Trevor Sargent resigns from Irish Government
Former Irish Green Party leader Trevor Sargent has resigned from his position as Irish Minister of State for Food and Horticulture after admitting contacting gardaí in relation to an alleged assault on a constituent. The Irish Times report has the audio of his statement to the Dáil. According to reports
The former Green Party leader has been under pressure after it was revealed he wrote to a garda seeking to have a criminal prosecution dropped. The Evening Herald newspaper is reporting that Mr Sargent wrote to a member of the force on behalf of a constituent seeking to intervene in a prosecution. At least one of the letters was on Department of Agriculture headed notepaper.
Yep lugs, very much the hurler on the ditch these day and can take a more detached view of things, it certainly will be interesting.
However one problem with all these numbers and percentages, they are very much old school ! Look how quickly the old Aged Pensioners rallied and achieved results, they became a potent force that forced a positive Government response in or around eleven days from the first outburst of anger hitting the media.
We are communicating in real time here; what if there will be Left Field, Black Swan movement out there, new media savvy that will organize and capitalize on the ‘pissed off with everyone’ in politics attitude rampant in the under under thirty-fives ?.
We cannot use the emergence of the P.D. or any other political party as an example, by the time such a movement would become an issue for mainstream media it would be passed the tipping point, well off the starting blocks and headed for the home straight.
No great need of policy ‘ f*** them all’ will be enough to get things going! There are young folk out there, who had previously never known a poor day, now existing on jobseekers and the dole for a week on less than they regularly spend on a meal after work in the good old days. And they can all text, twitter or whatever will be the instant com. of the hour!
That old Chinese curse that the recipient may live in interesting times may indeed come to pass!
Munsterview,
Let us not forget that it was a Fine Gael Taoiseach that declared Ireland a Republic
Indeed, but the term “republican” is a devalued currency in Ireland.
Sorry, hit submit too quickly.
I remember reading a paper (the reference eludes me) that made a convincing attempt at showing that FG were more “republican” (in the Enlightenment sense) than FF. I’ll try to look it up…
ben,
as to history and corruption;
some nights ago I sat through a T.G.4 program that was supposed to give ‘a behind closed doors’ insight into why Harry Wheelan had to resign as President Of The High Court. Whether by design or through ignorance it completely missed the plot.
True Facts; a person representing the mother of a child that had Suffered Child Sexual Abuse had a face to face meeting with Harry Wheelan when he was Attorney General and informed him in detail of the circumstances of the abuse and the complicity of State Forces in facilitating and covering up that abuse. Harry also took two follow telephone calls that supplied additional sought information. Likewise this person had a meeting with Albert Reynols when Taoiseach on the same matter around the same time.
Harry broke of contact on the fourth call as the communication was, according to him, ‘inappropriate’. On his appointment to The Office of President Of the High Court, the mother concerned gave sight of the files to The Sunday Tribune who had prepared a two page spread on the fact that Harry as A.G. did not act in the matter when made aware of Stare complicity.
That made his position as President Of The High Court and a Senior Constitutional Officer Of the State untenable
Within an hour or so of The Sunday Tribune confronting Harry with the facts of the case, Harry resigned and on the following Sunday Sunday Tribune published a much reduced article. A phone call to the Tribune by any interested party can verify the facts!
I raise this here as the child’s mother is currently in direct contact with the current Minister For Justice, Dermot Ahern and is still awaiting a reply from The Minister from her last registered letters send to his constituency office over six weeks ago. Yet this same Minister has been condemning the Catholic Church for coverup and stonewalling as has other senior Ministers such as Michael Martin.
There was some fringe involvement of a religious institution in the case, at the time the child’s mother sought a meeting with The Late Cardinal Daly who was contacted around 10PM by phone by the distraught mother, he gave her a breakfast meeting the following morning. When she returned to meet with the religious order personnel they were chastened and respectful in their approach and dealings with her compared to their previous arrogance.
Corruption and the cover up of corruption is ongoing in this Government and the attitude and prompt intervention of the Late Cardinal stands in sharp contrast to the current attitude of the present Minister for Justice who cannot be bothered to answer a letter about the cover up Child Sexual Abuse by the State while regularly condemning the Catholic Church Authorities for the same practices!
Your argument that anyone who questions Enda’s limitations and competence is, by default, a supporter of Fianna Fail is far off the mark indeed!
