Open Season

As announced by An Taoiseach yesterday, there will be an election. Officially, the campaign season has opened and the rhetoric will now fly freely.

How does Bertie Ahern begin, on opening day? Unfortunately, he begins by explaining away the 30,000 pounds sterling that was given to Celia Larkin back in 1994. Bertie and Celia were still an item back then, with Ms. Larkin considered Mrs. Taoiseach when it came to public functions. What became of all that money, the voting public may ask, and it's a fair piece of change even at today's inflated rates.

Michael Wall, Dublin businessman and possessor of largess, owned a house in Drumcondra that was being rented by Bertie Ahern. Mr. Wall gave the money, in cash, to Ms. Larkin, who in turn made a deposit into her bank account. According to evidence given to the tribunal investigating some shady land development dealings, Ms. Larkin then used the gift to fix the place up a bit. As Mr. Wall owned the house, and must have considered Ms. Larkin a woman of taste, one might presume that the house needed a little rehab or redecorating. Just re-doing a small bathroom would suck up most of the 30,000, and a slap of paint doesn't come cheap either.

Once the house was tarted up, Mr. Wall sold it....to Bertie Ahern.

Was it a convoluted path to a bribe? Mr. Ahern insists that he didn't go looking for money from anybody connected with the Quarryvale scheme that is currently under scrutiny. Had Mr. Wall not sold the house, however, it would have come to Bertie Ahern through a clause in Mr. Wall's will. No matter what happened, the newly refurbished home was the property of Bertie Ahern.

On this opening day, the political parties are busy laying out their positions on the key issues, about the economy and who is most capable of keeping things humming, about better health care and smaller classroom sizes. Reminding the voters that money has been passed under the table and favors granted may be playing in the background, but will it really make any difference? Sure this sort of thing has been going on forever, and will continue to go on, no matter what party holds the most seats in the Dail.