Regards, Ivan
Posted on 10/06/2002 2:00:10 AM PDT by MadIvan
BERTIE AHERN is not being investigated by the Flood tribunal about an IR£80,000 bribe, nor is any member of his cabinet.
Shades of Clinton, impeachment but with an Irish tinge -Ivan
Sources close to the taoiseach acknowledged that allegations published last weekend that a serving cabinet minister took the corrupt payments were directed at Ahern. However, the allegation, reportedly made by Tom Gilmartin, the property developer, is not contained in his affadavit to the inquiry. He is due to testify about planning corruption within weeks.
The tribunal is not investigating the allegations that a serving member of the cabinet took corrupt payments of £50,000 and £30,000 in 1989 and 1992.
Ahern’s colleagues say that the taoiseach’s anger at rumours linking him to the allegation, in part, prompted his blunt statement on Friday night: “I never received a bribe from anyone in my life.”
Yeah. Sure. Right. - Ivan
Ahern was this weekend preparing to launch an offensive to re-assert his political authority in Fianna Fail, following weeks of internal sniping and attempts to undermine his leadership.
For the first time since he became leader in 1994, ministers were forced to publicly defend Ahern’s leadership amid concerns that factions within the party were plotting his downfall.
Several backbench TDs privately claimed that a meeting to discuss Ahern’s leadership took place in Buswell’s hotel last Tuesday, but none would admit to having attended.
Ahern’s advisers hope his statement on Friday night has closed the book on claims of political corruption against cabinet ministers that surfaced after publication of the Flood tribunal’s report.
Just like Clinton not being convicted by the Senate proved he was innocent, right Bertie? - Ivan
The taoiseach is now focused on trying to win back political credibility in the final two weeks of the Nice referendum, which is crucial to Ahern’s political survival. If Irish voters reject the Nice treaty for the second time, his leadership would almost certainly be undermined.
After all these shenangians, the Irish voters should not only reject it but also pack you off to be ambassador to Outer Mongolia, Bertie - Ivan
Ministers and advisers are urging Ahern to confront his internal party critics when the Fianna Fail parliamentary party meets for first time in the new Dail session on Wednesday.
One of his ministerial colleagues said: “Bertie needs to reassert his authority over the party. He needs to take control and be seen to be taking control. There has been too much drift and responding to events. He needs to start setting the agenda again.”
Bertie needs to go, far away, post haste - Ivan Some party insiders say Ahern will use the parliamentary party meeting to tell his critics that the time for infighting is over. The taoiseach will urge the party to show a united front in the Nice campaign and to ready itself for difficult economic decisions in the Budget.
However, he is likely to acknowledge mistakes were made by himself and other ministers in the past three weeks.
“The message will be simple. Mistakes have been made but we are setting out to deliver the Nice vote and to get back down to managing the government agenda,” said one adviser.
Ahern will also have an opportunity to stifle some of the internal critics by announcing a series of appointments to chairmanships of Dail committees. These carry an extra salary allowance of up to €15,000 and the appointments be will watched carefully by backbenchers. The taoiseach’s supporters will be resentful if the dissidents get most of the posts, and Ahern will need to balance both carefully.
Last week, Ahern and other government ministers were dogged by the report that an £80,000 bribe was being investigated by the Flood tribunal.
When the report was published last weekend, political observers speculated about a cabinet minister. Ahern checked with members of his cabinet and was re-assured that none of them had been contacted by the Flood tribunal or asked to provide information or answer questions about the allegations.
Ahern provided the Flood tribunal with details of his personal finances over two years ago in connection with the separate and unrelated allegation by Denis “Starry” O’Brien, the Cork businessman who claimed to have paid him £50,000 in the car park of the Burlington Hotel. The taoiseach successfully sued O’Brien and won.
Regards, Ivan
So if the odd brown paper envelope should be left on a seat in a pub and a caring politician with a bad memory should take it home – “to mind it you see” and at a later date quote father Ted and say “That money was just resting in my account” –we have to ask ourselves is this a good price to pay to keep the extreme left out of the house?
Unfortunately Bertie has gone too far, milking Europe is one thing relinquishing controlled to them is quite another and Bertie doesn’t seem to know the difference – which may cost him his political career.
Charlie McGreevy [spell check] the finance minister stood on the steps of EU headquarters after the last Nice vote and declared that the no vote was a victory for democracy - true Democrats would have agreed but he found none in Brussels – this may look like the time for Charlie to make his move.
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