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COUNCILLOR JOE QUEENAN has resigned from Fianna Fáil following revelations in an RTÉ Investigates documentary.
The programme alleged a host of wrongdoing among politicians flouting rules about the non-disclosure of business interests.
It also featured undercover footage of a journalist posing as a wind farm investor seeking help from three politicians. It showed the councillors agreeing to help in return for money or, in Queenan’s case, a possible loan in the future.
Undercover segments of the programme featured a fake investment company called Vinst Opportunities. A reporter named ‘Nina’ met with three councillors seeking support in gaining sites for wind energy production in Ireland.
Queenan, a councillor in Sligo, is filmed suggesting to ‘Nina’ that he is considering setting up an agri-feed business and may be seeking investment in the future.
“An investment of say €200,000 max, I’ll repay it over a number of years,” he tells the reporter.
‘Shocking and completely unacceptable’
A statement from Queenan’s solicitors told the programme that he “was not corrupt and that he had repeatedly said he did not want a fee”.
In a statement issued just after the programme ended, Fianna Fáil said it had accepted Queenan’s resignation.
“Some of the behaviour displayed in tonight’s programme was shocking and completely unacceptable. The instances where there appear to be clear breaches of the law need to be fully investigated by the gardaí and prosecutions brought where appropriate.
Separately, in respect of any allegations that were made against current members of Fianna Fáil, the party will immediately commence an internal inquiry under the auspices of the Ard Chomhairle to establish the full facts in each instance and will take action as appropriate.
“Fianna Fáil expects the highest standards from its public representatives. There is absolutely no tolerance within the party for any breaches of such standards.”
A spokesperson told TheJournal.ie Queenan’s future as a councillor is a matter for him and Sligo County Council.
‘Playing along’
Earlier today former Fine Gael councillor Hugh McElvaney, who was also secretly recorded for the programme, said he was “taking the piss out of RTÉ” by playing along with the sting operation.
He asked for £10,000 as an initial payment for helping the fake company.
Speaking this morning to Northern Sound FM, McElvaney claimed he was only playing along with the journalist because he knew from the outset that someone was trying to dupe him.
“Any public representative worth his salt would have nothing to do with an investment company or developer of any kind,” he said.
There are politicians that have gone to jail for this. Did you think I was a gombeen man from Monaghan? Obviously you did, but I’m not such a gombeen. So I lured her into my trap.
- with reporting from Rónán Duffy
Originally published: 10.45pm
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That Hugh Fella would make your skin crawl. “what’s in it for me”. The balls on him. Nauseating stuff.
He was comedy gold though! You couldn’t make it up. but I bet he tops the poll again next time!
splash the cash .. brown envelope wanted….
And what worst after listening to him today on Newstalk he couldn’t care less what anyone though of him. He was laughing at us all because he knows nothing can or will be done to him.
IF he dose it goes to show what assh— we have in this country
I fecking not. Although I believe he’s popular ..clearly with certain types of people with copious amounts of b a key handers
The cops should be knocking on their doors tomorrow morning. Won’t hold my breath.
Lads, it will all be put down to the crowd in Dublin, out to get him. Look at Lowrey, look at The Stroke Fahy in Galway, who actually went to jail but still remained massively popular.
Did you here his laughable excuses this morning? Claiming he had tricked the reporters by pretending to go along with it.
Dermot Lane might be right about him getting elected again (albeit without the support of a party). Some people can will themselves into not believing what they see. Look at the amount of people who didn’t believe the Planned Parenthood videos!
You know…Ireland is a small country, I always wondered why getting businesses to set up rural was a difficult task. I think we can see at least one barrier that cripples our rural communities from feeling the benefit of a rising tide. These guys are traitors to their local communities…the cost of their actions could be huge…from unemployment, rural decline, emigration and possibly suicide of young people who see no future in their lives.
Prison time is the only answer for corrupt pocket stuffers.
I think he thinks he’s Heisenberg..
