This morning.
Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin,
The Social Democrats have called for the setting up of a new body, called the Independent Anti-Corruption Agency, to tackle corruption and white-collar crime in Ireland.
The body would be answerable to a newly established Oireachtas Committee for Public Interest Oversight.
Ahead of the launch, Social Democrat TD Róisín Shortall said:
“The purpose of this new body is to tackle the corruption that has so tainted politics and public life in Ireland. The existing legislation and infrastructure are totally inadequate in preventing, investigating and prosecuting corruption both in public office and in the corporate world. The effective collapse of the Cregan inquiry into IBRC transactions is just the latest example of what isn’t working.”
“Despite the many tribunals of inquiry and commissions of investigation, there remains minimal accountability and few consequences for those responsible for wrong-doing and the result is a perception of a golden circle of insiders who appear untouchable. With the creation of an Independent, fully responsible body, we are proposing root and branch reform of the anti-corruption regime in Ireland.”
Previously: The Brazen Heads
Thanks Anne Marie McNally
Delighted to hear it!
Only I’d be stronger with the line… “the result is a perception of a golden circle of insiders who appear untouchable”.
I think ‘perception of a’ should be removed…. “The result IS a golden circle…..” is closer to the truth.
+1000
I like it.
between these guys and SF, there will be little left of the Labour party after then next GE
Can’t see SF making this a priority though.
Anti-corruption… SF?
*slaps knee*
Careful. The bandages haven’t come off yet.
Heh! Well played, KNYC
Great idea, massively overdue.
It’ll all hinges on being adequately funded though. I’d imagine if it were around in 2008 it’d be the first thing the government would have taken the axe to. Funding stream would need strong protections.
Another quango eh?
If they’d have pulled this one a couple of years ago – I would have fell for it.
Yeah, a quango along the lines of HIQA or the Ombudsman for Children
Not so much like the Censorship of Publications Board or the Decentralisation Implementation Group thought doubtless they do vital work.
So a good quango.
but a quango nonetheless. Who would have thunk it.
Well what’s your alternative to an independent watchdog for anti-corruption? It’s not really something you can privatise.
It’s just ironic that quangos were such a hot topic for so long and succesive governments were pilloried for setting them up (in fact didn’t fg cull a lot of them? – BLUEPOO SHILL ALERT)
IW was labelled as a quango as well when it was set up. Now all of a sudden there’s talk of two more and its a-ok, mainly because it’s going to allow for a redacted joke or 5.
I should say, that I think its a pretty good idea and I’m for it. It’s just a bit like rain on your wedding day.
‘shirt’ typo causes moderation, lack of edit function ensures hilarity ensues.
That’s a bit nonsensical to be fair.
One can crib about public service bloating around numbers of administrators in hospitals and yet still applaud the recruitment of new nurses and gardai. You can differentiate.
There are dozens of unnecessary quangos – this is one we don’t have which is necessary. It ain’t doublethink.
Yep, your talking bullshirt rotide.
*you’re*
Actually rotide it’s a free ride when you’re already late
Leftie ball breakers also think the answer to crap governance is more crap governance shocker
It’s populist nonsense
Enough, already. You have my vote.
Actually, no. Keep doing what you’re doing.
I favour more scrutiny. We would have actual information and maybe white-collar crime statistics. For balance.
It would also mean a level playing-field and a fair return for business and everyone who foots the bill.
Of course it may be political and the world turns. We had no problem shadowing sites and housing estates to tackle welfare fraud so you can cancel that letter to the UN.
Let’s start the enquiry into the anti corruption committee now.
Save time.
They have mine & many many other people’s vote already.
Proper decent people who look out for the people.
About time those white collar people had their collar felt.
Existing legislation and infrastructure seem to be amazing money makers and conviction ‘preventors’. It will be fought for tooth-n-nail – multi-million mortgages and lifestyles are contingent on it. Hard battle, very hard. Kudos to SocDems.
I’m in favour of this.
There will be people in very high places, with stuff to hide who will not be, not least of all the current government & their mates, and their favourite mate with an unmentionable name.
Puff of smoke, genuine reform of the legal profession would be a good start !
You saw what happened to Shatter when he tried.
What happened?
i really really hope i get to see the social dems in power in my life time. it would be great to see a party in power who arent just 100% looking out for themselves and treating the public like a disobedient step child
a good example is david drumm. biggest charlatan goin.. his ways didnt swing in america so well, and now theyre blocking him from leaving and dismissing everything he tells in court because they know hes not trust worthy .. just shows the difference in the two countries and how they deal with people like that.. we need a serious shake up of the system here. drumm is trying to avoid coming back here, but if he did, he’d just have to sit in a tribunal and answer stupid questions, and stroll off without punishment, like the rest of them.
Solution to state incompetency = quango.
Great idea, they’ll get my vote.
its a start. the police ombudsman had to close after a few months becuase it was inundated with complaints, nothin seems to have happened those police who have been complained about. as they are still crackin skulls of innocent people. moriarity tribunal investigated and found corruption, nothin happened those people, they are still in office, still being paid still carrying on with the same people, in similarly dodgy deals. corruption is endemic. and unless there are some serious consequences to comitting these crimes. and actual redress for the people that get riipped off, usually the sovereign people of ireland, then it wont make an impact. informatin is not enough. we already know. we need consequences.
Cup of tea father?
Well if we could get the Criminal Assets Bs and the Corporate Enforcement crowd to dotheir jobs
And get together every so often
Youd already have a Anti Corruption Team already
(And I could list another half doz BTW)
And if we had an Independent press core that could be arsed to investigate and report
But if politicians want to create another jobs for the boys, instead of making the ones we have already do their jobs.
Ah here
That’s the SDs done for me folks
Agreed
They never started for me
To be fair from politicians all you are ever going to get are political “solutions”
Not radicalism or real innovation
Or outside the box thinking
Politics is the art of the possible after all
Then when they get into power all or any rawness is either sucked out of them or else they are either victimised by other arms of state ( eg Clare Daly) or laughed at or ignored
The civil servants take over as Dan Boyle was saying though the truth is more complex as the original problem is that political elites here in general lack either the vision, appetite or strategic decision making ability to effect real positive change
Cf Irish Water
You’re welcome