Bertie's banker, Philip Murphy, gave evidence to the Planning Tribunal in November. The evidence revealed even more curious aspects to the Taoiseach's financial affairs, including evidence that Bertie Ahern handed over to his banker IR£72,500 in cash from December 1993 to August 1994
By Vincent Browne
The recovery of the Munster and Leinster players, who played so poorly in the Rugby World Cup, notably Ronan O'Gara, has been so striking that the fingers pointing at Eddie O'Sullivan have got even longer and more insistent. If Declan Kidney (Munster) and Michael Cheika (Leinster) can get so much more from the players that Eddie O'Sullivan failed with so spectacularly, doesn't that say something? And among the thing it says is that Declan Kidney should be preferred as the national coach. And soon.
On the evening of 17 May last, exactly a week before the general election, Bertie Ahern and a woman friend joined other friends in Fagans in Drumcondra. Around 11pm, according to an informant, the developer, Sean Dunne, arrived in the pub and he and Bertie stood aside from the others for a while. They then, along with Bertie's woman friend, went across the road to Bertie's limousine and all three were driven away. This was at a critical time in the planning process for the spectacular development Seán Dunne is proposing for Ballsbridge.
Roy Keane was inappropriately voluble about the failures of the England football team, following its defeat in the Euro qualifiers by Croatia.
Bertie's closest ally (probably one of the few people – the only person – in whom he can confide), Des Richardson has had a torrid time at the Planning Tribunal. Forensically examined by Tribunal counsel, Des O'Neill, he has stumbled over Bertie's first “dig out” (£22,500) on 26 December 1993 (this supposedly was to pay off Bertie's legal fees but he (Bertie) had done that already) and then the admission that he received dollars from a UK businessman, Norman Turner, who had an interest in opening a casino here in 1994.
The High Court judgement in the Irish Times v Tribunal case vindicates the protection of sources by journalists and offers Geraldine Kennedy and Colm Keena an honourable escape for their dilemma By Vincent Browne
Kevin Myers wrote in The Irish Independent on Tuesday, 9 October, of how out of “patriotic” duty he had gone on the Late Late Show to institute a national debate on immigration. To his bewilderment, the nation failed to respond to his exhortation. He wrote how he had “seen off” people in the Late Late Show audience, who had attempted to question his assertions on immigration and the calamity it is about to cause us. In fact he did no such thing as “see off” the two “intruders” in the discussion.
Once the Opposition, the public and Fianna Fáil (in that order) begin to appreciate the seriousness of the revelations concerning Bertie Ahern's finances, there will be a political convulsion By Vincent Browne
To Break Bread
Can the English language survive George Bush (that is if Bertie Aehrn has not strangled it first)?