [the public] did so in spite of the unprecedented pressure which he [Bertie] had come through in the first weeks of the campaign. The public showed that they have an innate sense of fair play and perspective which is willing to hear all of the information before reaching a conclusion. It remains a fact that confidential material was selectively leaked by a person or persons unknown with the sole intent of causing Bertie Ahern significant electoral damage. Only material which might cause damage was leaked, while other material was withheld.

No person should have to go through what Bertie Ahern endured in those weeks and we can learn a lot from the public’s balanced and reflective response. After ten years, the public were not going to be rushed into making a judgement on the Taoiseach. They know him pretty well by now and they understand that he is not motivated by personal gain. They have seen the progress made under his leadership. He has never been a specialist in the soundbite approach to politics, but he has more than made up for this in the substance of his achievements.

Thus Cowen presents not just a judgement on the Mahon leaks around this time — with sources that only the Irish Times could reveal — but also a claim that he and the electorate at large had come to the conclusion that there were no flawed pedigree issues with Bertie. Indeed, Cowen’s reputation was enhanced at the time by the perception that he had taken the FF election campaign by the scruff of the neck from a Mahon-distracted Bertie and led the party to a historic victory. Which part of that legacy will Micheál Martin be disowning?

When people like me and Liam Cooper, who is today our chairman, Paul Kiely and, of course, Miriam were young men and women and starting off in the O’Donovan Rossa Cumann, we were always encouraged by those strong and experienced people who had been members for decades.

Where have we heard that first name before? –

Earlier at the tribunal, the former treasurer of Bertie Ahern’s constituency said he was unaware that many thousands of pounds were being held in accounts connected to organisation. But Liam Cooper, now chairman of the former Taoiseach’s O’Donovan Rossa Cumann, said the money was held by trustees of St Luke’s and he had no causes for concern.

Mr Cooper said the accounts he was aware of were the official O’Donovan Rossa and Comhairle Dáil Ceanntar accounts, which only contained a couple of hundred pounds. They were mainly used to pay affiliation fees and for presentations.

Mr Cooper said he was unaware that there were many thousands of pounds in other accounts known as the CODR, BT and Number One constituency accounts, controlled by St Luke’s trustees. Mr Cooper was treasurer of the Comhairle Dáil Ceanntar from 1994 to 2001, but said there was little interest ‘from the floor’ about these accounts during AGMs or monthly meetings. He said these matters were dealt with casually.

He could not explain why there was no reference to any of these accounts in constituency minutes until this year. Mr Cooper also could not explain why 24 people were asked to contribute to the £56,000 cost of buying St Luke’s when the old office in Amiens Street was sold for the exact same sum.

A churlish suggestion from this blogger is that the forthcoming Finance Bill — which is the government’s reason for staying in office — should have an amendment requiring that anyone getting a 6 figure public sector pension produce a tax clearance certificate.

However news reaches us today of Bertie Ahern’s signing as the newest columnist with the Irish News of the Screws – entitled Bertie Ahern Talks Sport, the column will bring us the opinions of Dublin Centrals’ finest on sports at home and abroad.

‘It’s no secret that I am sports-mad and this column will give me the chance to look at the good, the bad and the ugly of Irish and international sport. Let’s hope I end up writing about Ireland qualifying for the World Cup, winning the Six Nations again and Padraig Harrington lifting a few more Majors.”

That’s code for earners to all the 6 nations matches and a few Major’s so?

And is Bertie the first former prime minister to have a sports column? He says in the press release from the NOTW that he’ll have to set aside his allegiances to Dublin GAA (not so difficult after yesterday) and Manchester United for his new role. His first column will be published this weekend in what Geoff Frazer, the editor of the Irish News of the World says ‘will be an unmissable read for every sports fan in Ireland. ‘

(originally posted at Maman Poulet).

Addressing the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, the Green Party Finance spokesperson said progress required a prompt end to the culture of ‘No Blame – No Shame.’ He said this culture – in both politics and the public service – meant there was no challenge to the serious wrongdoing and rank incompetence which characterised Irish banking through the past decade.

