Irish Election - Coverage of Irish Politics, News and Current Affairs

Yea, you would guess it’s all over since Bertie Ahern resigned as Taoiseach. Well, it isn’t. And there was more explosive evidence. Didn’t hear about it? Quelle surprise. The media, read RTE, seem to be taking their eye off the ball. Remember that whole B/T account thing?

Bock has been following this for a while and gives his take on the Morris Tribunal report over on the blog, he is not impressed with the Gardai, neither is Justice Morris and neither is Jim Higgins. Considering he was being moved on, it is clear that Lenihan was covering for any successor in dumping [...]

Early last week, when things were quieter and the world was still spinning, allegations and remarks were abound as they have been for some time. The evidence of Gráinne Carruth was being lamented as a bad day for Bertie in the newspapers as they executed their never-ending campaign of vicious and snide comment on the [...]

No doubt many people are sick of Bertie coverage at this point, especially following the Sunday papers. But it’s worth taking a look at Bruce Arnold’s assessment in Monday’s Wall Street Journal Europe, because it’s something that the vaguely curious international business-leaning audience that hasn’t paid attention to the affair will read about it. And [...]

There is a quickly growing consensus that the Mahon Tribunal will be little more than a footnote – albeit a very unsightly one – in Bertie Ahern‘s legacy. However while there is little doubt that Ahern has done the State enough service to be remembered fondly, his most loyal supporters worryingly seem to believe that [...]

The time of the departure of Bertie Ahern has now been announced. What of his legacy, his place in Irish history? Here are some points that might be considered.

And now what are we we going to do? It was the net wat done it By the way that is an ugly ass interface in the new WordPress. Ugh.

According to many pundits and politicos, the panel debate held on The Late Late Show just before the last general election marked a turn in public opinion back towards Bertie Ahern and Fianna Fáil – carrying them to victory in May’s poll. If this theory can be taken as fact and the logic of it [...]

Irish Election: The dog barks? Greens join calls for Ahern statement

Bertie Ahern‘s brother Noel Ahern – Fifteen thousand is no big deal. There might be a very simple explanation. I understand he may have given the wrong details for a wrong lodgement … There’s nothing special about the amount… He’s referring to the £15,500 Sterling.   In early 1994, a punt bought about 96p Sterling [...]

The Irish Independent revealed today that the Taoiseach will tell the Mahon tribunal that he converted his salary cheques into sterling, and then back into punts, before lodging them into the three accounts he kept at the Permanent TSB branch in Drumcondra. This is in response to Grainne Carruth’s devastating evidence to the Mahon Tribunal [...]

Junior Minister John McGuinness gave an interview on Newstalk’s Lunchtime Show regarding this week’s proceedings at the Mahon Tribunal this afternoon – Newstalk have press released the interview with quotes after the jump. The overall tone of the interview was less than convincing in it’s endorsement of the Taoiseach.

As Bertie works his way back Washington, yet another interesting development at Mahon.   It seems that the relevant manager of Bertie’s accounts at the Irish Permanent is a bit less reticent than his counterparts at the AIB, who were nearly as effective at the strategic memory loss as Bertie himself.   The man from the Irish [...]

During a discussion back in 2002, John Gormley certainly didn’t hold any punches when it came to a sum of £30k and a Taoiseach who misled the Dail. Ah, how times change. I guess Gormley would now say “That was then and this is now.”

Tánaiste accuses FG of witch-hunt

Judge Mahon.  What sounds like an incredible day at the Tribunal is unfolding.  Bertie’s strategy of alternating between seeming cooperation with the Tribunal while letting Conor Maguire level the accusations has finally drawn the Judge out of his cautious mode.  With the phrase “political donation for personal use” destined to enter the political lexicon (and [...]