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Note: First published on 15 October 2014 (the day after last year’s Budget).
WE’VE BECOME INURED to Budget leaks these days — by the time Michael Noonan rose to his feet yesterday afternoon, the headline details of his announcement had already appeared in print, on-air or online hours, days, and in some cases weeks in advance.
In the end, all that was really left for the veteran minister and his partner-in-finance Brendan Howlin to do was to cross the ‘t’s’ and dot the ‘i’s’ of the package.
It all used to be so different — as Independent TD Mattie McGrath opined in a statement to the nation’s newsrooms at lunchtime yesterday.
“Very disturbing,” is how the Tipperary politician described the state of affairs that “we are in a now in position where the leaking of confidential Budget information is treated as the norm and without consequence”.
In 1995, McGrath pointed out, Phil Hogan was forced to resign when he inadvertently leaked Budget data.
It was the “honourable thing to do” he continued…
“…regardless of his more recent performances.”
Mattie McGrath.
So what was the controversy that led to Hogan’s departure all those years ago?
Well, McGrath’s not far off in his take on the situation, but the whole affair seems more than a little quaint at almost two decades’ remove…
Opposition parties had been complaining for weeks in advance of the February Budget that the Rainbow Coalition government had already leaked more information than virtually any other administration.
More specifically, ‘sensitive market information’ was being revealed to the media as a result of inter-party competition between Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left.
It all came to a head when an advisor to Hogan, then a junior finance minister, faxed details of Minister Ruairí Quinn’s speech to newspapers four hours before the Labour politician rose to his feet.
RTÉ
RTÉ
Quinn, once the development came to light, said it was a “very serious” issue — but Fine Gael Taoiseach John Bruton, making an apology to the Dáil, insisted he wouldn’t be asking his deputy to resign.
Here comes Bertie…
The coalition then came under further pressure from Fianna Fáil leader Bertie Ahern, who threatened the next day to table a motion calling for Hogan’s resignation, unless the junior minister came into the Dáil to take questions.
In the end, the Kilkenny politician did the aforementioned ‘honourable thing’ — falling on his sword for the sake of the three-party coalition, and telling the chamber…
RTÉ
“I am proud to belong to Fine Gael. A party with the highest ideals and values of honesty and integrity, whose members have always put the country rather than the individual first.
To avoid any possibility of damaging a Government led by Taoiseach John Bruton – a man of the utmost decency and understanding qualities – I have tendered my resignation from Government and it has been accepted.
Hogan, as we’re all well aware, immediately bowed out entirely from the political scene, and hasn’t been heard from since.
No.
Wait…
Note: All screengrabs and good deal of the detail of the above via the RTÉ Budget Archives — well worth a look…
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Theresa May and the British Media reacting to a narrowing lead in the polls, it gets dirthy from here on in. Hope the voters can see trough this crap………
@Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: Yep, latest polls have halved the early lead. You’re right, too – this will get a lot dirtier before polling day.
@Alan M: Yes chaps – but the election is in another country, where the electorate’s sole interest in this island – is to rid the UK exchequer of the £10 billion drain that NI is, every year…
@Fank Pulman: £2.5 Billion is the actual defecit.
@Pete Rossiter: No…the net deficit is c€1 a month. Google is your friend¡
@booby sandwiches: with your ridiculous name and the nonsense you spew out, I hope someone is paying you for your time trolling…..
@Noirin Kavanagh: He’s had about 20 different names on here. I don’t think he’s the full shilling. He’l soon be banned again.
@Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: is Theresa may throwing the election?
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2017/05/21/corbyn-for-pm-its-a-great-british-thing/
@Fank Pulman: where’s Paul foot you haven’t signed in as him in a while since you got caught out with your multiple accounts
Love him or hate him, he has always been a principled and dignified public servant.
Honesty and integrity for 50 years cannot be attacked so the Tory machine and its printing presses and tv studios try distraction tactics.
Professional liars and the bottom- feeders in the media cannot be steadied with shame. A conscience is required in order to feel shame.
@Brendan McLaughlin: Pretty much bang on.
@Brendan McLaughlin: Reminds one of the relationship of FG and FF with our one dimensional media who lie, spread fake news against any opposition trying to challenge them. Well worn tactic shout the loudest, and rally the trolls on social media.
@booby sandwiches: The only hard border will be the one between Scotland and england, in fact a prosperous 32 county Irish republic may have to introduce a visa system to prevent people fleeing, a derelict, dysfunctional england and Wales and looking to set up hope in the emerald isle.
Indeed in the future we may have a united kingdom of great Ireland Scotland and wales.
@joe o hare: The UK would have a party in every town if we took on NI and it’s £12 million annual cost; they have zero interest in the place which has civil servants making up 29% of it’s workforce. Sadly – with a €200+ National Debt – we couldn’t afford it.
@Fank Pulman: And…the UK is the 5th largest economy on earth in terms of GDP etc. Do we even make the top 50!¡¿?
@Just Me: you probably wouldnt consider yourself a troll? PMSL
@Fank Pulman: the border will give me great joy :)
#karma
@booby sandwiches: No, I leave that to you with your vast experience.
