How much further beyond the theatre of the absurd can this go? After all the deals with Independent TDs, we should demand that information relating to how our money is spent by the Government be made freely available to us, writes Seán Dunne.
Nearly 70 years ago, Bertolt Brecht wrote that, "The movements of the stars have become clearer; but to the mass of the people the movements of their masters are still incalculable". His statement from The Life of Galileo, referred first to astrological knowledge, and second to political oppression.
I would revise this statement in 2007, as the cult of celebrity has produced knowledge of a variety of "stars", and the most mundane movements of the Paris Hiltons, the Beckhams, the Bonos, etc. are very well known to many members of the Irish public. But what exactly is known of the movements of those in political power?
To answer this question, consider the implications of some of the recent agreements developed by Fianna Fáil and Independent TDs around the country.
After the election, Beverley Flynn was asked about her possible return to Fianna Fáil, and about the nature of her agreement with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Flynn answered by telling the Sunday Times that, "My agreement with Bertie Ahern is based on mutual respect and understanding. Having it in writing does not mean that it is any more likely to be honoured . . . The only people who need to know [the details of the deal] are the people of Mayo". Flynn not only refused to disclose the details of the arrangement, she wouldn't even admit if it was a written or verbal agreement.
Michael Lowry, who has been an Independent TD since he was thrown out of Fine Gael due to a series of scandals, also signed an agreement with Fianna Fáil to provide his vote for Ahern as Taoiseach. He made this arrangement after stating during his 2007 campaign that he would be voting for Enda Kenny as taoiseach. Lowry has recently disclosed parts of his deal, but how do we know if there is any information he chose not to mention?
Finian McGrath has made many claims about his deal with Ahern. He claimed it involved investments, community policing, and other key local issues after he had 10 days of negotiations with the Taoiseach. McGrath's deal regarding community policing was recently criticised by a Garda superintendent, but how can we really know what the exact terms of his deal were?
This leads to the awkward media spectacle involving the Independent TD from the Kerry South constituency, Jackie Healy-Rae. Television cameras swooned over Healy-Rae's performance after he also agreed a secretive deal to secure his vote for Ahern. Like a flirtatious woman at a wedding party, devilishly exposing some of her leg to show her garter belt, Healy-Rae taunted the television cameras with a piece of paper that revealed only enough to show a Fianna Fáil letterhead. What were the terms of this agreement? No one knows. No one really asked.
How much further beyond the theatre of the absurd can this go? The Irish citizenry are watching the Government make promises about future policy decisions with Independent TDs, and these politicians do not have to disclose this information to the public. Irish taxpayers are watching their tax money being used by Ahern to bribe other politicians to vote for him, yet we are not told what this tax money is being spent on. According to the Independent TDs it's either none of our business, or they'll tell us when they feel like it. I disagreed with this situation, as I felt it was my right to know what these details are. I decided to write to the Department of the Taoiseach, and under the Freedom of Information Act, I requested information relating to all of the above agreements.
A prompt, courteous, and generous reply was first made in the form of a phone call. I was informed that my application would be rejected, and since this was an "obvious exemption" to the Freedom of Information Act, my €15 cheque would be returned with an explanation of why the request was an "obvious exemption" to the legislation.
In the written reply to my request, a section of the Freedom of Information Act was highlighted to explain why this information was not available. As explained under Section 2 of the Act entitled Interpretation, the information was considered an "exempt record", since it was "created for or held by an office holder and relates to the function or activities" of either the "office holder" or "a political party".
I was not interested in learning about how Fianna Fáil organises its candidates during election time. Nor was I interested in learning about any other in-house activities of the Fianna Fáil party. Instead, I felt it was my right to know how my tax money was being spent, and how my elected Government was creating policies around the country. The reply sent by the Department of the Taoiseach informed me that it was not my right to know any of this information. The Government can withhold information from the citizenry based on the fact that the information was part of a secretive deal between politicians and/or political parties. How can we know if an Independent TD is taking credit for something he/she actually negotiated, or how can we know if there are other elements of these deals that are not disclosed?
When asked about these secretive deals, Ahern stated: "The issues discussed, as is normal and appropriate, are covered in the National Development Plan, Transport 21 and the multi-annual capital programmes for public expenditure." Ahern, himself, is stating that the deals involve tax money that has been contributed to Government by the taxpayer. Shouldn't we demand that information relating to our money be made available to us?
Thucydides observed: "The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." Irish politicians enforce a political structure that tells citizens they are not privy to the machinations of the government, and they are not permitted to know how their tax money is spent, if these "movements" are made during secret deals between politicians. Must Irish people continue to suffer the undemocratic nature of these circumstances?
Seán Dunne is a post graduate student in the department of sociology at Trinity College, Dublin.