The Ghost of C.J.H. is not yet exorcised from the body politic

national | politics / elections | opinion/analysis Saturday July 10, 2004 10:06 by john mcdermott - RemoveFiannaFailParty Dublin

The Vampires are still with us

The citizens lifeblood and taxes continue to enrich the powerful supporters of Fianna Fail.
Charlie's Lieutenants are alive and well in Leinster House.

The ‘Irish Times’(July 8th)indicated that farmers countrywide are receiving compensation payments of up 64,000 Euros an acre for-in some cases- scrub land, purchased by the N.R.A. to build the plethora of new highways which minister Cullen is building across archaeological sites across the nation.In some cases up to 500,000 Euros an acre,has made instant millionaires of our poor farmers.Thanks be to God,for Bertie..amen.
In other instances like the Carrickmines debacle,massive compensation is being claimed from landowners who in a corruption-free environment would never receive re-zoning to built on such sensitive sites,in the first instance.
Is it any wonder that the final estimates for our new infrastructure end up costing three times more than envisaged.
Bertie Ahern ought to consider his party’s position and let the people who really run(and milk) this country dry,park their tractors forthwith, in Leinster House.
Some things, it seems, never change .Many of the same faces who formed part of the most corrupt cabinet ever to re-gain power in 1987-with the cornerstone of a handful of power hungry P.D.’bodyguards’(led by Mary Hearney) ,are still pre-eminent.
While Burke,and Flynn,are( finally?) gone . Brennan,Cullen,Ahearn,-all the same old pack are still wearily clinging to office,just as Haughey did,leech like and irremovable into old age.
During their long reign,we know now,as we always suspected, that only the ‘little people’ever paid taxes…Builders,Publicans,Farmers, etc paid nothing.
.The stroking continued unabated even when C.J.H.retired with his ill gotten gains,donated by these big business interests who never paid a penny to the exchequer.
Fianally the I.D.A.and the Americans arrived,like the cavalry,to re-invigorate a broken economy.
The continually ongoing and unabated practice of ‘stroke’politics at local government level countrywide,through section 140 motions/planning abuses,by- in many cases-both of our largest political entities;has entirely discredited the planning process in this state.
Let any parties or coalition aspiring to form the next government,as alternative to Fianna Fail,-now place the reform and removal of such powers forever from ‘stroke’ politicians of whatever hue or affiliation,they may be.
This honest step may alienate certain landowner and business interests countrywide.
The despoliation of our children’s children’s heritage/ inheritance is already in full swing.
One third of all new houses are of the ‘one off variety’.It is almost too late to mitigate the damage done by the pander politics of a corrupt political party.