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THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT publicly denied that an EU/IMF bailout was on the cards almost up to the point that the deal was signed and announced on 21 November last year.
However, in an exclusive interview to be aired tonight on an RTÉ Prime Time special, the IMF chief negotiator’s Ajai Chopra says that the IMF was having discussions with Finance Minister Brian Lenihan and members of the Government from as far back as the summer of 2010.
On 11 October 2010, Lenihan told Bloomberg Television that Ireland would “absolutely” not need a bailout. On 17 November, a day before the IMF was due to arrive in Dublin, then Taoiseach Brian Cowen went on RTÉ’s Six-One News to deny that their arrival meant that they were in town for bailout negotiations.
In the interview with Prime Time reporter Robert Shortt to be shown tonight, Ajai Chopra said that discussions began long before we may have even suspected. He said:
We had a number of discussions over the course of the summer and the autumn of 2010. The point about all our contacts over that period in the summer and the autumn was for the Irish to explain to us what steps they were taking. But there was another dimension to this as well. This was a new environment for Ireland and, you know, this was a tough decision whether to ask for support or not.
Also on tonight’s programme Patrick Honohan, Governor of the Central Bank, says that discussions that took place in Brussels on the weekend of 14/15 November were indeed “pre-negotiations” for a bailout deal. He said:
The discussions were at a level of detail which would normally only occur after a formal request was made. But in deference to the Minister’s reluctance to make a formal request, the IMF agreed to conduct those detailed discussions that weekend.These were pre-negotiation discussions.
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So, we now have proof that Cowen and Lenihan were liars, as well as incompetents.
So what did you want them to do. Get locked out of all markets and run out of cash.
Jesus Gerard. You’re a brave man calling a dead man a liar in this country. I wouldn’t dare! Fair play to you.
You, other commenters and the Journal have very selective memories. Did not Lenihan speak of the talks, stating that him and Cowen were fighting it in these exact talks, only to be hamstung by the governor of the CB and ECB stooge when he went to the media and said there’d have to be a bailout behind their back’s? Democracy is a game told by fools, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!
Peter Carroll. They could have done what Morgan Kelly said to do.
No Peter Carroll we wanted to be told the truth! Your clearly a FF supporter and deem it suitable for a nation to be lied to, lets remember cowen was NEVER voted in
He was voted in to the Dail several times and he was made Taoiseach as is usual by being the leader of FF.
I was a FF supporter all my life but I’m totally sickened by how they’ve destroyed this country….I don’t see any of the other parties as much better…..I don’t support any party now ……we need someone with a business head like Michael O Leary (I’m not a fan) to get country back on it’s feet….not dithering fools who can’t make tough decisions that might hurt their constituents & mean they wont get re-elected ……we are totally f#*ked for 2012 !!
No thanks easygoing. O’Leary really would tax us on the air we breath. As redundant apprentices says above honesty and truth would go down well and make a refreshing change.
Agree with u re O’Leary, Reada. He is an annoying, self serving twat.
Why do people say about Michael O’Leary ” I’m not a fan” after using him as an example of a good businessman usually?
That’s typical, someone who would vote FF all their life would indeed pick such a self-serving media-manipulating leader. You and the Irish greedy borrowers got what you deserve :)
Makes sense in retrospect. Remember Morgan Kelly saying that the IMF and Lenihan came up with a deal where senior bondholders would be burned, and Tim Geithner vetoed it? That would’ve happened around the G8 summit in the summer. The IMF seem to have been the more benevolent side of the equation – things only came to a head when the ECB threatened to cut off funding. Anyway, should be an interesting watch tonight …
So, the truth is finally coming out about what exactly was going on and how much both Cowen and Lenihen knew was going to happen, yesterday we had Drumm making veiled threats and intimating that the same two were well aware of the imploding situation at Anglo and now we have Chopra telling us that both Cowen and Lenihen were lying to the Irish people right up to the minute almost when they decided to ask for the bailout. It’s surely nearing the time when the truth has got to be told and Cowen in particular is made to answer some questions about why they lied and when he knew the full implications of the Anglo debacle and indeed AIB, IL&P and all the other failed banks. We need to get all the canaries singing so that they start to spill the beans and we might just get to the real truth behind the destruction of the country.