I made no such argument. I said that your willingness to accept the proven corruption and malfeasance of *current* FF government — not a government of the 40s, 50s, or 90s but THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT — on the basis of what the FG party or its predecessors did is an utterly pathetic argument, and if that’s the best you can bring to the doorsteps in this coming election you’ll be annihilated.
As to the several pages of bizarre, irrelevant twaddle about Harry Whelehan, I don’t know what bearing that’s supposed to have on this government and the coming election. But, yeah, bring it to the hustings. Deliver lectures about Clann na Talmhan to explain why Willie O’Dea should be re-elected. Good luck with that.
andrew ;
this is a topic that I had a few conversations with the Late John Kelly, former A.G. on. He was of the opinion that F.G. should have prevented F.F. presenting themselves as the sole republican party in the Twenty-Six County State post the declaration.
John was equally firm in his belief that F.G. should have been more robust in defense of what occurred; they stole a march on F.F. and ever afterwards F.F. sought to hollow out the achievement by presenting the event as something that came about almost by accident.
As to Irish Republicanism having an image problem, I have held all my adult life that there should be a far greater appreciation of Wolfe Tone, Henry Joy, Russell, Emmet, Mitchell and Davis et al, not just as empty icons and cyphers but as real flesh and blood people and by extension, their families, communities, ideals, religious beliefs and philosophies etc in their context and in the context of their time.
This, for Unionist/Loyalists/protestants would produce culture heros that they could at least relate to if not entirely accept and it would also hold up a mirror that would show many deficits in contemporary republican claims. It should be an essential part of any new dispensation and politics on this Island.
Ben,
I should have thought that the cover up of a Child Sexual Abuse scandal by the Present Minister For Justice and Government should, or at least, ought to be the concern of every decent, principled, concerned citizen on this island, never mind the Twenty-Six counties.
If however your attitude as a Fine Gael supporter is that these things do not matter to your party, fine, that is something worth taking note of by me and others also I hope!
Re Wee Willie; I have devoted over a dozen long posts to teasing out various aspects of the case, each driving another nail in the coffin of Willie’s credibility. Yet you keep implying and openly stating that I in some way support the man.
Sorry if you have a blind spot or that you cannot see the wood for the trees and I do appreciate that being on extended contact with a republican viewpoint dealing in something other than sound politics must be a bit traumatic for you!
Rather than personalizing this I am content to let the readers judge for themselves!
Munsterview, I simply have no idea what you’re talking about at this point. I’m talking about the current government and the burning need for ousting it on the basis of the corruption and malfeasance it has demonstrated, you’re talking about the history of the state from its foundation, Attorneys-General you have known, and the Blueshirts. I feel like I’m in the wrong room.
It’s not that I’m not interested in the history of the state, etc. I just don’t understand how you’re addressing the current government and the forthcoming election in any way whatsoever.
Ben
2010 @ 10:08 Please read again carefully!
I have given outline details of a Child Sex Abuse Scandal cover up that is current and ongoing by the present Minister For Justice.
This is a is a prime example of the corruption that you are accusing the current Government of.
I know the mother attempting to expose this scandal and she has also been involved in exposing many previous scandal.
If you cannot or understand the ramifications of this for public life or sympathize with a mother struggling for justice from the state, then where is the new process and politics, what is different about you from the existing shower?
It is not good enough to just want them out, taking this case as an example what should be done as far as you are concerned or what would your party do?
Perhaps you only want to deal with big politics and as this only concerns little people your are not really interested?
So, not content with blaming the current opposition for the deeds of all its numerous predecessors since before the foundation of the state, you are now blaming the opposition for the actions of the current government. You’ve not just gone through the looking-glass, you broke it behind you.
It’s great, though, I am enjoying this insight into the current government’s re-election tactics and really hope to see them implemented. Please, please go out on the streets with this manifesto. You will wow them in every constituency although it might not all fit on a poster:
“Vote FF because the opposition might not be different enough from the current government, and Enda Kenny’s one of the longer-serving TDs in Dail Eireann”
or:
“Remember Clann na Talmhain — Vote FF!”
or:
“The outrages committed by the FF Minister for Justice’s DEMAND that you vote for FF”
It’ll be fantastic.
