# Consumer Panel a rogues' gallery?



## Piglet (28 Sep 2004)

The Boss in the chair, Hobbit on the benches, Allah save us from this latst Quango.


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## oilean (29 Sep 2004)

Has the Boss not applied for the Credit Union Advisory Committee?

I suppose, "shut them down" would not really be the advice they were looking for


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## Thyroid (4 Oct 2004)

*Rogues*

Hi Piglet, I don't understand your quip, who are the rogues the Minister for finance has appointed, and why are your panel of rogues - rogues???


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## Moneybags (4 Oct 2004)

*Re: Rogues*

Here's some enlightment from _Ireland on Sunday_:


Fury as ministers hand out 60 posts in their last three days

*JOBS FOR THE BOYS*

Three outgoing government ministers filled 60 plum State jobs in their final three days in office in a breathtaking display of political opportunism. 
The brazen cronyism flies in the face of repeated declarations of the need for political probity by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tanaiste Mary Harney.
It provoked an immediate storm of criticism from an outranged Opposition who accused the guilty ministers of nepotism of the highest order and perpetuating the 'jobs for the boys' culture.........Some of the jobs gifted are worth in the region of €12,700 a year before expenses. In other cases, the stipend and expenses have yet to be declared. 
Among them are economist and journalist David McWilliams; a former chairman of the Competition Authority, Paddy Lyons; and Sunday Business Post journalist Aileen Power, who have all been appointed to the Financial Services Ombudsman Council.
According to a spokesman for the Department of Finance, the cost of paying the new financial services bodies members cannot be estimated at this juncture as they are new. 
But new Finance Minister Brian Cowen may or may not be grateful for his predecessor's legacy, Government sources said. 
"At first glace, it seems like a good idea to bring all this expertise together," one source said. 
"But sometimes you can have too much advice and there will be a lot of conflicting interests banging their heads off each other, rather than putting them together.
"if it's such a bright idea, how come one of our brightest, McCreevy, did not come up with it during his seven years in Finance?" he asked.


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## Brendan Burgess (5 Oct 2004)

*Re: Rogues*



> Some of the jobs gifted are worth in the region of €12,700 a year before expenses.



Hi Moneybags

You got me excited there for a moment. I wasn't expecting any payment for this "plum" job. 

But a report in the Indo by Nicola Anderson explains that directors were also appointed to the board of An Bord Bia, and presumably, they will be getting the €12,700. 

Joan Burton stressed "that many of the finance services posts filled by McCreevy were publicly advertised and were covered by IFSRA legislation".  I was a bit disappointed that this point has not been highlighted. It was the first time that the Government advertised public appointments and they got a good response - I think around 240 applications. It's a pity McCreevy did not get more credit for this. He may as well have appointed the usual hacks, as he got abuse anyway.

Brendan


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## Piglet (5 Oct 2004)

*10 grand for what?*

Well said Boss.  I was of course only joking in opening this topic but Moneybags had me thinking.  Boss, you deserve 10K Irish Pounds but as for the others?!  
Moneybags, didn't know Aileen was FF hack, where do you get your info?


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## Thyroid (5 Oct 2004)

*The Panel*

I don't recognise most people on the panel. Will Mc Williams and Hobbs team well with BB? If they get it together I wouldn't like to be on the industry side defending sharp practice, on the other hand if they get frustrated with one another????

The panel looks too big at 20. Does the story about FF'ers fly? None of those I recognise could be described as pol pals, surely if that were true then the Chairman would a FF'er, and BB certainly is very far from that camp I'd have thought.


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## Moneybags (5 Oct 2004)

*Re: The Panel*

Hi Piglet,

All my info comes from the front page, lead story in _Ireland on Sunday_. I've no information on the political affiliations, if any, of anyone mentioned in the story.


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