However, the release, the full text of which is below, although headlined “End ‘No Blame, No Shame’ Culture in banking and politics“, covers little to do with politics. It rails against the “rank incompetence” that permeates the banking sector, politicians get a sentence or two near the bottom before he gets back to financiers… whether “politics” really warrants inclusion in the headline is arguable.

So, the ‘No Blame, No Shame Culture’ for Politicians must end?

Tell me again, who are the Greens in Government with? What is happening down at the Moriarty Tribunal with Michael Lowry – also a member of the coalition – at the minute? Anyone know of a Beverly Cooper-Flynn?

No blame and shame from the Greens for that lot?

Surely the guy who was finance minister while all this lax regulation was taking place should be blamed and shamed too? Someone tell me, what’s he up to these days?… Spinning so much the blame won’t stick, that’s what he’s up to.

What about the guy who was leader of the country for the whole decade-plus of “incompetence”, is he still kicking around the Government benches? While we’re looking for him, here’s a hint, if he’s not in the bookies or on the backbenches he might still be on Planet Bertie.

Aside: Planet Bertie, where John Gormley, Dan’s boss, said the man with whom he subsequently entered Government resided in a famed Green speech back in 2007. In fairness though, Bertie’s not in the Galway Tent, but that’s means little considering we know exactly where he isn’t, unshamed and unblamed.

Incidentally, that Gormley speech ended “let there be no doubt, we want Fianna Fáil and the PDs out of Government”.

Anywhooo…

The Boyle press release goes on to say…

Irish bank bosses were hugely arrogant and dismissed warnings. He and other Green Party politicians, Eamon Ryan and Trevor Sargent, met senior bankers before the 2007 general election and expressed their fears about property market overheating and potential mass loan defaulting.
“The response to our concerns was that we didn’t understand banking and that everything in the garden was rosy,” Senator Boyle recalled.

Heartbreaking.

“The Green Party Finance spokesperson called for the prompt appointment of a new Financial Regulator and the inclusion of overseas experts in the planned Central Banking Commission to promote international best practice in Ireland”

Only the in the financial sector, Dan?

If the Greens are to retain any credibility when with the wider electorate they must begin to look at themselves as Government partners, not an internal opposition. Releases like this one simply draw attention to exactly what has not been achieved, exactly who they are now bed-mates with and illustrate the political naivety within the party. Boyle’s talking the talk but Planet Bertie is still taking visitors.

It’s a farcical position – you’re either in Government with Fianna Fáil, or you’re not. You either accept he put money on the horses and don’t blame and shame, or you blame and shame, get public assurances that the deadwood will be cut from the backbenches, and don’t bother issuing press releases… one or the other.

–

Full Text: End ‘No-blame No-Shame’ Culture in politics and banking

People need to see the successful prosecution of wrong-doers in banking and financial services before they can re-gain confidence in the system, Senator Dan Boyle said today.

Addressing the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, the Green Party Finance spokesperson said progress required a prompt end to the culture of ‘No Blame – No Shame.’

He said this culture – in both politics and the public service – meant there was no challenge to the serious wrongdoing and rank incompetence which characterised Irish banking through the past decade.

The Green Party Chairman said we had become sadly familiar with what he called the ‘Byzantine world of Irish banking’ in the recent past. “The twin peaks of incompetence and illegality have been scaled with a frightening regularity. There is a public hunger for prosecutions, which I hope will happen, but it will be difficult because of the failures of regulation to date,” Senator Boyle said.

He said that Irish people, living in a small country where many people knew each other, always had difficulty publicly challenging problems. Irish banking had changed very rapidly in the 1990s from a small, very conservative operation to a huge multinational business which went largely unregulated.

Irish bank bosses were hugely arrogant and dismissed warnings. He and other Green Party politicians, Eamon Ryan and Trevor Sargent, met senior bankers before the 2007 general election and expressed their fears about property market overheating and potential mass loan defaulting.

“The response to our concerns was that we didn’t understand banking and that everything in the garden was rosy,” Senator Boyle recalled.