I look back at my parents generation and think what fools they were being bossed around by the priests of the Catholic Church. Pure dopes they were. I can’t help but think our kids will judge our generation (me included) for how we are letting these politicians ride us and what are we doing about it? F_ck all really…
He’ll be re-elected when the time comes. Look at Lowry.
Come on over to ireland We’re having a meeting We’ll be lying cheating and stealing so come on Over tonight. That was a political broadcast on behalf of the government.
Fíanna Fáil / Fine Gael / Labour – Corrupt “peas in a pod ” !
Were we supposed to expect anything else from them ?
Sure he fixed the roads! Of course they will vote for him
Comment of the week for me Al Ca
I’ll second that Scrap, perfectly put Al.
10 grand fine! Sterling! that’s a good number for starts!
Loving how the party that wants to see Britain remain in the EU has a councillor demanding a bribe in sterling.
Almost poetic. Irish pectoral weekly couldn’t write better.
And now the elephant in the room. Given how ‘blase’ he was about demanding payment for his services, how likely is it that this was his first attempt to extort money for influence? What other deals has he, as he did the actions for on national TV, done to stuff his pockets? Who has benefitted? And more importantly, who has suffered as a result?
Make a statement of complaint Reg.
Well fu@k me, when he was stuffing his pockets I thought I was going to crack a few ribs. Brilliant stuff, still laughing.
Will there be dawn raids? Will there fu@k!
Poooork, lovely juicy pork. Yum, how can I get more from the barrel? I must become a Councillor or some such ASAP.
Joe Duffy will wake up with some horn in the morning!
That’s a mental picture I could’ve done without
“Joe Duffy will wake up with some horn in the morning!”
And there’s no fear of him rolling out of bed in the meantime…….
€5000 fine for every interest they miss in their declaration .
That will sort it out.
Problem is Dave, they could afford it. Fools, Gombeens and disgusting behaviour.
Or just a standard state pension at retirement age
I’d say they should be required to resign from any elected position and barred from immediately seeking re-election.
Debco, we are paying 2 convicted criminals state pensions over 100000€ Ray Burke and Ivor callely I am sure what we saw tonight is only the tip of the iceberg
We are the gombeens voting for them!!!!! Dont you get that!?
An absolute fcuking disgrace
In fairness to him, he hardly joined Fianna Fail to not be corrupt.
Carmo, classic!!
Interesting to see will the other two resign as well
These guys are only the ‘L’ and ‘N’ plate politicians – imagine how polished the others are…
Think I finally got my value for money for the tv license…..
I said exactly this to the other half tonight
Donegal guy giving out about the begrudgers
Why are the FRAUD squad not investigating these Gangsters ???
Now that is a very important question, perhaps the single most important and insightful question asked. There are many crominal offences involved.
An Garda Siochana do not even have to be instructed by the Minister fir Justice to stay well clear of these issues of political corruption.
Or the revenue commissioners?
@Tony Because nobody had heard about any of this until yesterday.
I would like to know the names of the two councilers who refused to meet with the undercover reporter on the grounds that it would be illegal and wrong just incase there are some we can trust!
Corrupt from top to bottom
It was like a sketch off the savage eye it was that brazen
As someone said earlier today, some things are beyond satire.
They will all be falling like autumn leaves
Now now let nobody on the journal be critical of Fine Gael politicians.
I really wish that were true. The reality is these prix will brazen it out, quit the pity and run as independents. “Sure I was only looking after local business”
“Fianna Fail expect the highest standard from its public representatives”….. Since when?
Problem is that all these fcukers have made serious twine on the qt and can now ride off into the sunset scot free. What a joke.
Its a fu!king national disgrace they should be sacked and jailed time to wipe these political parasite out for good vote for change.
A vote for ff fg labour is a vote for cronyism and corruption
Nothing will change!
I’m sorry to say none of this surprises me. I work in the construction industry where cute hoorism is rife.
I’m also afraid to say honesty and business doesn’t really mix in this country. To be honest is to be soft. It takes a tough nut to become successful. We nearly expect our politicians to be crooked.
