# Enda Kenny sending a constituent's CV to head of Revenue Commissioners



## STEINER (12 Aug 2013)

So the culture of its not what you know, but who you know is still the way to go here.


http://www.independent.ie/irish-new...uents-cv-to-chairman-of-revenue-29491117.html


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## mandelbrot (13 Aug 2013)

Is it though? What benefit has the individual accrued from Enda's letter? 

What involvement does Ms Feehily have in day-to-day recruitment - none whatsoever.


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## Conan (13 Aug 2013)

So in a democracy where Enda Kenny TD is elected to represent his constituents, what is he supposed to do - refuse to help. If he did so we would have some other contributor berating him for being unhelpful. 
Seems like he is damned if he does and damned if he does not.


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## bullbars (14 Aug 2013)

Conan said:


> So in a democracy where Enda Kenny TD is elected to represent his constituents


 
This was similiar to my thoughts on it. I think it's a flaw in the system where the leader of the country is also supposed to be representing local constituents. Surely he is (should be?) too busy to deal with these minor requests and issues. I can't see him being able to fully fulfill his role as a local T.D. and Taoiseach. 

I think most of us have been in that situation whereby a friend or relative sends us a speculative C.V. and we pass it on where we can but receiving a C.V. from the leader of the country does carry extra weight with it, how can we be sure this wasn't viewed as an implied instruction. It just needlessly adds scepticism and gives those in opposition more stones to throw.


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## T McGibney (14 Aug 2013)

Enda Kenny doesn't write all those letters himself. His constituency staff do, and are funded by the taxpayer to do so.

The day in 1987 when outgoing Tanaiste Dick Spring only held on to his seat by 4 votes was the day politicians learned that no how high you go in Irish politics, you must never neglect your constituency work.


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## bullbars (14 Aug 2013)

T McGibney said:


> Enda Kenny doesn't write all those letters himself. His constituency staff do, and are funded by the taxpayer to do so.


Surely he would have to be briefed/updated with local issues though. I'd prefer his time to be spent on national issues rather than moving a telephone pole or the installation of a pedestrian crossing. 



T McGibney said:


> The day in 1987 when outgoing Tanaiste Dick Spring only held on to his seat by 4 votes was the day politicians learned that no how high you go in Irish politics, you must never neglect your constituency work.


 
This follows from previous point; I don't want to say that local constituents & issues are beneath a Taoiseach but in my view these issues shouldn't even come up on his radar.


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## cork (14 Aug 2013)

Making representations for this?

Waste of taxpayers money.


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## TarfHead (14 Aug 2013)

It has never crossed my mind to ask a politician to make a representation on my behalf.

Or visit a constituency clinic.


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## Sunny (14 Aug 2013)

Did they get the job?


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## Purple (14 Aug 2013)

As long as we have multi-seat constituencies and a single transferrable vote electoral system we will have gombeen nod and wink politics. 
The problem is the electorate, not the elected.
Fianna Fail set the bar low decades ago for this sort of thing and all they have done in the mean time is lower it. Enda Kenny has many faults but in this he’s a victim of the political system he was born into. No politician in this country has ever lost their seat for putting local issues and their own career ahead of the national interest. The few that have tried to put the national interest ahead of parish pump populism  paid dearly for their high standards and principles.


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## Sunny (14 Aug 2013)

Problem with Enda is that he said this Government would be different. Didn't he make a big deal about this sort of thing while in opposition? It's a non story for anything else. All I can say is that I would never hire some sap that got their local td to send me a letter.


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## STEINER (14 Aug 2013)

Yeah guys, the letter was signed by an Taoiseach, on his department's official letterhead, a bit different from a local TD lashing out an auld letter on behalf of some chappie looking for  a job.


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## mandelbrot (14 Aug 2013)

STEINER said:


> Yeah guys, the letter was signed by an Taoiseach, on his department's official letterhead, a bit different from a local TD lashing out an auld letter on behalf of some chappie looking for a job.


 
My opinion of it is that it was a simple empty gesture by his office.

Josephine has diddly squat involvement in recruitment in Revenue, that's the bottom line. And Enda and his staff know that well, but the constituent who no doubt got a copy of the letter too, probably didn't know that.

Even look at something as low level and simple as the hiring of temporary clerical officers in Revenue for 12-week summer contracts - if there was a culture of "pull" it would surely prevail at this the lowest recruitment grade (and least significant arguably as the contracts are only temporary) - I know of several instances of people (children of Revenue employees, on their summer hols from college) who got a TCO job one summer, did very well in the job and subsequently reapplied the following year, only to fail to get the job. If that doesn't indicate impartiality in the recruitment process, I don't know what does.

As for the normal recruitment process for permanent posts, I know several people who've been through it, at several levels from junior to middle to senior managerial competitions, successfully and unsuccessfully, and none ever suggested that the process is anything other than independent and fair.

Anyway, no-one gets a job by sending their CV to Revenue - they advertise competitions when jobs are coming available, and only people who apply through the correct channels, on the prescribed form, by the prescribed deadline (and oh boy are they strict on the deadline, to the minute), will be considered for a role.


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## Time (16 Aug 2013)

What worries me more is that some newspaper is getting access to letters sent by TDs discussing confidential information with various government departments.


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## Bronte (2 Sep 2013)

Why is anyone surprised at this carry on anymore.   Apparently you go to your TD's for everything.


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## Time (2 Sep 2013)

Yes. As they are working for you I fails to see any issue.


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## ontour (2 Sep 2013)

The constituency staff should have assisted the constituent by educating them about the correct application process.  Wasting the time of elected officials and senior civil servants should not be promoted.


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## blueband (3 Sep 2013)

in that case maybe the elected official may feel his time is wasted when he knocks on my door looking for a vote..


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## Purple (3 Sep 2013)

blueband said:


> in that case maybe the elected official may feel his time is wasted when he knocks on my door looking for a vote..



Does that mean that you only vote for national legislators who pull strokes for locals?


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## Time (3 Sep 2013)

Certainly, that is what they do best.


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## Purple (3 Sep 2013)

Time said:


> Certainly, that is what they do best.



That attitude is the root cause of our political, and therefore economic, woes.
The problem in this country is the electorate, not the politicians as they are a reflection of the people.


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## blueband (3 Sep 2013)

Purple said:


> Does that mean that you only vote for national legislators who pull strokes for locals?


all politics is local, anyone who thinks different is fooling themselves..


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## liaconn (10 Sep 2013)

I used to work in a Government Dept and we used to get TDs forwarding us letters and applications for all kinds of things. Believe me, the fact that a TD had made any kind of representations on a constituents behalf made absolutely no difference whatsoever. The rep was never even seen by senior officials or the Minister and just received a standard response while the application or whatever went through exactly the same process as that from Joe Soap with no TD to lobby on his behalf.

Seriously, Civil Service offices receive hundreds of reps every week and would never even think of bending rules or skipping people up a queue as a result. They're just acknowledged and then it's on with business as normal.


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## Time (10 Sep 2013)

A TD certainly does make a difference when dealing with the DSP.


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## liaconn (10 Sep 2013)

Time said:


> A TD certainly does make a difference when dealing with the DSP.


 

Do you work there? Sometimes TDs take credit for things that would have happened anyway, without their intervention.


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## Purple (10 Sep 2013)

liaconn said:


> Do you work there? Sometimes TDs take credit for things that would have happened anyway, without their intervention.



Politicians taking credit for things they didn't do!? I find that hard to believe


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