Corruption in Ireland I
At the very core of political corruption in Ireland is the concept of "gombeenism", a word that describes a degraded form of representation in which those elected to be legislators devote themselves instead to client politics. Public time and money are spent procuring services that are freely available to the electorate and this gives the politicians the aura of power while re-enforcing a culture of political illiteracy. In such a climate, corruption thrives.
This state of affairs has prompted Gavin Sheridan to start a new blog devoted to corruption in Ireland. Here, he tells us about his motivation.
Rainy Day: Why this blog now? Is there a specific issue or event that prompted it?
Gavin Sheridan: Not really. I started the weblog after almost two weeks of non-stop stories of corruption and incompetence at the highest levels. From nursing home charges, nursing home negligence, tax evasion stories on "PrimeTime", Garda corruption in Donegal, the second Morris Tribunal report, and so on. In face there are so many stories related to corruption it is almost impossible to keep up with it all. I have considered setting up this type of weblog for sometime. A weblog serves as a perfect tool for disseminating this type of information. I was finally prompted, the final straw as it were, by listening to Frank McBrearty on the Vincent Browne show, and being so angered by the sheer levels of corruption, and apathy of many people, towards that corruption.
Rainy Day: What is specifically "Irish" in Irish corruption?
Gavin Sheridan: A convenient name — it can mean corruption solely related to Ireland, or the particular flavour of Irish corruption that involves apathy, inaction, incompetence, arrogance. It could be taken to mean the particular flavour of the Irish banana republic we live in.
Rainy Day: Will you focus more on the pillaging of the public purse by the state's crooked servants or on the kind of private veniality that's rampant in every sphere from agricultural rip offs (the TB eradication scheme) to zombie destruction of the environment (illegitimate planning permissions)?
Gavin Sheridan: Everything and anything related to corruption in Ireland. Planning is an issue close to my heart — anecdotally the problem is still endemic, yet the media and body politic appear to believe it all stopped with the beginning of the Flood/Mahon Tribunal. It is still rampant in Ireland — and no one, not least the politicians, seems to give a damn.
Rainy Day: We've got an organization with a private militia that's engaged in murder, armed robbery and racketeering. And, incredibly, it's got representatives in parliament on both sides of the border. For many, the Sinn Fein-IRA phenomenon is nothing but an expression of a peculiar Irish form of corruption that embraces lawlessness and amorality. Will you be looking at this area?
Gavin Sheridan : I have considered it. It is a difficult question. If I were to take in that sphere it could dilute the other serious issues being dealt with. I would suggest someone set up a blog solely devoted to this issue. It is a huge area, and one that a category on my blog would not do justice to.
Rainy Day: The Irish journalist Veronica Guerin was murdered while attempting to expose a particular facet of Irish corruption — the dealings of Dublin's narcotics underworld. Are you not worried that your anti-corruption blog might attract the attention of some very unpleasant people?
Gavin Sheridan: I do expect that vested interests will not like a citizen such as myself taking it upon themselves to solely, freely and without prejudice begin writing about existing, current and future corruption in the Irish state. I do expect that, at some point, legal proceedings of some sort will be brought against me, probably without merit, but just enough to try and shut me up. I will not shut up, full stop.
Tomorrow here, the second part of our Q&A in which Gavin Sheridan talks about the role of the Irish media in the corruption debate.