People who vote for these guys and their parties who continuously give these guys a platform knowing 100% whats going on, are also complicit in corruption now!! Its that simple!! From the monaghan council chamber to the Galway Tent, people need no more evidence!! a vote for the civil war parties is a vote for corruption and makes the voter totally complicit!
Caught by the balls
You can say that again! I’m appalled. I may sound naive but I can’t understand how classless and arrogant this level of corruption is. Disgusting!
And the worst thing that can happen is they may loose their seat. Shocking Should be sent to jail.
Bring Sterling !!!!!!
Angela Merkel won’t like that!
10,000 is a nice little number wha’ Nina.
Raheem!!??
Resigned from the party or from the council?
I wonder if he will get a hush payment……sorry I mean golden handshake?
It states clearly in the headline and article
Not much of a resignation so where you still keep your job.
Sadly he resigned only from FF…I don’t know why he thinks he can keep his job as a councillor. He needs prison time to let others know the state of play.
That pick resigned from FG but can still have his council seat when he was elected on a FG ticket
O shut up please
Party only of course as it was on a course against his own best interests
Delighted these shower of gangsters were caught out hopefully there’s more to follow
Enda says the forms can be difficult to fill in. What in the name of fu(k are you a public representative if you cant fill in a basic form. Make ya Sick the corrupt shower of ###@)(\?
Also what about all their advisors and staff who get well paid..could they not assist!? More absolute BS from our sleeveen PM
Good riddance, sick to the pit of my stomach watching that. FG/FF couldn’t be corrupt. Hopefully more “resignations” follow
Assuming that this is not the first time these guys did this, maybe CAB needs to get in and start investigating these creeps and trawl through their bank accounts and properties, follow the money and let them show how they acquired these things. Now we know why Fianna Fáil for years refused to set up a CAB type organisation.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Nothing will come of this, they’ll get off Scot free. No garda investigation though maybe rte could get in trouble for sullying his character. The fine Gael and political parties in general haven’t changed.
They all like to think they have, but they haven’t Cupid, apart from labour who became repulsive.
Sure the money would only have been resting in their accounts
Where’s endas statement on this considering Hugh mc elvaney was a member of fine gael at the time this took place ? Disgusting people. Make you wonder what they’ve been at that we don’t know about
Enda did say something: he said the forms are difficult to fill in!
The part where they all stood up applauding in the meeting when he resigned was cringeworthy.
What do they think now?
Dave I can almost guarantee you they don’t feel any differently.
If these forms are difficult to fill in maybe just maybe these councillors haven’t got the wherewithal to be in the council’s.
I never heard a politician saying his expenses form was hard to fill out.
Ah poor aul Joe. Sure look he was just looking out for the good people of Sligo. Yes he left his declaration form blank, forgetting to declare his farm, his businesses (plural), his planning permission for a commercial storage facility, his auctioneering practice acting as an agency for landlords leasing properties to, ahem, Sligo Co. Council, his planned agri-feed business. Brief memory loss that’s all ’twas. And no he didn’t want cash in hand for his help, just a 200K sub for his new business. Sure he was thinking of the good people of Sligo after-all. Well done RTE on doing the job of the SIPO who presumably are supposed to vet and cross-check these declarations or are they just sitting in a pile gathering dust somewhere? Not as entertaining as Hugh though. Hugh was comedy gold.
Eh…..we’ll…that would be an economical matter!
Is there a vehicle in place to remove these GANGSTERS ??
Yes a Garda Van
I’m surprised that people are surprised by these revelations, It’s Ireland, it’s what goes on in this little republic of ours
Excuse me…but every time I meet a local councillor I don’t tar them with the ‘corrupt brush’. Like most people I would treat them as law abiding like myself and I will keep doing so until they are uncovered as corrupt sly pocket stuffers. If the ones I know are uncovered, I will put the boot in and kick them to touch…but until then…I cannot judge them on the actions of others.
