O No!! Irish Political Parties are already back to their old tricks!

1. An international independent review of the Dept of Finance, that showed successive governments ignored the warnings of officials that tax cuts fueling the property boom was endangering the economy, was only published after the general election even though it was presented to the Minister of Finance Brian Lenihan in early December!
This was blatant deception by the government parties designed to hide the truth from the Irish people until after they had voted.

2. Then we find out a few days ago that the bankrupt Bank of Ireland lied to the Dáil Éireann (parliament) when it said no bonuses were being paid to management. In fact since it was bailed out by the Irish taxpayer in late 2008, it has handed out bonuses worth over 66million euros to senior staff! Will anyone be sacked?

Gilmore, Kenny nor Martin sadly have not demanded such action.

Give the Seanad Over to Independents & Community Campaigners!3. Only hours after the election count is completed, the political parties are back to their old failed ways by displaying an unbelievable arrogance & disrespect to the electorate.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen, leader of a FIanna Fáil/Green government that sold our country into bondage to the pay for the gambling of property speculators/bankers & were decimated at the ballot box, in his last hours in office appoints to the Seanad (Senate) a politician (Darragh O'Brien) who was kicked out of office by his constituents only days ago.
The public institution of the 'Seanad' has for decades been brought into complete disrepute by the political parties (Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour & Green Party), with all but the 6 university seats being filled by party political appointees who were largely 'yes-men' & ineffective. It was only the few brave outspoken 'independent' Senators such as Shane Ross & David Norris

that will be remembered for their deeds and words.

Fine Gael says the Seanad should be abolished and will organise a referendum on the issue. But in the meantime, they & the other parties are once again doling out overpaid Senatorships to members of their parties.The Seanad in possibly its last few years in existence should be given over completely to independents such as David McWilliams, Fintan O'Toole & community campaigners with no members of the political parties being allowed to sit in its chambers. After all the parties have Dáil Éireann. Why do they need a second chamber!?

Finally, I am wondering if I made a mistake last week.
As with hundreds of thousands of other citizens, I am angered at the way the political system has failed our country and condemned so many to poverty and emigration. So I thought seriously in the last few days of entering the university Senate elections in the hope that, if I won, I could contribute in some small but meaningful towards securing a more equitable, just and sustainable future for Ireland. But in the end I decided against it as I feel that my present science and technology work combined with my community volunteerism could achieve more.
Hopefully I made the right decision though I feel at present like I chickened out & failed to answer my country's call.

Green Party At Last Re-Discovers Some of Its Core Values as O Cuív attempts to Rekindle Social Principles of old Fianna Fáil

At last the Ireland's Green Party has finally re-discovered some of their fundamental principles and core values, by refusing last week to accept Taoiseach Brian Cowen's attempted 'stroke' of appointing new appointments after the mass ministerial resignations, & decided this week to resign from government.

So well done Gormley and co on this issue!

'Tis a pity though for the rest of us that they did not refuse the blanket bank bailout in 2008 nor vote against the loss of economic sovereignty in 2010 amongst other things.

Sad too that they never ensured, in their 3.5yrs in office, reform of local and national government reform of the civil service, reform of the financial sector, desperately needed curriculum reform and re-investment in education, support of local eco community campaigns such as the 'Stop the Headford Road through the Terryland Forest Park' in Galway City, protect the destruction of bogs across Ireland, introduce a levy on beverage bottles and cans, end party political influence in appointments to quangos & semi state/state agencies, the passage of a Climate Change bill, the abolition of corporate funding to politicians, protection of communities against cutbacks to their neighbourhoods and support groups, secure public ownership of Ireland's natural resources such as natural gas, end the Shannon stopover, protect the national heritage locality around Tara from motorway construction...

But still a positive though belated move.

Éamon O'Cuív- attempt at a return to core values of early Fianna Fáil

I am glad too that Eamon O'Cuiv has made a bid for the leadership of Fianna Fáil. Though he was part of the government that brought the country to near ruination, nevertheless I believe that he is not tainted by the 'me feinism' of the greedy self serving pro-property speculator mentality that is endemic amongst too many FF politicians. Though I disagree with many of his policies, I still think that he is an honest public servant that has a strong community and social inclusion ethos, a sense of justice and civic duty, a belief in the importance of national and cultural identity including a love of the Irish language.

'Men of No Property'

In other words, the values and beliefs that were part of the republican movement of the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and early Fianna Fáil. During these wars of liberation, many members of my family fought with the IRA, were prepared to give their lives to defend and give recognition to these principles. Ultimately they heeded the call of De Valera and followed him into Fianna Fáil. I am sure that they are now turning in their graves at how the party has gone from being the party of the downtrodden and men of no property to becoming the party of the absentee landlord and property speculators' who have the arrogance to call themselves up 'developers'.

Yet, 'tis a pity though that O Cuív became such a supporter of Cowen & did not stand up to & speak out against the other FFers who were too close to the financiers & property speculators

NAMA is exposed as A Scam to Bail Out the Property Speculators at the Irish Taxpayers Expense

It made my blood boil to watch RTE's Prime Time investigative programme tonight & realise that the people who bankrupted this country & destroyed the hopes of our children, are still living the high life of big mansions, private helicopters, race horses & champagne. NAMA was exposed as a scam to ensure that the taxpayers bailed out the banks in order to save these property developers (I refuse to call them 'developers') from the consequences of their own greed. Worse, they were given the time to protect their most valuable assets by transferring ownership to their wives. As well as getting huge bailouts from us, we are also paying them huge annual salaries to look after our properties! Plus, we also pay them exorbitant annual rents for many of these properties. Believe it or not, they own the buildings that NAMA, the Revenue Commissioners, the Central Bank & many of the government departments & social welfare offices are housed in!!!!

Well done to Fianna Fáil for organising this scam to benefit their friends.
How stupid are we? How come the state doesn't refuse these failed property speculators the rents as they owe us so much? In fact, nationalise these buildings.

The 'Galway Race Tent' old boys network of bankers, property speculators & politicians is now exposed for what it was- an opportunity for the gombeen elite to milk the taxpayer for every cent possible.

Public pressure recently forced the government to do a U-turn and stop the 160Euro millions in bonuses that the AIB senior management had slyly set themselves up for.
We should end too the huge payoffs and pensions that the politicians now jumping ship by retiring before the next general election have organised for themselves. No pension should be given to any politician until they reach the retirement age as laid down by the law that governs the rest of us!!
Abolish too the big bonus payments to senior civil servants!
Shame not just on Fianna Fail but also on the Green Party. You have betrayed the people's trust!!!!!