Bertie Visits the Tribunal

Last week at the Tribunal the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern responded to questioning from Des O’Neill SC, leading counsel for the Inquiry into planning corruption.

Day one of the two day attendance saw little initial public enthusiasm that did his two previous attendances on December 21 and 22. Similiarly the commencement of questioning was reported by some in the public gallery to be almost polite.

That was to change as the day progressed, with opposition coming from both the Irish leader and his legal team lead by barrister Conor McGuire SC to the line and tone of questioning.

At 11:36 things started to heat up as the Taoiseach answered questions concerning two lodgements of 5,000 pounds and as to whether or not these sums were believed by the Taoiseach to be political donations or personal gifts.

O’Neill SC: Was it your belief that somebody had given you two 5,000 pounds gifts?

Ahern: No

O’Neill: And you thought you knew the company that had given it?

Ahern: Yes. And the individual. But when I went back to the company, and I have to say they have been very helpful, they could not verify that the individual I thought had given it to me had given it to me. So I was not able to prove that.

O’Neill: but was it a political donation?

Ahern: Sometimes I think you don’t listen to me […] it was a political donation for my personal use.

Mr. Ahern spent most of the day prevaricating and dodging precision at every verbal turn. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective and stymied the relentless Senior Counsel’s questioning. At one stage Ahern refuses to answer a question concerning a payment received into an account connected to Ahern in October 1992, he ignores the question five times by going off on a tangent.

A peculiar tell of Ahern’s is his habit of ducking his head behind the witness box monitor. He does this in response to certain questions and does it now in response to the production of a compliment slip from Davy Stockbrokers, it reads “Best of luck in the election Bertie.” Signed by Robbie Kellegher it is evidence of a 5,000 ‘contribution’ paid into the ‘B/T’ account administered by his close friend Tim Collins.

Mr. Ahern revealed for the first time that his lover Celia Larkin had withdrawn 30,000 pounds from the account to purchase property in his constituency.

McGuire SC calls for a recess, but judge Mahon denies his request.

YouTube and Democracy: politics embraces the Internet

It seems the political parties are finally catching up with the runaway sprint that is d’Internet. Puffing, gasping-red faced with gut hanging out, and lagging 15 laps behind, the fellas up in City Hall have finally got the message; yes, the internet can help you in the race for the Oireachtas.

One invaluable innovation is You Tube: a web site where one can post movies, albeit in a somewhat lower quality format. You Tube is fast becoming one of my daily ports of call (while I have my morning coffee and read the Guardian Unlimited) The Fianna Fail political parade definitely seems to be up for it. They posted the following film of their Ard Fheis only hours after it was broadcast, prime time, on RTE 1-Ireland’s national tv station.

Now, everybody always pats Bertie on the back after these tirades but to tell you the truth, I don’t believe Bertie has much going for him in the Oratory department. His speeches to the party faithful always seem a bit forced to me.

But hey why don’t you judge for yourself.

Bertie Addresses Fianna Fail Ard Fheis		A You Tube video released on d’Internet recently

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I found this recently on ABC about presidential nominee Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.

2008 Campaign Goes Negative on YouTube

Unauthorized Anti-Clinton Ad Shows YouTube’s Potential ‘08 Influence

A striking, new and unauthorized negative campaign ad for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., that attacks his presidential nomination rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is the latest sensation on the popular video sharing site You Tube.The 74-second ad is a creative take on director Ridley Scott’s controversial 1984 Super Bowl commercial that launched Apple as a brash alternative to market leader IBM.

			If you only click one you tube on this blog, click this one A facinating insight into how politics, negative advertising and mud-slinging can damage electoral candidates in the U.S.

Battle Royale for Sarko

French presidential candidates Royal and Sarcozy are set for a political tete-a-tete extraordinare next Sunday

The French exercised their franchise in the first of two rounds of voting to select their next president last Sunday and two big reasons pushed them to swamp the polling stations. The first was a collective will to avoid a repeat of the 2002 election when voter apathy allowed Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the extreme right National Front, to overtake the mainstream parties and earn a place on the run-off ballot against incumbent president Jacques Chirac.

Election Franciase

On Sunday the French election took place with the three main front-runners, Zarcozy, Royale, and Bayreu set to slug it out for the role of future President du France. Each candidate has utilized the power of the internet to maximize the scope of their message. It seems that politicos are finally starting to realise the power and economy of the internet.

Here’s France’s favorite son Nickolas Sarcozy doing tete-a-tete with his arch reactionary rival Jean Marie Le Pen. Now many have accused Sarko (as he’s affectionately dubbed by the French) as a hot head but when it comes to giving as good as he gets, Sarky Sarko takes le tartelette. Voila !

A classic Sarcozy interview	Segolene talks on France’s most popular talk show

Segolene Royal

The Socialist representative in this years French election Segolene Royal has caused deep feelings in both the right and the left. Even the middle ground-and pollster predict this will be the deciding demographic are beginning to be polarized by the pretty brunette politician.On 7 April 2006, Royal launched an Internet electoral campaign at Désirs d’avenir (“Desires of a future”), publishing the first of ten chapters of her political manifesto. The campaign — which allowed contributions by visitors in order to help “complete” the book — was designed to help Royal produce a document which was to be published in September 2006, two months before the Socialist Party elected her its presidential candidate. She’s clearly doing something right, her internet campaign, her squeaky clean image as the all-French first woman candidate, has intrigued the centre and far left. But the centre right and far right have become incensed by her consistent avoidance of tackling real issues, such as taxation, the 35 hour working week, and the failing French economy. Many have criticised Royal for not having a ‘real’ policy to deal with these issues.

The 52-year-old regional premier of Poitou-Charentes soared in popularity after she came under sneering attack last year from male politicians from within her own party.

Yet, as if to prove the difficulties for any woman going for the top job in French politics, the French media has occasionally focused on such burning questions as whether or not she should have worn high heels on this or that foreign trip. So, is Ms Royal really a realistic candidate for the French presidency?

French elections 2007 expected to be a humdinger

The 2007 French presidential election represents generational change and is being held to elect the successor of incumbent Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term. The next president will be the first born after World War II and the first not to have been in politics under Charles de Gaulle. The first round of voting takes place on Sunday, 22 April 2007.

With a population of 64 million the results of the first round may see Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal qualify for the second round. François Bayrou is hotly expected to give both the main candidates a run for their money and especially the extreme right Jean-Marie Le Pen will be watching the polls carefully to find out who comes out first and second.

Here is Royal on France 24 fending off her detractors.

Nickolas Sarkozy

	“I want to appeal to both sides of the political debate” Sarkozy at a recent gathering of supporters, called for the centre, which will be the deciding vote in France’s upcoming presidential election, to vote for him. Sarko, as he is known was born on 28 January 1955 in Paris, France), is a French politician, and the head of the centre-right party UMP, the French conservative party. He is often nicknamed Sarko by both his French supporters and opponents. Nicolas Sarkozy qualified to face the Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal, in the May 6 runoff election. One of the two will be the next President when Jacques Chirac leaves the Élysée Palace on May 16.
The leading candidate in France’s upcoming election, the right-wing Nicolas Sarkozy

Until March 26, 2007, he had served as the Minister of the Interior of France (a position similar to the Home Office in the United Kingdom). His immediate post before was finance minister after a prior stint at Interior.

A controversial figure in France, he is known for his tough stance on law and order, and his admiration for a new economic model for France, suggesting that the country should have a more liberalised economy.