Also al, some councillors refused to meet Nina at all, because they knew it was wrong.
That was just their instinct warning them there was something dangerous anout Nina. These politicians are cunning; they’re like rats. Or stoats..
O shut up
need to make an example of these guys and punish them with an iron fist
An iron dildo..
The guys who made this programme can look forward to a promotion… To children’s TV.
Watch for a deflecting story being released in the next few days. Gerry will probably get arrested again.
Best country in the world to do corruption in! Civil War parties up to there kneck in cronyism and corruption.
It appears to be prevalent among all major parties. This govt have yet again fudged this issue as their friends & associates are up to their necks in corrupt practices. These people are parasites & it’s incumbent on the government to change the law with penalties that include jail time & removal of assets. 40% of counsellors can’t complete a simple form! Perhaps that’s why they use paper bags & middle men when screwing the people they don’t represent. Ba$tards.
All major parties? Sorry friend but not one Sinn Fein councillor or elected rep has being implicated in this showing once and for all that it is FG/FF/Lab are only in it for themselves and f… the rest of us. I’m sure another story is brewing in the Sindo or RTE about actions carried out 40 years ago during the conflict just to deflect as usual
No Paul , Sinn Fein are squeaky clean, God forbid anyone would say they are corrupt, and of Cource that pesky ” conflict” is always being thrown in your faces, people are so petty…
I am fully aware of the conflict Gerry as I unlike most of the commentators on here, actually loved through it. What I am stating is this is the norm in politics in the south, that they are only in it for themselves, say what you want about SF, they always defended their communities while many here and elsewhere did nothing. They are not in it for the money but for the best self interests if Irish citizens. The war finished over 20 years ago yet you still harp on about it while ALL the Establishment parties are steeped in blood. Learn your history before trying to be funny, no doubt you never even set foot in the north like your mates Diarmuid, Thomas Mac (though he is a blight on that great name) Tap and the other apologists for corruption and self preservation
*lived through it. God damn iPhones
Paul , will you get a grip, looked after communities , stop will ya, no one , I mean no one, bar the die hard brainwashed, Gerry was never in the IRA , crew believe that, and people have seen through Sinn Fein and their collective BS long ago.. When Sinn Fein politicians are allowed to think for themselves we may have progress, but puppets are for shows.
Brainwashed? I have a politics degree and I don’t read An Phoblacht as I like to get all sides of a story not just the one RTE/Sindo slam down our throats. What has Gerry being in the RA got to do with corruption in Sligo and Donegal? Oh of course back to same old same old that’s all you have.
And yes ‘Gerry’, they did defend their communities. If you had ever gone there and asked people on the ground instead of believing everything that is rammed down your throat work away but who’s brainwashed now?
Also can you explain why Sinn Fein is by far the largest Nationalist party in the north if they inflicted so much pain and suffering. Way on with your old mate Jack Lynch who helped create the IRA by “standing idly by”. Just like you gutless
I’m surprised he waited until now. the cute hoor FIne Gael gouger went out in style, resigned “on principle” and cheered on by his fellow compadres. No doubt they will say that he was victim of a conspiracy engineered by Leftist Sinn Fein sympathizers in RTE.
He’s already saying its a FG conspiracy against him to get him out.
Jane I’m ready to be soaked tomorrow will that change your mind and make you come along March against the system oh bring your friend cathal along I hope his eyes were opened
Well FF were quick out of the blocks with that well thought out and unambiguous statement. written a while back in lieu of tonight’s showing no doubt. FF have actually called for him to be charged in that statement of theirs, and usually for them, they didn’t dress up that language either.
Wind farms great for their pockets and fcuk local communities needs
Yeah the old wind farms stink of Shekels…..
FF does not tolerate corruption. Ahem.
FG does not tolerate corruption. Ahem.
….as long as they’re not exposed.
Independents do not tolerate corruption. Ahem.
Criminal investigation?
No government people to appear on this Claire Byrne show why is that ?
