Gavinsblog.com

Category: Irish Politics

  • Driving licenses

    So the Government has finally made a move on the precarious situation of provisional licence holders. The new rules appear to mean that from Tuesday, 455,000 people will be driving without insurance. It also gives me a certain problem. I am on my second provisional licence, and I need to drive to and from university,…

  • Taoiseach's salary

    Is it not a bit high now? I don’t begrudge ministers or prime ministers high salaries for running countries, but Ireland has the population of… 4m (about Manchester and Birmingham greater areas combined). Why should the Taoiseach be paid more than the President of the United States – a job many would consider to be…

  • SIPO press release

    SIPO issued a stark press release yesterday following complaints over payments to Bertie Ahern. The press release differs from the letter that was sent to one of the complainants. The Standards Commission may examine the matter again if additional evidence emerges from the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments. as oppose to:…

  • Wtf?

    I think this is probably the most blatantly unquestioning and biased piece of “journalism” I have ever seen in my 26 years. Government propaganda in the fourth estate. Ahern using a proxy to blacken the name of an investigation into corruption, via a national newspaper, which swallows it hook, line and sinker. How on earth…

  • Ahern at the tribunal

    I’ve read the transcript. Staggering stuff really. Some of it could be construed as misleading or obstructing the Tribunal. Who wants to do a podcast of the entire thing, but made quicker? Would anyone listen to it? I’m sure I could master the high moral tones of counsel for the Tribunal. Update: Thanks Cian. The…

  • Larkin at the tribunal

    Q. 716. You got a lift? A. Yes. Q. 717. Similar to the previous occasion? A. Similar but not the same. Q. 718. A different driver of Mr Ahern? A. He didn’t have a driver then. Q. 743. And there’s a driver is there? A. No, my best recollection is that Bertie drove the car…

  • Ahern's Haugheyite tactics

    So Bertie Ahern, as Taoiseach, rings up AIB executive Jim McNamara in advance of his appearing at the Mahon Tribunal. Between January and March, Ahern and his office called McNamara on a number of occassions. Sandra, who apparently works for Ahern, calls Mr McNamara from Dublin Airport, as she was going on holidays. She said…

  • That $45,000

    There has been some speculation about this sum. The lodgment of about £28,700 on 5th December 1994 was a cash lodgment which is not exactly £30,000 sterling but rather is a lesser sum and may have been a mixture of sterling and Irish pounds. Hence it is in an irregular amount. It is not a…

  • Padraig Flynn on the Late Late

    Does anyone have this clip? Wouldn’t it be nice to have it on YouTube? Class act indeed. Update: I got a copy of it, digitised it and uploaded:

  • That election thing

    Can we now stop referring to Bertie Ahern as ‘Bertie’, but instead as Ahern or Mr Ahern? Do we refer to ANY other politician by their first name? It seems to be part of the whole ‘sure Bertie is one of us like, a common working man’. No. Ahern is not a common working man.…