Tuesday 18 January 2011

Callely and Chaytor - two cases that say it all.

Two recent incidents support the notion that there will be no improvement of standards in Irish public office any time soon.

The first incident was Ivor Callely’s High Court case which overturned the Senate Committee’s decision to suspend him for making €80,000 expenses claims for travel from his second house in Cork, rather than his actual residence in north Dublin.

The court found that Callely’s constitutional rights had been “infringed” by the 20-day suspension, and that the Committee had made a “political judgement” outside its power by so doing.  Once again, the Constitution was interpreted to the advantage of those in power. Sometimes you have to wonder if we would be better off without it?

The second incident happened across the water, and involved former British Labour Party MP David Chaytor. He fiddled £22,650 in expenses between 2005 and 2008.  Result: 18 months’ jail.

A tale of two very different cultures with diametrcially opposed expectations of how those in public office should behave.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi mrGM wonderfull to see that justice has prevailed and that nobody is above the law in our own little island paradise i hope mr CALELLY recieves proper compensation for all this distress perhaps 5million would suffice ofc this kind of fairplay that keeps our great little coutry onthe leading edge and the envy of our english neighbours,as for MR CHAYTOR his sentence is richly deserved stealing 22000lsd from the long suffering taxpayers ihope he meets someone nice to help pass the time in the JUG -cheers BH

The Gombeen Man said...

The difference is we're Irish, BH. We're all being Dunne.

russell said...

Unbelievable....
Thanks for this site, by the way. I'm glad I found it. We Irish Americans can always benefit from reading more news from Ireland that doesn't involve Sinn Fein, the IRA, Gerry Adams, glorifying ancient history we've never had, the Pogues, etc.
Thanks again and keep up the good work.

Russ

The Gombeen Man said...

Thanks Russ.

Anonymous said...

This post fills me with nostalgia.

It takes me back to the night when Padraig Flinn told us all how hard it was to keep multiple houses, maids and cars on a lousy couple of hundred thousand.

And of course the time that the Judge gave TD Liam Lawlor a suspended sentence for obstructing justice because he didn't want to disenfranchise his constituents.

It must be time to confirm the hot headed fiery fighting Irish thing as a myth.

SH

anna said...

Yes I also noticed that the British MP went to JAIL for far far less: THe Seantes own internal rules were not strong enough for Ivor the Innocent: But OII would anyone believe that someone would drive up and down from Cork - to a very part tiem job- when he had a house in Dublin.However this hasn't ended yet- I am not sure what further legal action is pending- but I would Love to see him in the High Court looking for more dough-and then being asked to explain How he managed to submit expenses claims for mobile phone bills for a mobile company that went out of business about SIX years ago...is there another word for this but Fraud??lets wait and see how this ends up