Leo the Lion was on…Bananas can kill don’t ye know. You need to eat loads though. Or slip on a peel and end up in A&E.
The FG lad told to protest over the interconnector, I’m sure he got his severance package. Will Enda run now again that he is in CLEAR breach of his contract with the Irish people.?
Maybe some other ambitious journo will get the whiff of limitless corruption from these wind “opportunities” and pursue more exposes….these 3 Bucko’s knew they were on to the golden but secret ticket..
Resigning from your party is nothing. Resign from the Council.
‘Caught rapid’ should be in the dictionary beside a picture of his face.
Another betrayal, never ending greed
Just shows them up to be the crooks & gangsters we already know they are.
Hugh McElvaney is the Pat Mustard of politics…
It wasn’t enough for Mc Elvaney that his waste disposal company had contracts with several local authorities, surely another conflict of interest, but he had to be greedy and look for the easy, under the table cash. What with him and Conlan, FG had a team to be proud of in Monaghan, wait till you see the rest of them scurrying to cover their arses over the next few days.
The money was just resting in my account…
Who were the councillors who wuld not meet as they knew it was against the law. Maybe some are actually trustworthy r perhaps had the brains to know it was possable a set up
20 comment’s so far and no sign of the usual suspects tom mac/dermo/tap ect ect ect you get my drift.
I’d say a mass digital cull of the accounts was ordered so new more moderate ones could be opened to try and explain this away.
Ray, correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think Diarmuid was on the journal today. A lot of his comments directed at me yesterday are missing from the thread also. Something fishy going on.
Watersedge I could agree with you
but what’s in it for me.
Lol, can’t wait until they come to my door canvassing.
Anyone else think, these meetings with any business or developers needs to be done every time, in a public office room. With a camera and a second person taking notes. The meeting streaming live on the internet. No lunches together off camera no drinks afterwards.
Being an FG or an FF Councillor certainly opens up plenty of opportunities.
Or an Independent…. Don’t muddy the waters Fiona
The biggest shock is that two refused to meet as they saw it as an illegal meeting. Surprising they weren’t named and it seems a bit unfair on them. Would like to have known who they are..
“You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money, and you don’t know where the fuxk it’s gonna take you” Detective Lester Freemon, The Wire.. That’s why successive governments , as Fintan O Toole said tonight , have failed to enact legislation to tackle white collar crime.
What surprised me was how simple the set up was. I don’t doubt they found the forms difficult to fill out. A politician falling for this kind of sting would need to be as thick as muck.
Hugh McElvaney was right on one thing if anyone finds out there will be War well he got his war alright
Ridiculous, I could have done it for &5k…….
Hugh, cheered on like a king there, when he stepped down from FG. I wonder do they feel foolish now. I doubt it. He’ll top every vote now, just like Lowry did when he was exposed. We get what we deserve. Presumably his waste disposal contracts with local authorities will be investigated as I’m sure will Queenan’s contracts with landlords who are renting to Sligo Co Council. I doubt it!
Makes you wonder what kind of shady deals have gone on with NAMA all that land,all those houses,they’ll have been queuing up to ride that gravy train, every last bust developer will be in business again
Councillor, GSOH, wltm foxy Swede for friendship and exchange of dodgy deals for large wads of cash
Feic everyone of them out …how many of them are in the dail … 170 of them or something for a tiny country .. We just need to run the country like a business I.e a board of directors … For e.g put a Michael o Leary esq person in charge of health and feic out all their quangos as well . We sound save a fortune and have a better run country .
Who needs a gun & balaclava when you have a shirt & tie #therealgangsters
Resigns…with pension
Councillors don’t get pensions.
Neal, some of them get up to 40000€ for services rendered
Lads big point missed here it misinterpreted , none of them resigned , Irish politicians don’t resign , they resigned from their parties before they were kicked out , that yoke from Monaghan, slithered out early , because he knew twas coming , but they all, are still councellors , they have not resigned , their snouts are still and will be buried in the trough…
No water charges for me…and this is why my friends…I go out of my way not to pay a cent more than I have to.Get all of these politicians together,big fire…problem solved!
