Happiness Is a warm son.

Via

Thanks Spaghetti Hoop

“Despite his [Bertie Ahern’s] defence of himself, however, the first episode of The Rise And Fall Of Fianna Fail didn’t do him any favours. The opening half was a breathless history of the party, a kind of Fianna Fail for Dummies, which finished up by interviewing some of the dummies.

Willie O’Dea, his moustache quivering like a cornered hamster, talked of his lack of trust of Charles Haughey. “I heard a lot of rumours”, he said, looking slightly amused by it all, although he didn’t tell us what they were.

Former TD Martin Mansergh described Haughey, the most corrupt politician in the history of the Republic of Ireland, as a “substitute father figure”.

Ahern wasn’t interviewed about Haughey (last night, anyway) but the programme did feature footage of him praising his immediate predecessor at his funeral and defending Ray Burke in the Dail.

It was passionate stuff on both occasions. It was impossible to avoid the view that Ahern only saw what he wanted to see, and that this lack of curiosity about people badly affected his judgement, of other people and of his own deeds.”

Last Night’s TV (Diarmuid Doyle, Irish Independent)

Watch: The Rise And Fall Of Fianna Fail (TV3)

Dermot McCarthy. Retiring civil servant, pie lover.

During his tenure of more than a decade, Mr McCarthy was most associated with the social partnership process. He was secretary general to three taoisigh: Bertie Ahern; Brian Cowen and, in recent months, Enda Kenny. He was the taoiseach’s main adviser during the Northern peace process. He was also in position when the banking sector collapsed; when the economy was thrown into recession and when the previous government was forced to rely on intervention from the EU and IMF.

 

Dermot’s retirement package

In addition to his annual pension of €142,670, Mr McCarthy was also paid a once-off lump sum of €428,011. He was also entitled to another special severance payment of €142,670.

The overall package was worth €713,000.

While Mr McCarthy’s annual salary had fallen from €285,000 to €208,000 as a result of a series of pay cuts affecting high-earning public servants and ministers, his final salary for pension purposes remained the original figure of €285,000, leaving him with the lump sum of €428,000.

 

Benchmarking, social partnership, the bailout.  Worth every red cent.

€713,000 Retirement Package For Top Civil Servant (Harry McGee, Irish Times)

(Photocall Ireland)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7estuFU6VU

Depardieu takes the piss.

Thanks Karl Woodhouse