Munsterview,
I’m in two minds about the “republican” label. On one level, I am a great believer in government by the people for the people etc., and have no time for the hereditary principle; so that would make me a “republican” in the classical sense of the word. However, the actions of those calling themselves “Republicans” in Northern Ireland means that I could never declare myself so. Republicanism has unfortunately become synonymous with armed nationalism, which is anathema to me and to many others who would otherwise be sympathetic to classical republican principles (including many Unionists and at least one Alliance Party Sluggerette that I know of). So I’m quite content to let FF call themselves the Republican Party, even though I know it’s a corruption of the term.
I’m coming to the conclusion that “Whig” is the best description for my politics – at least I don’t have to disabuse people of any preconceptions.
Andrew,
sorry about the delay in getting back, events, dear boy, events!
Your reference to ‘ Classical Republican Principles ‘ should be the focus here. Republicanism as a structure for Government should always stand alone as a governance philosophy and system. I have just pulled out Plato’s Republic for a thumb through again later tonight for the umpteenth time in my life!
I do not believe that any one grouping in a county, be they Sinn Fein or Fianna Fail in Ireland or ‘ The Republican Party’ in the U.S. should be allowed to appropriate that nomenclature for their own exclusive and excluding use. To do so as in all there three instances, and 20th, century politics can provide plenty more examples, is to devalue, taint and even contaminate the very principle.
Actual politics of whatever time and place, in their implementation, will always fall short of undertakings given, promises made, etc and if too closely identified to a particular structure, then that too will suffer in public perception.
I have held all my life that a genuine exploration of the founders of Republicanism in the Island of Ireland, of their believes, hopes and values is long overdue as there is so much overlay of political platitudes and dross on these fine people, their ideals and values that the latter, are now all but unknown to all but a few dedicated scholars.
It could be a very liberating, enlightening and educational experience all around.
Ben
the current Fianna Fail government, as so many that preceded it, is one of expediency, opportunism and corrupt use of power. By extension that also holds for those who support it.
I did not vote for this Government, I did not support it’s formation, I did not favor it’s continuation and I do not support it now. However despite having been that explicit , by some G.U.B.U.ism, going on previous postings, you will no doubt scree the contents and once again discern covert support for Fianna Fail, overt support having been denied.
Now as to your precious Enda: one of the few ways the public have of judging how a future government is likely to perform and the potential of its probable ministers is to see how these behave in opposition. The current situation presents an opposition with unprecedent opportunities to attack a sitting Government, yet the perception among most newspaper commentators is that Enda cannot lay a glove on Cowen much less a killer punch.
Take the John O’Donoghue issue, Enda spend days dancing around and chanting John is in the toilet bowl, john is in the dodo etc! The whole bloody country knew that! It took Eamon Gilmore to walk past him, reach in, pull the chain and flush.
Some demonstration of decisive leadership…and indeed the lack of it!
Absolutely. I wouldn’t vote for Enda Kenny and never said anything to give you the impression I would. I don’t suggest you vote for him. Gilmore has been a far better opposition leader.
But your implicit support for FF (and, of course, your silly delusions that SF is going to be kingmaker) based on how bad you think Enda Kenny is are nonsensical. It’s PR/STV. Vote in order of your choice. In mine, it would be Labour first, Fine Gael down the list, and Green/FF/SF not at all. But stop burbling about Clann na Talmhan and the 1940s as an excuse for tacitly encouraging a FF vote. And, while studying the entire history of the state is interesting and informative, it’s not the best way of deciding how to vote.
Munsterview,
Liberating and enlightening for some, yes. But unfortunately if you stop the average Joe in Royal Avenue and ask him about republicanism, he’ll think you’re talking about a United Ireland and the armed struggle. Safer to stay away from the loaded terminology methinks.
Andrew
Then the old maxim apply: if you do not know learn, if you do know teach !
That is what I have tried to do all my adult life in my own limited way. Admittedly the South is not the Shankill but never the less I cannot once remember at a cultural or political event when speaking on the values and philosophies of the protestant elements of the United Irishmen ( and women) of where I encountered anything other than an openness and even eagerness to learn.
I did not have to draw the unflattering parallels with contemporary politics, the audience were able to do that for themselves. All Island structures are a reality, Fianna Fail are already nosing around North of the Border, we can either return to first principles and see what these idealists were about or we can have the same tired has been politicians and failed politics North and South coalescing and prevailing by default!