@joe o hare: no thanks. We’re Irish not Welsh or Scottish.
The dal riada is ancient history…
@joe o hare: you should add “brained” to your name.
Right side of history¡ Like Jorry – who never joined the IRA….
@Fank Pulman: I’m not sure if you agree or disagree with the article?
@booby sandwiches: so you don’t support freedom fighters?
@Negan: I support the disappeared – do you not¿¡
@Fank Pulman: Presume you are also supporting
John mahon 16
Michael Connors 14
Sean o Riordan 13
Francis rowntree 11
Their families will appreciate your support.
@Fank Pulman: in what way do you support them
Are you asking the Irish government to question the britshit governments use of vulnerable members of the nationalist community as informers and what threat did they imply to achieve this.
@joe o hare: I support the need of the families of the disappeared to be given closure – and for them to be allowed to bury their family members. It is sad that some don’t share this basic right. Changing the subject achieves nothing¡
@Negan: ISIS would consider themselves as freedom fighters, do you support them also? have you any morals at all?
@Fank Pulman: Are you now Booby, you’re answering for him. So along with Fank Pulman. Pendragon 917, Paul Foot and now Booby, how many accounts have you got.
@Fank Pulman: You’re the one that changed the subject, considering the article has nothing really to do with the disappeared.
@booby sandwiches:
there are freedom fighters everywhere in one guise or other. this years freedom fighters are next years terrorists and the next years government. forget labeling things. look for the motive of their cause and then judge their morals.
@booby sandwiches: ISIS are anything but freedom fighters, there is absolutely no comparison.
What mandate was he respecting when was attending rallies for jailed IRA terrorists and their dead “martyrs”? The IRA had no mandate from anyone, SF had little electoral clout before their dear friends agreed to a ceasefire. SF got 13.8% of the vote last time out. It was in low single figures during the troubles north and south. The right side of history starts with the likes of Hume and Mallon, others merely followed when their gun dreams proved fruitless.
@joe o hare: So a democratic mandate is irrelevant? QED.
@Honeybadger197: disappointed “they” removed Joes comment. It laid bare the grassroots apathy towards democracy. So it goes…
@Honeybadger197: Spot on
@Honeybadger197: you are forgetting that bobby sands topped the poll in elections as a member of the IRA.
@Honeybadger197: it would be hard to get a mandate in a falsely created state that was engineered to give a foreign invader an electoral majority. Lots of people who voted SDLP also supported the IRA.
@joe o hare: Can you shed some light on why Gerry tried to make himself a beneficiary of Sands writings etc? Why are Sands relatives in dispute with the bobby sands trust? Why do they refuse to allow Sands son access to physical copies of his fathers writings? Lastly, if youre going to mention Sands, why did Gerry veto a deal from the British that the hungerstrikers had accepted?
Corbyn must be so honoured to be added to the list of Sinn Fein friends like his hero Castro.
Let’s have an unbiased opinion on this #EoghanHarris
@Stephen: Hahahaha
@Steph: Or Kevin Myers. Perhaps dig up Conor Cruise O’Brien, now that would be impartiality, not.
@Just Me: it gets better. They dragged Sean O’Callaghan out of obscurity and gave him the front page of the Sun.
So many trolls on this comment section.
@Eoin Mulhern: shinner trolls are busy trying to rewrite history, and they wonder why they are wallowing on 13% PMSL
@Just Me: How stupid can replies get! Try to argue your point and stop insults. It makes you look foolish.
@booby sandwiches: Spot on. Only recently joined social media and cannot believe the number of Provo trolls stalking and bullying decent democrats off the Comments page and Twitter. About 4 Provo trolls to 1 decent democrat. Scary
@Dolly White: anyone who doesn’t agree with what you think is a provo troll?
its good to see failures like SF/IRA and Corbyn cosy up. rotten to the core the lot of them
He DID condemn IRA bombings. The widely circulated clip of the interview conveniently cuts off the bit where he said “I condemn all bombing by both the loyalists and the IRA,” in an effort by the right wing press to smear him.
@Tom the Bomb: It’s David Cameron’s “Corbyn called Osama bin Laden’s death a tragedy” out-of-context smear story all over again. Lynton Crosby is probably masturbating furiously right now.
For Corbyn every radical terrorist & tyrant opposed to the west is either excused or backed by him over his long political career. For Corbyn “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. From his support for the IRA, hamas & hezbollah to his regular appearances on Iran state English language propaganda channel & Putin’s English language propaganda channel RT before he became labour leader.
@Michael Ryan: evil associates with evil, corbyn and SF/IRA are welcome to each other, both utter failures PMSL
@booby sandwiches: havin a lot of trouble holdin your piss this evenin?
@Michael Ryan: i’m confused. do you actually believe that to be a good or bad?
@booby sandwiches: You’re like a bee attracted to nectar, give it up Dane, seek the help you urgently need.
BREAKING NEWS: Jeremy Corbyn condemns SF, claims he’s always been on the Left side of history.
The UK Labour leader has been slandered for failing to condemn the IRA alone without condemning anyone else.” There, fixed the sub heading for you.
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