RTE Investigates Standards in Public Office

F

Firefly

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I don't know if anyone saw the RTE Investigates program last night, but for me, it was fantastic piece of work. The essence of rigorous journalism and public service. I hope we get lots more of that where it came from.

Those councillors were a disgrace and it was pretty sad really to seem them still sticking their noses in the trough, slurping away.
 
Saw it. Only shocking thing for me was that the 3 Councillors started talking about kickbacks, favours etc within 5 minutes of meeting the undercover reporter posing as a Windfarm company lobbyist. They didn't check out the company, the person they were talking to or anything like that- they just immediately started asking for Sterling or investment in joint business ventures or kickbacks via an intermediary.

It was such an easy sting, Transition Year students could have pulled it off. Yes, fair play to RTE for doing it but a kick in the backside to the Irish media in general....too busy with big name Columnists trying to push their agendas down our throat, rather than investigative journalism. It took the Brits to come over and expose the illegal immigration/work practices in our own fishing industry!
 
Delboy,

Not an easy sting to pull off without a huge risk of walking RTE into High Court.Without careful preparation this could be construed as entrapment type recording etc etc.

It appears obvious that these boyos where stuck in the trough.
Yet remember Mr Callally , didn,t he end up being cleared in Law ! if not in public opinion?
Mr Michael Lowry has had some issues? Mr Ahearne has had some issues ? Even I think Mr Burke got his fees etc back + (he got his pension!).

I think anything associated with (soft) as distinct from obvious crime eg burglarly is not taken seriously.
The worst that happens (trough feeders) is some public discomfert

I commend RTE for this
 
I couldn't understand why the SIPO head wasn't asked why his team weren't following up on the 40% of declarations that listed no property at all? I mean I know the housing crisis is in full pelt but I would think our poor downtrodden elected officials would have questions asked if they didn't have an interest in any property!
 
He seemed to be saying his team only followed up if they got a complaint, of which the average is 30 a year. And with 13 staff, thats 3 each!
 
If Joe Soap does not return any official form he is penalised.
If Joe Farmer gets any time thing wrong on cattle forms he gets hit in his pocket.

If Mr TD/Councillor does not fill in his form , he gets forgotten about.

Easy cure,
1. Forms in by a final date.
Late filing charge e100, if very late e1,000.
If not sent in loses seat.

Hard to beat financial incentives !
 
Delboy said:
He seemed to be saying his team only followed up if they got a complaint, of which the average is 30 a year. And with 13 staff, thats 3 each!
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13 staff yes but they probably have a HR manager, an office manager, a couple of administrators, researchers etc. and one of them is probably working full time as the union rep.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
Nobody but nobody behaves like that for real - to a complete stranger. He has explained that he knew what your woman was up to all along and just played along to make a fool of her.
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Nah, a Gombeen in the truest sense of the word...


A Gombeen man is a pejorativeHiberno-English term used in Ireland for a shady, small-time "wheeler-dealer" or businessman who is always looking to make a quick profit, often at someone else's expense or through the acceptance of bribes. Its origin is the Irish word "gaimbín", meaning monetary interest.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gombeen_man
 
I agree with Firefly. If he was so cute why didn't he 'counter sting', with a local journalist, to highlight this entrapment plot by RTE (or whoever, even if he didnt know the journalistic source). If it ever got to a jury I doubt they'd find his version credible - I don't.
 
I laughed out loud as I watched the program live. This was better than any Monty Python sketch. Compare his behaviour with the other two who were quite circumspect emphasising confidentiality and also speaking in terms which could at a stretch be interpreted innocently. This guy on the other hand engaged in a slapstick comedy routine. I presume he has pre posted some statement or other with a solicitor or a Parish Priest which he will unveil in due course - otherwise it is impossible to believe his version.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
This guy on the other hand engaged in a slapstick comedy routine.
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Much like any member of the Healy-Rae dynasty on any given day so...


Duke of Marmalade said:
I presume he has pre posted some statement or other with a solicitor or a Parish Priest which he will unveil in due course - otherwise it is impossible to believe his version.
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Resigning from the party in recent weeks while complaining of corruption being rife, while not making any reference to this doesn't sound like the actions of an honest and upright citizen with any real awareness of what was to come.
 
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