Does this kind of stuff fall under the remit of the Criminal Assets Bureau?
Now if we could only get all those chancers pocketing undeclared cash for work around the country, we could lock ‘em all up. Oh wait! Hold on! Scratch that! Sure we’d have to lock up half the nation.
Looking forward to the”what’s in it for me”posters when the election is finally called…hmmm..where can I get a supersize black marker….
Vote Fine Ga€l / Fainna Fai£
And 26 Mi££ion reasons to vote for Sinn Fein..
This topic has nothing to do with SF gerry now piss off.
Good man ray, typical shinner, eyes down , nothing to see here, look up you numpty, at you comrades comment above.. I know ye aren’t allowed to think for yourselves, but the majority still do. Ye are still codding no one.
Gerry i toe no party line and am a member of none I judge each comment on merit this is a topic about corruption and all you have to offer is a snide remark.so I ask do you support corruption in FG/FF?
Nina ….. Now the new nation’s hero !!!!
Sinn Fein has made a statement tonight.gerry Adams was not in the ira
Get lost you deflecting idiot!
Conair apt name for a gobsh!te.
The tragic thing is that your comment is true. SF engage in exactly the same kind of pure bullshit that FF, FG and Labour do. It’s Irish politics people! Gerry Adams was in the IRA. SF play word games and evasion about this, using exactly the same strategies that FF/FG and Labour use to frustrate any actual meaningful debate about their agendas and self-preservation. Michael Martin’s performances have been abject. Enda Kenny is unfit to be leader of a country in every sense. Joan Burton is comparably as bad as Gilmore was and Rabbite is. The simple fact is that responsibility for all of this rests with me and you. These people are interested in careerist politics and protection of their parties as a means to that end. The real test and the only viable test is if the actual citizens of this country can knock their mental and emotional programming and start to humbly and honestly present some better alternative to the pure s**tstorm of crap that our political parties feed us. How about we take personal and collective responsibility and make it a consistent condition of our lives that we will not accpet any of this rubbish and strive to produce something even relatively better.
David, Gerry Adams was questioned by the psni for four days on this very topic, this very year, and were unable to produce any evodemce whatsoever. So can I ask what evidence you have that they didn’t, and whether or not you have since presented it to the authorities? Can I also ask if the concept of ‘innocence until proven guilty’ (a cornerstone of most modern legal systems) a concept you disagree with?
Why doesn’t Adams directly deny being in the IRA? The biggest problem we have is partisanship in this country. Their our dishonest politicians, as opposed to their dishonest politicians. We haven’t got enough awareness of our own psychology and use that kind of argument. Stop defending the indefensible. Are you seriously claiming Adams wasn’t in the IRA? How about holding all our politicians to the same adequate standard.
Are you for real? He directly denies it on an almost daily basis to a media who know how to fixate on meaningless distractions like that. And I don’t know if he was or wasn’t a member, and more to the point I don’t care one iota. As someone who grew up under intense state discrimination in the six counties, I regard the IRA and SF as two organisations that stood up and defended those being beaten down, who dismantled the sectarian government and who built the relative peace and equality we have today. Whatever hat Gerry was wearing at any point in that process is of no concern to me, I, like the majority of nationalists in the six counties who lived through it all, am just happy we had people like Gerry Adams. But, while I say I don’t know if he was in the IRA, the crucial point is, neither do you. And in the eyes of the law, he was not, unless proven otherwise. So either you stand over your statement that he was in the IRA, or you disagree with the fundamental concept of the justice system that states one is innocent if an accusation until proven guilty. Which is it?
Did I hear them say tonight that one councillor had been on the debters list every year and was caught using dodgy diesel…how can he be allowed continue on representing the peeps with that on his record …the mind boggles
Its being going on for years corrupt politicians and nothing will be done..I wouldn’t trust any of them.