……… and so it takes an outsider to reveal the truth…… poor Ireland even the IMF folk have pity on us!
Is it really pity or a one-upmanship on us I wonder is there anyone in politics that come forward with the whole truth
Reada…..we need an intelligent business mind to get us out of this mess…..not ex school teachers turned politicians who have no concept of business….truth is gr8 but we need to get out of the red !! Whatever you say about Michael O Leary, he may not be the most ethical but he has a good business brain which is what we need…..
I think it’s lack of ethics got us into this mess easygoing. O’Leary would be ruthless. It’s truth, courage and a bit of compassion will move us forward. Anyway they spend plenty money on economic advisors. Plenty of free advice on telly every night too.
I know it’s hard to be easygoing these days. Could I suggest Hardgoing as a new name? My poor dad was a FF voter too.
Well said Reada. Easygoing, plenty of room for low-ethic profit freaks in the US, flights leaving daily…
Michael O’Leary would be great, no friends in government, no fuss, no bullshit, straight talking business man with balls of steel and intelligence to back it up.it might b living hell under o’leary, but he would get results. Reada,Conor, who do you think has ethics, compassion?i will agree with you on truth. Not one politician would I respect today. If someone would come out,tell us whats going, call a spade a spade, have the balls to say hey folks,here’s big plan,we fucked up.no backbone. Anyways iv vented.im good now. Back to work people, and those who aint working, try smile once a day.it will get better
Really I think we have to get away from this idea that running a society is EXACTLY the same as running a business. Private corporations are mini-dictatorships, many are tyrannies. There is no consultation, decisions are taken by a small clique and expected to be implemented without question.
Dead right Paul Breen. A country is basically a large community or family not a profit making venture. All families use corporations on a day to day basis but aren’t ruled by them.
Maybe we should consider running country like a business, we might have money?might generate ideas leading to a more efficient country.put what our core values should be,first. Health?family?our work-job creation? Paul, i think your inclined to think business head running country=cut throat, no compassion. I disagree.id love to see mr O’Leary run the country.what he could bring to the table, and if for only one thing alone, he’d tell us as it is. It’l never happen, so i wouldnt lose any sleep about it.
No Way!
Drumm said it last week… They all knew… Back scratching and brown envelopes…
so prime time is now the standard bearer for truth programmes and we are supposed to believe what they say, they will probably call Cowen a fat useless twat and get sued for a seven figure sum to be paid out of the publics purse by us AGAIN
It didnt matter who was in charge. FF,FG,Labour, they are all the same. This is all planned to move the world to a single currency. Give it 5 years or less. Governments are powerless to stop it. Bildeburg group is running the show.
We have lots of inteligent business minded people, but patriots and not obsessed with private gain, alas no………………
Diarmuid …..glad to see I’m not on my own here….I don’t agree with a lot of O Leary’s ethics (or lack of them) but he has the balls to tell the truth….it’s refreshing to hear someone tell it as it is……I think he’d turn the HSE around in a year & probably make a profit !!!
Your dead right, o’leary is simon cowel of honesty,brutal. He’s a proven, sound business man, with a huge mouth to back his ego. he probably would make a profit. Id back him anyday over compassion….atleast he’s honest. Wouldnt be long about putting a fire under the asses of the useless government we have.
More importantly than the above, we’ve learned that we can speak with dolphins! Now that’s a story..http://wakeup-world.com/2011/11/28/the-discovery-of-dolphin-language/
Maybe the dolphins will be able to impart some sage advice, as it appears the panoply of economists and other “experts” don’t have a clue.
every fianna failer in this country should hang their heads in shame and cowen, dempsey and all the main players should be stripped of their assets and jailed for life for treason.
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