The Green Party Senator said the culture of ‘No Blame – No Shame’ extended across the Irish public service and into Irish politics. He was surprised that he was the first person to publicly call for the resignation of Financial Regulator – not a member of the Opposition parties.

He said the regulation system under the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority had failed to deliver for a number of reasons. There were not enough resources; staff salaries were too low to keep skilled staff; and a key factor was the failure to enact many of the tougher regulatory provisions of the legislation.

He said former Progressive Democrat Leader, Michael McDowell, had a role in framing the law and that former Finance Minister, Charlie McCreevy, promised new and bolder regulation. “It is hard to imagine that argument now and keep a straight face,” Senator Boyle said.

The Green Party Finance spokesperson called for the prompt appointment of a new Financial Regulator and the inclusion of overseas experts in the planned Central Banking Commission to promote international best practice in Ireland’s financial affairs.

“This group of elite untouchables should be subjected to the regular procedures administering the pay of higher civil servants. In the modern day being protected by the Constitution is simply not good enough given that many thousands of people and their families are suffering falling incomes and job losses.”

“I feel with the forthcoming Lisbon 2 Referendum we have an early opportunity to address this issue through a vote of the people. Many of the working practices of the Courts and Judiciary need modernising and this is now an opportune time for that,”

Oh the rage…the outrage…

Any chance we can tag on a bit about pensions to former ministers sitting in the Dail and get the full 100% cut? Rather than just deflecting attention from that onto the judges? Thanks.

“I can’t remember anyone at any level telling me, ‘The banks are giving hundreds of millions of euros to developers, and they’re borrowing this at short rates, so if anything happens to them, they’re caught,’” says Bertie Ahern, 57, prime minister from 1997 to 2008, in an interview at his north Dublin office. “I know some people say ‘you should have asked.’” 

Remember this is the Bertie who looked up every tree in north Dublin for information about Ray Burke.  But no one told him about the banks.

Ahern is Bertie’s favourite, Fitzpatrick will fight tooth and nail to get the nomination and Stafford may be the best shot at an unlikely Fianna Fail victory. She will still be fighting the St Luke’s mafia however, “sources in St Luke’s say that whoever Bertie Ahern wants to get the nomination will win the vote tonight — but anything can happen.”

Well we get an interesting meeting, would love to liveblog it but I don’t think I have the accreditation, which will be told that there is plenty of money in the kitty thanks to the repayment of a €40,000 loan by Celia Larkin. They can leave the B/T account to one side for this run and thank Bertie again for leaving some goodies wrapped in a steaming pile of poo. Larkin borrowed the money from B/T to purchase a house and that money has since been repaid.

By the way, anyone with posts on local or euro election stories, tidbits, pics, videos etc. Do get in touch either via comments or irishelection <at>  gmail.com

There is little in the release to suggest he is doing little more than gracing them with a juicy name for the faculty list and something to put in the prospectus.

Dr Robert Galavan, Head of the School of Business and Law said….”NUI Maynooth is unique in offering courses dedicated to developing the competence of practitioners in mediation and conflict intervention. We currently have 25 students undertaking studies at Masters and Diploma level in this field.

…

Bertie Ahern is recognised nationally and internationally as a negotiator and mediator of extraordinary expertise. He played a pivotal role in creating and sustaining successive programmes of social partnership and national consensus. His consistently positive and patient guidance of the Northern Ireland Peace process, involving all the political parties in the North, in partnership with Prime Minister Blair and President Clinton, deserved the outstanding local success and international acclaim it achieved. He continues to play a very active mediation role with the Harvard Conflict Group, within the World Economic Forum. This appointment represents a wonderful opportunity for students of NUI Maynooth to benefit from the wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience of one of the world’s foremost mediators.”

In an effort to find out how, I have emailed the university asking whether he will be teaching students or engaging in research within the univeristy. If he isn’t then I hope they give students his email, so as to get in touch and learn from his experience.

At least it isn’t a professor of economics – we would never hear the end of it.