Cant help but feel all this from RTE of all stations is a softening precursor to something hughmongus about to be released as no way of hiding it. Could be me, but i do wait in anticipation…
Press statement from FF/FG/Labour, etc.: “We had no idea that our members would get caught. We disavow all exposed members who engage in this kind of activity. We are busy trying to put as much distance from these now non-FF/FG/Labour members and are generating as much white noise as possible when asked why we hadn’t taken proactive steps to address corruption in our ranks, which didn’t actually occur, because all the corruption occurred immediately after these people left our party. Now give us your votes.”
So every penny they earned wuth 250000 on top is what they should pay the state. With no pension.
Ahh come on lads, rates later me that are so 2006. You could have done it for€5k
I imagine a few more will follow
RTE hitting small fry in a faux effort to feed the call for justice.
Perhaps because the big fish are too cute to be caught with such a simple trick. But you can be sure if it’s so easy to squeeze cash at the bottom….there’s more to be squeezed at the top.
I was waiting for your man from Monaghan to say “You can keep my share in a file in the Filing Cabinet”
Would love to see them all up in front of a judge . Greedy b*stards
Sorry rates ‘like that’
McElvaney gesturing as though he were scraping piles of money off the table and lumping it all into his pockets really reminded me of that corrupt crab boss with his lovely crab claws ‘Henry J Waternoose III’ CEO of Monsters Inc. And we all know what happened to Waternoose, the slug got him!!!! :o
10 year holiday in Spike island!
I take issue with any idea that it was ‘shocking.’ The problem, is that it was not even remotely shocking. Boomtown lads had it, banana republic..
Worst thing..not a thing will be done to any of them. As usual the true criminals will walk.
Yes, I do think you are a gombeen from monaghan. So does entire country; for the rest of your life, may i add.
That’s normally how traps work, lure your quarry in then present yourself over and over again without “springing” the trap. Hopefully a few more of this type of politician will be caught out.
Proper order first responsible thing he’s done !
IFA Chiefs laughing all the way to the bank last week ……now this shower!
Some things never change in gombeen Ireland ! Cute hoors and all that and in many parts of rural Ireland people like that are lauded and looked up to ! Because it’s assumed they have power and can open doors !
We are a subservient nation of peasants if we put up with behaviour like this !!! Those men should be ostracised in their communities!
Good example of Irish politics.
Send in CAB to investigate these hoors illgotten gains.
We think we are 1st world but the way these “gombeens” act we are really 3rd!
Cute-Hoarism at its best… A sure.. It will be grand…
It looks like they broke the law so I’m presuming arrests will be made?
If U rerun that tape U will notice a lot of bleeps,xing out mention of unnamed people. Thes Cllrs could not operate without having go to contacts in their relevant planning offices,these are the people who must be outed,urgently.
Jail
Yes you are a gombeen man from Monaghan who’s response to being caught is both hilarious and damning in its exposure of your corrupt ego and utter contempt for the law and the electorate.
If you tolerate this, then your children will be next!! Notice how they all had to resign their parties!!! They werent dismissed or reported by their party. We all know that FG and FF gladly give these guys the platform they need! But sure just keep voting for them people and you are just as corrupt in doing so!
They’ll all just squirm they’re way of out of this. No investigation will happen into previous deals that these people were involved in. Republic of Ireland – Of TDs, by TDs, for TDs.
Surely trust in elected officials is zero at this stage. I’ll not bother to vote again – what’s the point if no one is accountable. They’ll just walk away.
In a week or two there will be no more about it and on it will continue. The back handers ,the cronies, brown envelope contract awards, the golf games with the bankers , judiciary and government . Its the normal way of doing things in Ireland and to hell with the silly little people, sure they do not know any better all the Gombean man wants is their vote.
…… “It was just banter”
The law might not be able to touch them… But Revenue could!!
Hopefully he won’t be able to stand for reelection, or indeed remain on the council for much longer, on account of being jailed.
have your say