RENUA IRELAND HAS dismissed a newspaper report published today that the party has less than €11,000 in the coffers, describing it as creative editing.
Wicklow TD Billy Timmins told TheJournal.ie, “That’s a very creative sub editor.
“When I did that interview I said we raised somewhere in the region of €40,000 in the weeks after the by election and that the by election actually cost €29,000, so he deducted that €40,000 minus €29,000 is €11,000.
I don’t know what’s in the account at the moment but it’s not actually somewhere in the region of €11,000. It could be far far higher than that, it could be less. I don’t know.
“We always maintained that we would not take corporate donations, we’re working on gathering money to fight the campaign, we don’t have any state funding…but money will not be a factor to stop us being successful.”
Speaking about funding party leader Lucinda Creighton said, “We’re raising money every month” but added “it’s very difficult”.
The old days of political parties taking cheques from corporations or big firms around town are over, it’s individual personal donations that we’re seeking.
“It’s personal donations, big and small, mainly small that we are pursuing and we will continue to pursue that until the general election.
“I don’t know how much money we’re going to raise, but we will raise enough to fight the election.”
White Collar Crime
Renua Ireland launched its 10 point plan for tackling white-collar crime today.
Creighton said, “We essentially are launching a 10-point agenda with some very serious and very radical changes to our legislative capacity and criminal justice system relating to white collar crime, corporate fraud and reckless financial behaviour in major financial institutions.”
Addressing reporters on the plinth at Leinster House Billy Timmins compared the plan to the spikes over the arch of doors:
I’m looking at the spikes over the arch to stop the pigeons damaging the actual arch, that’s what this document is about. It’s about stopping the few bad eggs damaging our economy.
He said people who have committed white collar crime are not being brought through the process.
Renua Ireland want a special corporate criminal court and it wants to see whistleblowers being immune from prosecution if they bring forward cases of serious fraud.
The party also want to see new laws introduced to make reckless lending an offence which could be used against senior managers.
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