Enda, Shatter & Representations

[C. Flower]

Inda doesn't care, the FG/Lab policy is, don't react. Shatter gone to ground too, after shafting Inda, slaaped down.
Anyway the reaction would be - we all fix things for constituents, just reacting by sending on your letter is enough.... move on nothing to see here.

Not the first scandal about politicians interfering with the Courts. There needs to be a clear line drawn.

[Baron von Biffo]

Not the first scandal about politicians interfering with the Courts. There needs to be a clear line drawn.

Just for the record, there's just an allegation that Gump sought to interfere with the courts and the Sindo, so far as I'm aware, hasn't yet released the letter they based that allegation on.

Innocent until proven guilty applies to politicians the same as the rest of us.

[fluffybiscuits]

Inda doesn't care, the FG/Lab policy is, don't react. Shatter gone to ground too, after shafting Inda, slaaped down.
Anyway the reaction would be - we all fix things for constituents, just reacting by sending on your letter is enough.... move on nothing to see here.

Brought your point up in the canteen with colleagues, lot of people agree! Maybe its just a vote getter in the end of it all ! Make it look like he does something and he gets a few votes for writing up a quick letter!

[PaddyJoe]

Its almost like this story never happened. I'd have expected at least a couple of lines from somebody saying that they contacted Kenny office and got some kind of bland brush off statement. Not even that, though.
Surely there's a public interest story in finding out how and why the Taoiseach was making representations to the Minister for Justice on a family law case?
Is the Irish media now so embedded or demoralised that they haven't even tried digging deeper into this?
Have they been warned off?
I see that merrionstreet.ie posted a short clip of Enda before he flew off to meet Anglela this morning. His handlers obviously aren't keen on him being asked questions in public.

[Dr. FIVE]

All depends on Sindo this weekend.

[PaddyJoe]

All depends on Sindo this weekend.

The Dail was on holiday this week as well. Otherwise it would surely have come up during question time.

[Dr. FIVE]

Most definitely, haven't heard much from the parties either.

It's up to the Sindo now to defend their eh, reputation.

[Baron von Biffo]

Its almost like this story never happened. I'd have expected at least a couple of lines from somebody saying that they contacted Kenny office and got some kind of bland brush off statement. Not even that, though.
Surely there's a public interest story in finding out how and why the Taoiseach was making representations to the Minister for Justice on a family law case?
Is the Irish media now so embedded or demoralised that they haven't even tried digging deeper into this?
Have they been warned off?
I see that merrionstreet.ie posted a short clip of Enda before he flew off to meet Anglela this morning. His handlers obviously aren't keen on him being asked questions in public.

At a guess I'd say that the Sindo story was hyped to the clouds and the facts don't support it. If Gump's letter was a smoking gun it would have been published already, either by the Indo or one of the others who could also have obtained it by FoI.

Most likely the chain of events was:-

• Letter from constituent to Gump with shock horror claims.
• Gump forwards to Shatter for comment.
• Shatter sends Gump response we've already seen.
• Gump forwards Shatter letter to constituent and puts her on Christmas card list.

No story.

[Dr. FIVE]

Shatter's statement said

He merely requested ‘that I “examine the points raised” in the constituent’s letter

Not hard to read to between the lines in quotes there

[Baron von Biffo]

Shatter's statement said

He merely requested ‘that I “examine the points raised” in the constituent’s letter

Not hard to read to between the lines in quotes there

'Give me something I can fob her off with'

[Dr. FIVE]

Please don't feign naivety Baron.

This “examine the points raised” or similar is on the go for years as you well know. It's an instruction leaving enough ambiguity for denial.

[Baron von Biffo]

Please don't feign naivety Baron.

This “examine the points raised” or similar is on the go for years as you well know. It's an instruction leaving enough ambiguity for denial.

I'm not naive but neither am I paranoid.

Gump has been in the Dail for nearly 40 years and in that time he's done nothing but process representations like the one in this case.

He may be a gobsh!te but he's cute enough to know there wasn't anything of substance he could do for the constituent so he gets Shatter to run up a fob off letter that he can send back as 'proof' that he's put in an effort.

It's the sort of thing that ministers do for their own every day of the week. They could do it in their sleep.

Cynical? Yes.

A waste of ministerial time and PS resources? No doubt about it.

Corrupt? Not even close.

[homer]

Would have to see all the correspondence to decide whether and what lines were crossed.

Letters would have to be redacted to remove names etc.

[Dr. FIVE]

Not convinced

[PaddyJoe]

You'll recall that Ivana Bacik was quoted in the Sindo piece as saying that it was not appropriate for the Taoiseach to make the representations and that interfering with family law proceedings was a contempt of court.

"It seems to me that anyone would know that it's not appropriate to be writing these letters," she said.

"There is no role for any legislator or executive members in a family law case. There is no reason to intervene because you simply can't. It's a contempt of court

Pretty serious error of judgement by Kenny or by somebody in his office, obviously.
http://www.independent.ie/national-n...e-3276736.html